UP CLOSE

A man is going to Rome and seeing Michelangelo's statue of David. He says that he had heard about it, seen pictures of it, but to see David up close is overwhelming. Michelangelo hewed David from an unwanted block of marble and when he finished, there David was, standing larger than life, 17 feet tall, weighing more than 6 tons! Wow! That's an impressive hunk of rock! The word, "masterpiece," falls short.

THE CHURCH

The church: Hollywood makes fun of it; intellectuals sneer at it; the rank and file are indifferent to it, others are dismissive of it. After all, those in it are "not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble . . ." (I Corinthians 1:26). So wrote Paul.

But, as always, the divine viewpoint is different: the church is God's masterpiece: the church is Jews and gentiles who have come to faith alone in Christ alone united into one body, baptized by the Holy Spirit at the moment of their conversion, enjoying 34 things in their position in Christ and meeting together in a special way. 

The question is, what is that special way in which they meet? 

THAT SPECIAL WAY

That special way contains 5 elements, impossible for the world to duplicate, no matter how hard it tries:

1. Whenever God's masterpiece meets, it builds up its people in the faith. The reason it does this is because it pleases the Lord. No one in this life will ever reach the point where he does not need the edification that being intimately involved in God's masterpiece brings. Paul writes about the assembled masterpiece: "Let all things be done for edification." (I Cor. 14:26) In context, his subject is the masterpiece's use of their spiritual gifts, all the gifts are to be used to edify.

2. Whenever God's masterpiece meets, all are to learn. (I Cor. 14:31) This learning comes from those in the masterpiece who bring God's revelation (His completed Word) to each meeting. Whenever the masterpiece meets, there is learning.

3. Whenever God's masterpiece meets, all are exhorted by the Word of God. (I Cor. 14:31) No member of God's masterpiece is above hearing the Word of God applied to his life. All learn, all are exhorted. Exhortation is "to urge," "beseech," and "to make an appeal" from the Scriptures, that’s something that we all need.

4. Whenever God's masterpiece meets, there is peace. ( I Cor. 14:33) This peace is the opposite of confusion, that is, things being done in a disorderly manner. There is decorum within God's masterpiece.

5. Whenever God's masterpiece meets, there is the active pursuit of love. (I Cor. 14:1) By love, the Bible means that when the masterpiece meets, each one desires the highest good for the other.

UNIQUE

God's masterpiece is unique in the world and impossible to be copied by the world. The church is God's only ordained institution for this dispensation. God values this masterpiece so highly that He calls it "the bride of Christ" and "the body of Christ." Paul is eloquent on the subject when he writes, "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” (II Cor. 11:2)

THE RESULT

Speaking of those five elements of the church, what is their impact on the unbeliever who visits and views God's masterpiece? Paul writes about the impact of masterpiece--as the visitor watches, he comes to a conclusion, "God is certainly among you!" And he worships. (I Cor. 14:25)

THINK ABOUT IT

God has taken "not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble," those like a a discarded piece of marble, and fashioned something beautiful, the church. As an attender of the Hangar Bible Fellowship wrote: " I am so thankful to be a part of a church  body who obviously care deeply about each other,  who desire fellowship with each other, and who desire to have a deeper fellowship with Christ. Words are insufficient to express  just how thankful I am."