Death To Churchianity - ROUND ONE | Brett Esslinger

Welcome to the Saints Church Glastonbury podcast! We are a local church network based in Alberta, Canada. We go to places no one wants to go and do things no one thought possible so that anyone and everyone can discover hope and life in Jesus.

This week's sermon delves into the essence of discipleship and the transformative role of the church community, highlighting the commitment required to follow Jesus and the collective journey of faith within a diverse and supportive spiritual family.

Verses:
- Luke 14:25-33
- Acts 2:45
- 2 Corinthians 9
- Ephesians 4:3
- Colossians 3:16
- Acts 2.41
- Acts 2.38
- 1 Peter 2.5
- 1 Corinthians 12:18-27
- Revelation 19:7
- Matthew 4
- Acts 2:42
- Acts 2:46
- 2 Timothy 2:2

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Creators & Guests

Host

Brett Esslinger

Senior Pastor of SAINTS CHURCH | Author of #HopeNotHype | #YEG | Nacho Enthusiast

What is Saints Church Glastonbury?

A Modern Expression of a Timeless Tradition. A local church in the Glastonbury Neighbourhood of West Edmonton. Sr Pastor Brett Esslinger.

Luke, chapter 14. We'll start at verse 25. Brendan set the stage beautifully. It says A large crowd was following Jesus and he turned around to them and said If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else. By comparison, that's generally not what you say to a large crowd following you. You're trying to get them to keep following you. He says your father, your mother, your wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple. Very quiet in here on a Sunday morning, you're just very happy. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my own disciple. You cannot be my disciple. But don't begin until you count the cost.

For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there's enough money to finish it? Otherwise you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say there's that person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it. Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So so you cannot be my disciple without giving up everything you own, okay, jesus.

So Jesus, at this time, had mass crowds following him, and he did this repeatedly, where he would just say things that people got so uncomfortable. He just told the truths and said Listen, if you're going to follow me, this is what it's going to cost. We don't exist in a Christian fantasy land where we think everything's going to be perfect and everything's going to be fine and if we just show up here on a Sunday and if we just kind of check off the box, that everything in our life is just going to be wonderful. In fact, jesus said the complete opposite. He says I'm going to be with you and I'm leaving you. The Holy Spirit, peace, will be with you, you can have peace with me, but it's going to be wild. There's going to be trials and there's going to be tribulations, there's going to be all kinds of things. When Jesus came, he came and he was clear and he was honest. And we need to be clear and we need to be honest about what it is to follow Jesus, what it is to put our hope in him and what he's asking of us as a church right here in Edmonton, alberta, canada, in the 21st century. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

I can sum up this passage like this it's Jesus first. He does not say actually hate your wife, we've got marriage counseling for that. He says, by comparison, there is a gap. There's Jesus first and then there's everything else. There's Jesus first and then there's everything else. He's just going listen, this is the priority. Like, this is the structure. This is how we're going to build our lives Jesus first and then everything else.

I don't know if that's correct. Well, let me just ask an inquire of the Creator of the universe, lord, do you think that's correct? He says if you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else. By comparison, so the gap is large. So we say, okay, we're following Jesus. That's a bold statement. I'm following Jesus one step at a time Does not mean that I don't love my family, I don't care for them, that I don't honor them. The greatest gift in my life is my family and the greatest honor is to steward. But by comparison, jesus first and he's calling us to a sacrificial life that costs everything. If you'd like to go, you can head for the doors right now.

Colossians 3, 16 says Let the message about Christ in all its richness, fill your lives, teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom that he gives, sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. Come on, we checked that box and whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God, the Father. So anytime I read something like this, I go how do I do this? How do I put this in practice? How do I like, do I just start singing psalm, hymns and spiritual songs at the office? I mean, I work here, so I guess it's probably acceptable, but if I work at Epcor, it's maybe not okay. So where do we do this? Well, we do this at the local church.

Acts 2.41 the Holy Spirit is poured out. Peter preaches the first message. This is the beginning of the church as we understand it. Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day, about 3,000 and all. If you back up to Acts 2.38, you'll find that they were first to repent. So there's four things that happened. There's four things that happened to us when we make a decision to become disciples and follow Jesus. We repent, we're baptized, we're filled with the Holy Spirit and we're added to the church. I'm gonna say it one more time we're repented, we're baptized, we're filled with the Holy Spirit and we're added to the church. So now let me just get into the practice, because we've already ripped the Band-Aid off.

If you have not been baptized yet, we're doing baptisms Easter Sunday. You should sign up this week. If you've not been filled with the Holy Spirit, we'd love to pray with you to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is available each and every Sunday. You don't have to wait for a special moment. But if you need a special moment, holy Spirit. Sunday, may 19th it's Pentecost Sunday. We're gonna pray for everyone, anyone and everyone. But we repent, we're baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit. And then the most underrated moment is that they were added to the local church. Pastor Steve Morel says it like this Peter preached the very first sermon of the New Testament church. He called his listeners to repent, to be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit, and all who responded were then added to the local body of believers called the church. Everyone who is saved, baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit today should also become a part of a church, a local community of believers.

Now you might be thinking well, what does that even mean? Do I just show up on a Sunday? Do I just check a box, like, how much time do I need? Like, how much time do I need to commit? Maybe you're wondering if it's even necessary, because maybe you go. You know, I like Jesus, I like his teachings, I like the red letters in the Bible, I like the things that he has to say, but I've not had a great experience with his followers.

Let's take it one step further. Maybe you've been around church for any length of time and you've experienced what you would term as church hurt. Well, the reality is the family, like people, hurt you, people hurt you. That is true, but we don't give up on God's plan because somebody hurt us. Now, if it's an abusive situation, you get out of it and you change your position. But if we're going to be honest, where there's people, there's problems, and where there's people, there's hurt.

So when we think about a local church gathering such as this, such as St Church meeting right here in the neighborhood of Glastonbury. There are people, there are going to be problems. There's no perfect place and there's no perfect church. In fact, we are a work in progress. I will boldly and confidently declare to you that we are a work in progress.

Now, oftentimes, when people walk in these doors, they view our church as a finished product. We're not a finished product. We're a work in progress because we're just letting Jesus lead us, guide us, change us and transform us. This expression that we are in right now is the expression that we're in right now. We've got old-school theology. We are biblically orthodox, but we follow a new school methodology. We're going to keep adapting and changing and moving and growing. The way that we do it today is probably not the way that we're going to do it in 10 years, because we're just following Jesus one step at a time. Now here's what we need to understand the church is God's plan for the planet. Are you with me? The church is God's plan for the planet and the church is God's plan for you.

About two years ago now it's just kind of flown by we decided to sell the house that we had been in for 10 years and move to a new house, and you know, when you think about a house that you've been in for 10 years. For us, it was the only house that our boys had ever known. Everett was born in another place, but within four months he moved into that house. So, let's be honest, it's the only house that he'd ever known. There's so many moments, there's so many firsts, there's so many steps. Like you know, if you're an emotional person which I'm largely not, if Des is just weeping on the front row thinking about the memories, it's like iPhone photos, you know. The iPhone memories come up and you're like they were so small and the way I process it goes oh wow, they're so small. And dad's versus mom's, you know, right, no, okay, just me. And there's so many firsts and there's so many things.

But when we moved to a new house, we realized that our house was not our family. Now that seems like a simple thought yeah, yeah, totally. Your house is not your family, your family is your family. And when you move to a new house, your family moves to a new house and you've got new memories and new moments, right? So then we have to also understand that the church is in a place, it's a people, right? I'm gonna say one more time. The church is in a place, it's a people.

This building yeah, okay, we got some, we get all. Like when you hear someone start clapping, just please join in, because otherwise it's just very confusing for all of us. I don't know to pause, keep going. I don't know there needs to be more. I like to make jokes. If it's your first or second time here, that's what's happening right now. If you're very nervous, that's fine, it's your first time. No, you're not going to light on fire. It's funny how many times I get asked that question legitimately.

But this building that we're in, right here, if we're going to adequately term what this is is, this is a sheep shed. All of us who are followers of Jesus, disciples of Jesus, we are. He is the shepherd, we are his sheep. This, therefore, is the sheep shed. When you say I'm going to church, we're not going here, you're going to gather with the church, because you are the church, we are the church. This body of people is the church and the church family, we are the church. So you go to the church building. You might have noticed sometimes when I write emails, I say prayer is going to happen tonight at St Church Glassbrale. I'll say the very specific location where I'll say at the church building tonight, because the church is simply a group of people, not the space that we occupy Now. The rest of the world, the culture, says this is a church, no, no, no, this is our church building. We are the church. Just turn to somebody and say I am the church. Okay, so let's understand the church Number.

First thought is that the church is like a building made of people. The church is like a building made of people. 1 Peter 2.5. And you are living stones that God is building into a spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. That's what we do. We offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. People build church buildings using wood and stones. God builds his church by using people.

Second thought the church is like a human body with many different parts. I've got some homework for you. For the sake of time, go to 1 Corinthians 12, read verse 18 through to 27. At verse 27, you'll find it says all of you together are Christ's body and each of you is a part of it. Paul's making an analogy between our bodies and the church. So we all have a part to play. We all are a part of this thing because we are a growing organism that is likened to a body. You have a role to play. As in the human body, so is the body of Christ. There are no spare parts. Every member is important and has a God-ordained part to play. Because you don't like it when I make you tell somebody else something. Just close your eyes and say I have a part to play. Oh, you actually did it Great. Third thing the church. We're just this is again. I'm planting seeds and we'll clean up the mess later.

The church is like a bride preparing for her wedding day. Okay, this is the nature of the church. This is a quick ecclesiology class. Revelation 19, verse 7, says let us be glad and rejoice and let us give honor to him, for the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb and his bride has prepared herself. We'll compare the church to a radiant bride In Ephesians 5, 26, to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. John continues in Revelation, 21,. 2 says like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. The church is the gathering of the disciples of Jesus. It is like a building, it is like a body and it is like a bride.

So please be careful about the way that you speak about the church, because it is the bride of Christ and I'm talking about the universal church, every church. Please be aware we speak with honor of the bride. Come on, so you go. Okay, the church is vitally important. I'm seeming to get that. You're talking at a fast pace, at a loud volume, but the thing back there says death to churchianity. That doesn't make sense. If the church is so important. I'm really not looking to talk to you about the church over the next number of weeks. I'm really looking to talk to you about the way that we treat her.

You see, churchy entity says success looks like a crowd. Christianity says success looks like a community. Churchy entity says church is a performance. Christianity says it's an expression of our passion. Churchy entity says this is all about behavior modification. If I could just change the way that I act, to behave or fit in, dress in a certain way, then I'll be liked and accepted. Christianity says this is all about a transformation and only Jesus can do it. Come on, churchy entity says I'm a consumer. I'm going to shop around and compare. Christianity says I'm a contributor.

I think I want to just take a moment to honor those in the room who would be in the generations known as the great generation and the silent generation, which are those basically from 1930 up, born 1930 up to 1955. Speaking specifically to the young people in the room, we have much to learn from these great generations, because they understood the value of faithfulness. And so to you who have led the way, who have showed up Sunday after Sunday, who have faithfully given, who said this is my house, this is our house, this is for me and my house. We're going to serve the Lord and we're going to do that and we're going to put our seeds down, we're going to be rooted and grounded. And those who said we're going to show up here and we're going to serve and we're going to give and we're going to invest everything that we can into the church. I honor you today, because so much.

Now here's what's really interesting in terms of who's in church right now. In North America, gen X has largely exited the church, so we've got our great builders and the great generation, and then we've got the millennials and Gen Z's that far outnumber Gen X. So if you fall within that Gen X category and you're here today, I'm thankful that you're here, because God is building a generational church, a church that is for every generation. We do this together. We don't segregate. We can have a specific program and we can gather around different ideas or concepts or different things. It's great, but we gather together to honor the Lord in this living generation, from the oldest to the youngest, we can all faithfully declare that he is good and we have something to learn from one another.

And for those of us who, I mean, we came through COVID right, and COVID was a mind virus that changed the way that we think and it taught us that we could sit behind screens, and that was good enough. The truth is, if I am simply whether it's in person or behind the screen, if I am simply consuming content and I'm not connected to a community, then I am a common law Christian. If I am simply, whether it's in the room or online, if I am simply consuming content and I'm not connected to community, then I am a common law Christian. I want all the benefits without any of the commitment. Let's look at Scripture, matthew 4.

One day, as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, simon, also called Peter, and Andrew, throwing a net into the water for the fish for living. Jesus called out to them come, follow me and I'll show you how to fish for people. And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little further up the shore, he saw two other brothers, james and John, sitting in a boat with their father, zebedee, repairing their nets, and he called to them to come too. And they immediately followed him, leaving their boat and their father behind.

So the original disciples are called by Jesus and when we think about this calling moment because each and every one of us are called, we are chosen and we are called. That's why I love the church, because it's full of a room, full of people with a destiny that is held in the hand of God, full of potential. Let there be light. I know you can't control that, but that was very loud and that was very bold. Thank you, enoch. I try not to like throw you under the bus, but, my goodness, I want you just to notice this about the call of Jesus to the disciples.

We all think of this call as a very individualistic thing. We even think of salvation as a very individualistic thing. Right, god talked to me, he called me. I've got a plan, I've got a purpose. I'm going to follow him, I'm going to give my life to Jesus, I'm going to return what's already his and we go. But this is me and this is mine. No, do you notice that when Jesus called the disciples, at no time watch this At no time was there a one-on-one interaction with Jesus. In the call to community, he called them by twos and when he called one, he called them to the disciples that were already gathered. We were not meant to follow Jesus by ourselves. It's always been a team sport.

The church is God's chosen instrument or tool to advance his kingdom and his purposes on the earth, and he does not have a plan B. So the early church, the Holy Spirit is poured out, entering in a new age for the church that's empowered by the spirit of God. And what did he do? He added they were added to the local church. This is the early church. And after they were added to the local church, they started a different way of life. See, when we accept Jesus into our lives, we don't add him to our lives, we give him our life. We live a different way. It's the Jesus way.

Got so many ways I can go and so little time to go there. I love the church so much. I don't just mean our church, I love the church. See, in Ebb and sin there are many different churches with many different flavors, and that's important because all of those churches make up the body of Christ in the city of Ebb and sin. We each have a different role to play. So we honor West I'm trying to get my bearings in direction West Meadows Baptist Church, who's down the road? Because they're doing exactly what they're called to do and how they're called to do it.

And just like King David could not fit into Saul's armor, we do not look down the road at another church, or to the left and to the right and go. We're going to put on that armor and do it their way. No, no, no, no. We have a unique and distinct identity in the body of Christ. God has called us for this time, for this moment, for this season, to be our church and nobody else can be us. This is a destiny moment. This is the moment where we decide, as a church community, that we're going to go all in, not only in following Jesus, but in being added to this community. This is the moment where we decide hey, we're all in this together and we're going to walk together, because together we can accomplish more than if we are all on our own. This is the moment where we decide I'm on the team and I fit here and there's a place for me here. Or we decide I've got to get off the boat and find somewhere else that I can fit. Now I'm going to say this if you're going to find somewhere else to fit, go somewhere. Go there quickly, get in a group, join the team and serve with all your heart. And to you that are choosing to stay, I say join a group, get on a team and serve with all your heart.

I think in a culture of consumerism that says I'm going to shop around and compare, we have lost the heart of God to be rooted and grounded in a place, to put roots down, to establish families and relationships and say this is where I'm rooted and grounded. And just like any family, we're going to have disagreements and we're not always going to be on the same page, but we can walk together in a sense of unity because we know that we're called and we're purposed and this is where we are. And I think in our culture we have made convenience king. That's not what it is to follow Jesus. See, if we maintain the status quo, we're leaving souls on the table Because, for the sake of convenience and comfort, we would choose to stay in the pattern of our being right now, which is to say Jesus, stop transforming me, jesus, stop leading and guiding me. Jesus, leave me as I am, so that I can be where I am, how I am, as I like it, because it's comfortable right here.

That's not the call to follow Jesus. You've tasted of His transformation, you've tasted of His goodness, you've tasted of His presence, you've tasted of His healing, you've tasted of the wholeness that could be found when you surrender your life to Jesus. So please, church, for the sake of comfort and convenience, do not forsake the call of God that is on your life. The call of God that exists on our life is the same call that Jesus extended to Peter and John and the very first disciples. He says follow me and I will make you fishers of men. So in a world, in a culture that says we're going to lower the bar to make this easy, I'm going to do the opposite. We're going to raise the bar today and I want to share with you four expectations of a lifestyle of it. Wow, I screwed it up. My big moment. Let's reset, deandre. I want to reset Because maybe I didn't need to wrap it up, I just need to ramp it up. I need to. I do need to wrap it up, but I need to ramp it down.

These are four basic expectations from Scripture for those who are part of the Saints Church family. I'm going to say it one more time I've got four expectations from Scripture for those who are part of the Saints Church family. First one this is all out of attitude. First expectation is a lifestyle of devotion. Acts 2.42,. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle teaching and to fellowship and to sharing in meals, including the Lord's Supper, and to prayer. We expect the members of our church family to vote themselves to God, to read their Bible pray every day. Consistent prayer in Bible study are the most basic ingredients for spiritual health and growth.

First expectation is a lifestyle of devotion. Second expectation is that you would live a lifestyle of discipleship Acts 2.46,. They worship together at the temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper and shared their meals with great joy and generosity. We expect members of our church family to be disciples and to make disciples. We do this by being involved in a group, sharing the gospel with others and helping family and friends know and follow Jesus as well. This is words of Paul in 2 Timothy 2.2,. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

Third expectation a lifestyle of generosity. Acts 2.45,. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. We expect members of our church family to live a lifestyle of generosity by cheerfully giving their tithes and offerings to God through the church. Second, corinthians 9 says it like this you must each decide in your heart how much to give and don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure, for God loves a person who gives cheerfully. Fourth expectation you still with me.

Fourth expectation a lifestyle of unity. Acts 2.44,. All the believers were together and had everything in common. We expect members of our church family to make every effort to walk in peace, forgiveness and unity. This unity is threefold it's relational, it's doctrinal we're all on the same page and it's philosophical. We walk in unity relationally, doctrinally, philosophically Ephesians 4-3,. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the spirit, binding yourselves together in peace, and we can expect to see harvest from these seeds. This is Acts 2.47,. This is the result of the church's commitment to devotion, unity, generosity and discipleship, all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day, the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved At St Church.

Our faith is lived out loud in real time in our everyday life. We often finish our services with a phrase Sunday service might be over, but church is just getting started. This is what I've been talking about the whole time. I've been planting a seed, week after week after week after week. We are the church, we are the church, the church. The Sunday service is over, but you carry the hope and life, the freedom that's found in Jesus when you walk outside the doors. My friends, church is just getting started when you walk outside the threshold of those doors.