Most people when they think of the word ‘church’, if their first reaction is not negative (hypocritical, irrelevant etc), will think of a church building within a parish. And then if you push them a bit further they’ll talk about priests, mass, services, duties and a whole other load of words that are connected to the building.
Guess what? When Jesus famously said “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” he had in mind something far more powerful, dynamic, impacting and positive than what we typically think of, though we can see his promise standing true since the church is the longest standing organisation in the world and will outlast all existing and future empires, nations and human entities. Jesus’ idea of church was of one big family!
And when you look at how Jesus then went about fulfilling that promise whilst on earth (recorded for us in the four gospels) and after he ascended into heaven (recorded for us in the Acts of the Apostles) we notice that the church he formed;
- Didn’t have any buildings and were constantly on the move
- Continually faced threat yet multiplied exponentially
- Appointed leaders but the lay people were never redundant
- Was ethnically diverse yet united in a common cause
It was vibrant, it was explosive, it changed the face of the Roman Empire in 3 years. Why? One word…love!
We have preserved for us, from the second century, a wonderful quote from an early church father Tertullian who, when describing how the Roman authorities responded to the early church said “see how they love one another”. In full it reads:
But it is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See, they say, how they love one another, for themselves are animated by mutual hatred; how they are ready even to die for one another, for they themselves will sooner put to death.
Before him Justin Martyr wrote:
We who used to value the acquisition of wealth and possessions more than anything else now bring what we have into a common fund and share it with anyone who needs it. We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.
This early church clearly caught hold of the church as being one big family, who were united not by family blood lines but by the blood of Christ. They were brothers and sisters, they treated older men and women with honour like mothers and fathers and the younger boys and girls like children. And Jesus had said, if they did this, they’d impact the world…which also turned out to be true! He said at the last supper:
‘A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’
And so at Christ City Church, in response to the love Christ has shown us, we strive to live up to this command and the inspirational example of the early church, to love one another as brothers and sisters.
We believe the church is primarily and fundamentally one big family. God’s family! Jesus as our elder brother and other Christians are our brothers and sisters…and EVERYONE is welcome. It’s a family for all! All ages, all backgrounds, all nationalities, all peoples and all races. It’s a family where everyone is equal and no-one is excluded. It’s for the old, the young and everyone in between.
And God’s family is to be a place of warmth and welcome, a place of fun and friendship, a place to be known and loved, a place to be vulnerable and encouraged, a place to be honest and real, a place to celebrate and a place to cry. Of course brothers and sisters wind each other up and can fight from time to time, but that only reveals the level of trust and respect with which we should treat each other. And it helps us remember that our unity in Jesus is far greater than any worldly differences. God’s family is ultimately to be marked by love. And as we love one another, we shine brightly to others the love we have received from God.
Everyone is welcome, whether you’re new to the city or if you were raised here, whether you call yourself a Christian or not. I hope you’ll come and say hello, we’d love to get to know you. You can join us on a Sunday or during the week at City Groups.