Invisible Church

Colossians 1:18

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Today I want to talk a little bit about the church. Now, when I say that word church, maybe you think of your local congregation, the building that you go to on Sundays, maybe you think about the people that sit next to you in the pews as you hear God’s Word, as you return your thinks and prays and prayers and in hymns. But remember that that word church is also used in another sense in scripture, not just the local group of believers, but it’s used in a wider sense, too.

When Scripture talks about church, in that sense, it means not just the people that you can see. It means not just a physical location or a building. It’s talking about the church, meaning all believers everywhere who understand that Jesus is their Savior. Who have faith that Jesus is the Son of God and has died for the forgiveness of their sins. Colossians one verse 18 says this

Jesus is the head of the body, the Church. (Colossians 1:18)

Now, there are few things that I want to remind you about what scripture teaches us about this invisible church. First is that it belongs to God. Jesus says on this rock, I will build my church. Jesus is the head of it. He’s saying that there is one there is one unity with him, one union of all those who put their faith in him as their Savior from sin.

Two is that people are added to this church every day. Sometimes in our local congregations, in certain parts of the world, we may not see this growth. Maybe your church is growing, maybe it’s not. But we know that God’s Word works. We know that his word and his sacraments create faith that the Holy Spirit works through these things to create believers. And so we are promised that wherever that word is proclaimed, wherever God’s Word goes out, that it never returns to him empty, it accomplishes the exact purpose for which God intends it to accomplish. It never returns to him empty.

We know that we are members of this church only by grace. It’s not because of our parents. It’s not because of of how many times we go to our local congregation. It’s not because of anything we do, but it’s because of what Jesus has done for us. He died on the cross. He lived perfectly. He has redeemed us from all of our sin and now has given us this gift of faith that unites us to him. And since we’re united to him, we are united also to one another. We have been made members of this invisible church only by the grace of God.

And the final thing that we are reminded of in God’s Word, and that I want to remind you about, is that the gates of hell will never prevail against the Church of Christ. It may look bleak at times. Christ Church may be persecuted in certain areas of the world. It may look like people are running away from the truth of God’s Word. But we know that it does not belong to us, that it belongs to God, and that He has given us his word. The gates of hell will never prevail against that. It will never fall to evil or to the work of Satan.

So remember that, yes, while you are a member, hopefully of a local congregation, which is a massive blessing to us, God gives us these local congregations for us to be places where we can gather together with other believers to hear his word, to gather around his word and his sacraments, a place where we can go to receive his word, his absolution, his forgiveness, or we can receive baptism, where we can receive his Holy supper in Holy Communion. We are also a member of His invisible church, this worldwide union of people who know that Jesus is their Savior, this union of people who find their hope and their joy in what Jesus has done for them. A union that is not just made up of people who are alive, but people who have died in the faith, those saints triumphant, who are gathered together at the foot of Christ’s throne right now, a location where we will join them one day in faith and in the perfection of the creation that Christ has promised for us. We look forward to that day. We strive for unity here and now, and we look forward to it when it’s complete in eternity. Let’s pray.

Jesus, we thank you for making us members of your church. We ask Lord that as we celebrate the unity that we have with all people everywhere who put their faith in their hope in you. We ask that you would bless our local congregations, that you enable us to use the individual gifts and abilities that we have to proclaim your gospel in our communities. Be with us, Lord, as we strive for that unity always rooted in your Word with the purity of your word as the most important thing in your name we pray Lord, Amen.