State of the Church 2024
Introduction
Hospitals and doctor’s offices have the distinct smell of cleaning supplies. Finance places tend to smell like paper. And schools tend to smell like a mixture of the two. People and places have aromas that tell a lot about what they prioritize and what they do. What does a Christian smell like? Does he smell like coffee and doughnuts? Does she smell like the fabric in a cushioned pew? Does he smell like a soup kitchen?
The Passage
14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 2:14–17
Summary of the Passage
Paul wrote this letter to the church of Corinth after a tumultuous time defending his ministry to the church he planted. After planting the church during his second missionary journey (Acts 18), divisions arose in the church which prompted Paul to write letters and visit the church. A great deal of the division in the church was over Paul’s authority as Apostle. 2 Corinthians is Paul’s letter after most of the church repents (2 Cor 7:5-16) even though a minority of the church still do not truth Paul (2 Cor 11:12-21). So, Paul writes 2 Corinthians for two big reasons: First, as a defense of his God-ordained ministry and second, to get the church on the track of true ministry in the New Covenant. Today, we will look at three aspects of the ministry of the church. Then I will explain how we here at FBC will seek to be faithful to this ministry.
Earlier in chapter 2, Paul recounts his thinking after sending Titus to check on this rebellious church. When Titus returns and gives a good report, Paul responds with verse 14. He thanks God for the triumph of Christ. Paul uses the image of Caesar returning from a long war back to Rome which greets him in his triumph parade. Jesus was victorious over the city of Corinth, now the church marches in the parade.
He uses a second image of a sweet aroma. This likely refers to the sacrifices in the OT when the priest would offer up an animal to God, it was said to be a pleasing aroma.
‘The entrails, however, and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. Leviticus 1:13
Paul says the church is now a sweet aroma to God because the church is now a living sacrifice to God. But just as the dead animal in the OT smelled bad to us, but was pleasing to God, now the church who lives and dies for God stinks to the world but pleases God. Pay close attention to verse 14. Notice God makes us an aroma, which is worship language. That knowledge is based on the knowledge of God, which only comes through God’s word. Finally, that word-centered worship goes out into “every place.” Out into all the world. Worship. Word. World. Let’s apply this to our church.
The Aroma of a Christian
Notice, the knowledge of Him in every place comes from the aroma of Christ himself. We are the aroma of Christ (v.15). Christians smell like Jesus. Or at least we should. When Christians follow Christ, live in Christ, trust Christ, and obey Christ we give off an aroma. But notice that aroma is not neutral. God loves it and the world hates it (vv. 15-16). It’s a strong smell like crushed basil. Christian, if we do not give off an aroma, it means some other herb is masking our smell. Some other worship has taken our hearts. It could be the sugary smell of comfort or the citrusy smell of pride. You become what you worship (Ps 115). You smell like what you worship.
All of Christ in All Our Worship
Over the last year, our worship here at FBC looks a lot different than it did 4 years ago. We sing at least 5 times during the service. We pray at least 5 times during the service. We are not watching professionals worship from our pews, but actually worshipping. But the goal is not to pat ourselves on the back. The goal is to smell good to God and smell badly to the world. How can we do that?
Pray biblically. In the Bible, most of the time people seemed to pray by kneeling (Ps 95:6) or by raising their hands (1 Tim 2:8). This practice of using your body to pray acknowledges that God made us as both spiritual and physical. I plan on incorporating times of kneeling (for those able) and lifting our hands in prayer in the coming months. Obviously, we must watch our hearts against praying for pride (Matt 6:5). It’s hard to prideful (or slothful) when you’re on your knees.
Let’s Worship with masculine and feminine singing. Dr. Jay mentioned this a few weeks ago on Sunday night, but congregational singing in parts encourages the singer and the listener. Men get to sing masculinely according to their range. We sacrifice the melody in order to fill out the sound.
Let’s Worship with the Historic church. Eventually we will recite or sing the Lord’s prayer. And eventually we will recite or sing the apostles creed.
All of Christ in All His Word
Most of us in here grew up in church. I know a few of us didn’t but most of us grew up going to church, reading the bible, going to Sunday school, the whole shebang. This means that when we grow in the Lord, when we experience a conversion-type moment when we grow in our sanctification, when we learn a new lesson from the Lord it more than likely means unlearning something we thought was from the Lord.
In order to learn the right lessons from the word, you’ve got to be in the word. Read the bible every day. We have Bible reading plans to help with that. I promise that if you do not read the Bible nor apply it to your life, then you are likely more non-Christian than Christian. Instead of thinking biblically on work, family, money, government, entertainment, and food you probably think just like any other non-Christian. So, your job as individuals and families is to be Bible people. Read the Bible in the morning or at night. Read the Bible with your spouse or with your kids before or after supper. Then talk about it. Let God’s word dictate your words.
As a church, we will submit to God’s word as His will for our life. We will not apologize for the Bible. We will not have any problem passages. We will not place ourselves over God’s word to judge it but instead sit under God’s word and say, “yes Lord!”
Paul told timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture as well as exhorting and teaching it (1 Tim 4:13). The public reading of scripture has been when I read from three passages of scripture before my sermon. This shows us as Christians that God’s word alone has authority over us. I choose passages that fit with the sermon, but they have authority as God’s word without any comment. I’ve also tried to lean in on exhorting us as Christians to live according to God’s word. If I didn’t get it across during my sermon, I try to do it with the benediction. Finally, I think most of my teaching emphasis over the last few years is not to fill your heads with Bible data, but to think biblically about everything.
My first series starting next week will be on the 10 commandments. I could preach until I’m blue in the face against all this craziness in the world and how to protect yourselves against it. But it doesn’t do any good if you’re breaking God’s clear law-word.
All of Christ to All the World
The knowledge of the Lord in our worship is to go into every place. To go out into all the world. The church is to go out as God’s army into the entire world proclaiming His lordship over all things. Jesus says that when the church does that, not even the gates of Hades can endure (Matt 16:18). The church is not a defensive force. We are not placed on a castle to defend it. We are placed in an invading army to break into other castles.
If the church is an army, then Christian families are the armory and the boot camp for the armory. In Ephesians 6:1-4, Paul commands dads to train their children in the culture of king Jesus. The idea with that phrase was similar to the way Roman dads trained their children—be a good citizen of the empire. Families are where new recruits learn how to be a good citizen of Jesus’ empire. Scripture also refers to children as arrows.
4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:4–5
So, in God’s world, the family is where Christians are trained for battle and where children become weapons. But do we see that today? We mostly see children who grow up in the church eventually turn against Jesus and the church. We mostly see children become weapons in the hands of a wicked world instead of in the hands of a loving God. The best we can hope for is that our sons and daughters don’t take their faith seriously at all, but at least don’t do anything super crazy. Why is the best thing Christians can hope for is that their kids become useless to the kingdom instead of dangerous for the kingdom?
What can we do to save our families and train them to be armies? What can we do to preserve our children as grenades in God’s arsenal instead of giving weapons to the enemy? Now, I have answers to this question. They aren’t fancy. It’s not even really a 5-step plan sort of thing. The central answer to this question is to stop being comfortable and start being a Christian.
After Easter, I plan on devoting the next however-long it takes preaching through marriage, family, manhood, womanhood and why our evil world is attacking us there. But in order for those messages to do any good for any of us, you first have to care enough to follow the Lord today.
Conclusion
If our church is going to give off an aroma, and it will, let it be one that pleases the Lord.