Christmas and the Church

 

When we read the story of the coming of Jesus, what does it teach us as the church?

 

Luke 2:12 says, “And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

 

Jesus was God in the flesh. He came as a human. In Jesus, God identifies with us as His human creation.

 

We as the church need to identify and connect with those who are lost and separated from God. God took the initiative to come to us as humans. Some of the last words that Jesus speaks to His followers were, “Go make disciples.” Just as God came to us, we need to go to the world with the truth of the gospel.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is going to people, not demanding they come to us.

 

Jesus came to ordinary parents and was born in a barn.

 

The church needs to be ordinary people serving and empowered by an extraordinary God. God does not demand that we as His church be extraordinary but to be filled with the Holy Spirit and manifesting the presence of an extraordinary God.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is letting the extraordinariness of Jesus be seen in our lives as ordinary people.

 

Luke 2:8-11

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

 

The first people that Jesus’ coming was announced to were the shepherds. They were considered sinners by the religious establishment of that day. Jesus at the very beginning came for sinners.

 

The church is not for righteous (self-righteous) but for sinners (people who know they are sinners and have turned their lives over to Jesus). The church is made upon of redeemed sinners and not perfect self-righteous people.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is acknowledging our sin and our sinfulness and trusting Jesus for forgiveness and cleansing.

 

The angels tell the shepherds not to be afraid because they were afraid of what they were seeing and hearing. God knew how broken humans were and still are, and He sent us a Savior.

 

The church must understand the brokenness of the world and proclaim the only solution to our brokenness is Jesus. Jesus is not just the reason for the season. Jesus is for everything, all the time, everywhere. Jesus is the message we as His followers have to proclaim.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is proclaiming Jesus as the solution to the brokenness of the world.

 

The angels proclaim Jesus as Lord.

 

Jesus must be the sole ruling authority of the church. Jesus being Lord means that He is the supreme and sovereign ruler of everything. He is the Lord for our benefit, not for our harm. Jesus is Lord and He is for us, not against us.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is letting Jesus be Lord of His church and proclaiming Him as the Lord who is for us.

 

Jesus came into the world to transform ordinary people who were sinful and broken into people who became God’s family and manifested His presence to the world.

 

I pray that during this season when we celebrate Immanuel, God with us, we as His church will manifest Him to the world that He came to save.

 

As the Church of Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe