I’ve been thinking about what it means to BE the church.  Church, to me, in the simplest definition is “the body of Christ.”  And if you think of the magnitude of that statement, it goes far beyond a building, an idea, or even a group of people. My thoughts are not just about our local church body called New Covenant Fellowship Church but the universal body of Christ which we also happen to call the Church.  Often times when we refer to the word “church” our thoughts and sentiments are programmed to think of your “home” church (the church you grew up in), the most church that you’ve visited (if you’ve been searching or “church hopping”), or the church that you have heard of whether word of mouth or in the news (if you are not a regular church go-er).  But let’s talk about the universal Church, the Church that is called to emulate JESUS, not a group of people or a person.  Here are a few thoughts:

WE are a NEW CREATION, not just YOU (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Paul, in His letter to the church in Corinth, conveys to the church their identity as believers.  The theme of “new” is prevalent in this letter; new covenant, new body, new creation, etc.  He emphasizes the ultimate atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross drives a “new-ness” factor in all our lives.  Specifically to 5:17, we are a NEW creation, literally re-born, re-created, re-made, whatever word that helps you to understand the transition from nothing to something.  However, the danger here is to selfishly rear this idea and claim this truth for yourself but Paul’s placement of this truth in his letter is very intentional.  He places this comment right before he writes about the ministry of reconciliation, the ministry of bridging the world to Christ as ambassadors of God (v.20).  Reconciliation involves others.  It involves YOU the ambassador, the ones needing reconciliation, and God, the one we are reconciled to.  Ministry of reconciliation is an integral part of being a new creation.  How are WE, as the church, being a NEW CREATION collectively?  WE are it, not just YOU.

Christ is the HEAD of the church (Colossians 1:18).  In the bible and as I mentioned above, the church is compared to a body of a human being.  The science of the body is fascinating.  Think for one moment the functions of each part of the body.  They are incredibly unique but at the same time intricately related to one another!  When Paul speaks of Christ being the head of the church, he is referring to the Lordship (head being at the top), the function (the purpose, reason, livelihood, importance), but also the face or the recognizing factor of the rest of the body.  As the body of Christ, made up of unique individuals but so intricately tied together, do we represent the Head?  Do our actions and our words point to the head of the Church, who is Jesus?  If you are part of the local body of believers, like NCFC, how have we represented to the world around us that Christ is our face, our recognizing factor?
Friends, this is just a few on-going thoughts but let me end with this.  The Church is called to be ALIVE or A LIFE!  It is a moving, breathing, LIVING organism, whose parts work together, like the human body, to point the world (and one another) back to Jesus, our head!  Let’s not confine our relationship to God by going to church but commit to being the church wherever we go.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 

From Pastor Keeyoung’s Heart
February 8, 2015

So the Superbowl is today, the biggest sporting event in the U.S. by far. A billion sports fanatics and casual sports fans all over the world will watch not only for the game itself but also for the funny commercials and the entertaining halftime show. I’m not necessarily a huge sports fan but I am loyal to Seattle teams having grown up with the Seahawks, Mariners and the Sonics (I don’t want to talk about it until Seattle gets another NBA team). This season I realized I was getting a tad obsessed with the Seahawks’ bid to repeat as champions when I found myself yelling at the TV during their games. Go Hawks!
The constant Superbowl media coverage is massive to say the least and the players are fully aware every little thing they say and do will be heard round the world. Some of them choose to share their Christian faith, which certainly seems to be the admirable thing to do and a pleasant contrast to the blatant corporate commercialism swirling around the event. Seattle’s quarterback had a terrible game in the NFC championship two weeks ago until he pulled out a win at the end to get to the Superbowl. Exhausted and emotional, his immediate post-game comments were the familiar “God is so great, all the time.” He went on to comment that God had “orchestrated all of this to bring him to this point.” Hmm, now don’t get me wrong I have no issue with someone sharing their Faith on the big stage and I think this person has a sincere love for the Lord. However, his comments seemed to imply that this sports contest victory was a result of divine intervention. The various public reactions to this were amusing if not predictable. The opposing quarterback for the Packers remarked “I really don’t think God cares about football.” Sports radio ran with it: “So did God lay the 7.5 points or did he just go with Seattle winning straight up?” Another prominent media person commented he had a serious issue with a god that has a rooting interest in a football game. There’s a fine line between one witnessing his/her genuine Faith and coming across as self-righteous entitlement. If the Seattle QB is saying God is allowing him to be the best darn person he can be even in his athletic vocation and he gives all praise to God regardless of the outcome then so be it. But to assert beyond that invites skepticism and ridicule from Christians and non-Christians alike making wise-cracks about God and the point spread, which is an impression of the Gospel he certainly did not intend, and one God most certainly did not intend.
This kind of proselytizing draws unwanted attention and I dare say even spiritual battle. I recall years ago, a former high-profile Seattle player was playing in the Superbowl and he made the foolish prediction that his team would win because of his superior Christian faith. The night before the big game he was arrested by undercover police for soliciting “dates.” His team lost the game and no one ever wanted to hear from that guy again. The current Seattle QB holds out his Christian faith for all to see but will also draw scrutiny for having filed to end his 2-year marriage last year coincidentally right after he became famous. Even solid character guys like this one will be subject to forces of this world that want to see him stumble. It’s a dangerous game to attach God’s goodness with wins or losses. What I would love to see is that players on both sides of the final score and in life proclaim “God is good, all the time!”

From Pastor Mark’s Heart
February 1, 2015