Introduction to the Church
Rusty Wirt   -   January 4, 2026

Introduction to the Church  

 

If you love something, you will protect it.

Your decisions about Concord Church today, impact the Concord Church of tomorrow.

 

But before we commit to Church, we must first define it. Today, Pastor Rusty will share a theological definition of the Church based upon 6 Biblical observations. Each observation will be followed by a resulting action. This outline will provide the foundational ideas for the rest of the sermon series.

  1. The Church is established by Christ (Matthew 16:13-19).
    1. We don’t commit to Jesus because of the Church. We commit to Church because of Jesus.
    2. We don’t commit to Jesus because of the Bible. We commit to the Bible because of Jesus.
    3. We have a faith not because of a book or location but because of a person.
    4. Result: We at Concord will pursue the supremacy of Christ in all things.
  2. The Church is expressed in three different ways:
    1. Globally/Universally (Matthew 16:18)
    2. Regionally (Galatians 1:1)
    3. Locally (1 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1)
    4. Result: We at Concord will cooperate within these spheres to advance the Church’s mission but our greatest emphasis will be here at the local level. 
  3. The Church has a unique message that no one else has been commissioned to deliver (1 Cor. 15:1-3 Rom. 1:16).
    1. No other institution is equipped or commanded to share this message.
    2. No other message can rescue souls from a Christless eternity.
    3. Result: Concord will look for creative ways to share this message with those who are not yet Christ-followers. 
  4. The Church has a clear mission from Jesus that no one else has been called to do: to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).
    1. Jesus was a rabbi that taught the Scriptures to disciples. He then commissioned His followers to do the same.
    2. Result: Concord will continue on the path of making disciples of Jesus.
  5. The Church is the active body of Christ in the world in this present age (1 Cor. 12:27-31).
    1. Result: We will activate charity and kindness to a broken world as an expression of Jesus’ love.
  6. The Church is God’s sanctioned place to develop meaningful relationships with other Christ-followers as we seek to grow in our Christ-likeness (Col. 1:24-25, 28).
    1. Result: We will create spaces to foster meaningful relationships as we pursue Christ-likeness.