This past weekend at Eastbrook Church, I continued a two-part reflection on the nature of the church. My working title for this series is “The Multi-Everything Church,” which is an outworking of our vision to become a Revelation 7:9-10 type of church with attention to some other aspects beyond multi-ethnicity.

Following last weekend’s message on the church as an intergenerational family, this weekend I looked at two more important aspects of the church, first as a multi-ethnic community and second as a kingdom-oriented community.

You can view the message video and sermon outline below. You can follow the entire series at our web-site, through the Eastbrook app, or through our audio podcast.

“In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith…There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26, 28)

What is the Church?: Two Truths and Two Traits 

Two truths: A community created in Jesus . . . and becoming more like Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 4:11-16)

Two traits: A community created in unity . . . and loving our way into unity (John 17:20-21; 13:34-35)

 

The Church: A Multi-Ethnic Community (Ephesians 2:11-22; Revelation 7:9-10)

The new community walls broken-down through Christ

The new community of ever-expanding embrace in Christ

 

The Church: A Kingdom-Oriented Community (Philippians 1:27; 3:20; Jeremiah 29:4-7)

Living in Christ as citizens of a heavenly kingdom

Living in exile for the good of our earthly habitation