Stop Going To Church // Week 1 Teaching Notes
Why should we even go to church when it’s nothing but clichés?
The Church is a people of the Gospel of Jesus.
Sure, we’ve all heard that. If you’ve been around church or attended church for any length of time, you’ve no doubt heard this “cliché” to the point it has almost become white noise. Let’s take another look at this cliché, though, and see if we can break that “lullaby effect.”
So, let’s start at the beginning…what is the “Gospel of Jesus” exactly? Or…for that matter, what is any gospel?
If you’ve grown up in the church world (or even just been around people who have), this may come as a surprise, but…Gospel isn’t a Christian word. Gospel literally translates to “good news.” (Euangelion in the original Greek.) When Jesus’ particular flavor of Gospel hit the scene, this word was already cliché. Historically, we can see that Greece had their “good news,” Rome had their “good news,” and so on. Essentially, when any new kingdom or empire or ruler hit the scene…they let everyone know that this was a good thing. So, when Jesus’ Gospel began making its rounds, people had heard it all before. Even then, people were already feeling the cliché. So, what makes the Gospel of Jesus different, and what does that have to do with “going to church?”
The Gospel of Jesus (as opposed to Caesar or Alexander the Great that we mentioned above) has its unique own identity and characteristics.
Reread our passage from this week : 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
In this passage we see three distinct markers of this unique “good news” that Jesus is telling.
- You are a new creation.
- You are reconciled.
- You are Jesus’ ambassador.
Let’s take them one at a time:
NEW CREATION
In Jesus, you are a totally new creation…the OLD is gone, and the NEW is here. If your first thought is, “No way, people don’t change.” we totally get it! That’s actually what makes this Gospel so fascinating, though. The best part of this “good news” is that it’s not a behavior modification worldview. It’s not a series of pass or fail grades that eventually dictate your final destination. Rather, it’s a chance to break the “people don’t change” cliché by viewing ourselves through Jesus and his death and resurrection…which make us totally new.
RECONCILIATION
This is is basically exactly what it sounds like…it’s an accounting term. Our accounts are out of balance…we’re “in the red.” We owe a debt, and…we just can’t pay it. (Because, remember…when it’s up to us and our “behavior modification” we just…never change.) The “good news,” however, is that, because we are new creations through Jesus, our debts are paid. Jesus balanced our account…reconciled our debt.
Here’s the cool part…because we’re debt free, and because of our “newness,” we get to join in! We get to be part of the “ministry of reconciliation” and help others get their own accounts balanced through Jesus. This is a really cool opportunity we have as “new creations.”
AMBASSADORSHIP
So, how do we participate in this “ministry of reconciliation?” Well, Paul (the dude who wrote the letter we read from above), said we become the “aroma of Christ.” Sure, that can be a weird phrase, but when you look a little bit more into the cultural context of that language, it makes a bit more sense.
See, the ancient audience of this letter (which…is actually who it was written to) would have picked up on this reference immediately. They were much more familiar with the practice of making sacrificial offerings to God, and part of this involved burning incense, a “sweet aroma.” So, given this context, Paul may be telling this ancient Corinthian audience that they (and much later, we) have this incredible change to become a living sacrifice to God. As we make sacrifices throughout our lives–time, energy, money, preferences, etc.–we can live out this “ambassadorship” that Paul was describing. We become walking advocates for people to become new creations and to have their debts reconciled. That’s a pretty cool role we get to play in the giant story of the ongoing history of the world.
So…what does all this have to do with church? Why do we need to go to church? Well, really, we’re kind of saying…don’t! Stop going to church, because…you were made for more. The (capital C) Church is a people of the Gospel of Jesus. It’s not a place you go. (No, of course we aren’t discounting the value of consistently gathering with your co-ambassadors, but…that’s just a tiny fragment of what we are and do.)
So, here’s the deal. Here’s what we’re getting at. Our challenge to you is this: Stop going to church. Break the clichés. Become a people of this UNIQUE “good news” of Jesus. You’re a totally new creation, fully reconciled through Jesus, and you get to be an ambassador for living this new life.
Now, we want to hear from you. Tweet us, message us, email us…whatever it takes.
- How will YOU advocate for this Good News?
- What’s YOUR Made For This?
#StopGoingToChurch