The
Gospel
Have
you ever wondered about things like where the Church came from? What
are "Members" of the Church?, Biblical organization for a
church?, and what things God wants from His church? This
lessons presented here on The Church will walk you through these questions
and provide other information from a Biblical prospective on The Church.
Establishment
of the Church
The
Church was predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament (Isa. 2:2,3;
Dan. 2:44) as well as by Jesus, Himself. (Mat. 16:18) Jesus told His
apostles that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit to guide them
into the truth. (Luke 24:49; John 16:13; Acts 1:4-8) The apostles received
this power on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and the church was formed by
those who believed the message, repented, and were baptized (Acts
2:38,41,47).
Matt 16:18-19
18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose
on earth will be loosed in heaven." (NKJ)
John 16:13
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide
you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
(NKJ)
Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (NKJ)
Acts 2:41
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day
about three thousand souls were added to them. (NKJ)
Acts
2:47
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added
to the church daily those who were being saved. (NKJ)
The
Church and it’s Members
Although
many people refer to a building when they say the word church, in the
Bible, the church refers to the followers of Christ. There is only one
church, the body of Christ. There are many congregations, but all follow
the same doctrine - the Bible (the word of Christ). According to the
Bible, one does not simply join the church. God adds people to His church
when they believe, repent, confess, and are baptized into Christ. The
church is the body of Christ. Christ is the head, and the individual
believers make up the members of His body.
Eph 5:23
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the
church; and He is the Savior of the body. (NKJ)
Eph 1:22-23
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over
all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
(NKJ)
1 Cor 12:12
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
(NKJ)
Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (NKJ)
Acts 2:41
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day
about three thousand souls were added to them. (NKJ)
Acts 2:47
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord
added to the church daily those who were being saved. (NKJ)
Organization
of the Church
Each
local church should be organized with Christ as the head, elders (bishops,
shepherds, pastors, overseers) to oversee the flock, deacons to help with
the duties of the church, and preachers (ministers, evangelists, teachers)
to preach God's word. Elders and deacons must meet certain qualifications.
Each local congregation is independent of all others, and the only common
leader is to be Christ.
Titus 1:5-9
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order
the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I
commanded you--
6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful
children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not
self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not
greedy for money,
8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy,
self-controlled,
9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be
able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who
contradict. (NKJ)
1 Tim 3:8-13
8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to
much wine, not greedy for money,
9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons,
being found blameless.
11 Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate,
faithful in all things.
12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and
their own houses well.
13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a
good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ
Jesus. (NKJ)
Terms
for the Church
In
the Bible, the church is either referred to as simply "the
church", as belonging to Deity (church of Christ or church of God),
or as being in a particular geographical location (church of Ephesus).
Denominational names and practices were never used in naming the church.
It is a common practice for followers to be named after the person they
follow or what they practice. In the first century, the followers of
Christ were called Christians, saints, brethren, disciples, the church,
the body of Christ, etc. They were never given exalted names like
"reverend" or "father". They were never named after
denominations or their practices because there were no denominations in
the first century church.
Rom 16:16
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet
you. (NKJ)
1 Cor 1:2
2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every
place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
(NKJ)
Gal 1:2
2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:
(NKJ)
Acts 11:26
26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was
that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a
great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in
Antioch. (NKJ)
Work
of the Church
According
to the Bible, the work of the church is preaching the word of God,
edifying the saints, and providing benevolence to needy saints.
2 Tim 4:2-4
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince,
rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but
according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they
will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned
aside to fables. (NKJ)
1Thes 5:11
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you
also are doing. (NKJ)
Rom 12:13
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
(NKJ)
2 Cor 8:4
4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and
the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. (NKJ)
Worship
The
Bible states that true worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth
(John 4:24). Therefore, we must follow the commands and examples in the
Bible so that we can worship in spirit and in truth. We have commands and
examples to show that preaching, singing, contributing, praying, and
partaking of the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week (Sunday) are
acts of worship.
Acts 2:42
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (NKJ)
Acts 20:7
7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together
to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and
continued his message until midnight. (NKJ)
1 Cor 14:15
15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I
will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit,
and I will also sing with the understanding. (NKJ)
1 Cor 16:1-2
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders
to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:
2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something
aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when
I come. (NKJ)
Ignorant
or vain worship
Since
the Bible says that "True worshippers must worship in spirit and in
truth", we must worship according to His Word, so our worship won't
be vain or ignorant.
Luke 4:8
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For
it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you
shall serve.'" (NKJ)
Matt 15:9
9 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments
of men.' " (NKJ)
Acts 17:23
23 "for as I was passing through and considering the objects of
your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE
UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him
I proclaim to you: (NKJ)
John 4:23-24
23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers
will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking
such to worship Him.
24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth." (NKJ)
Adding
to Worship
If
God were to make a list of the things He didn't want us to do, the Bible
would be too big to carry around. It was easier for Him to just say what
He wanted and expect His Word to be obeyed. He is perfect; therefore,
there is no need to try to improve His perfect plan.
Deut 4:2
2 "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take
anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your
God which I command you. (NKJ)
Prov 30:6
6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a
liar. (NKJ)
II Jn 1:9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ
does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both
the Father and the Son. (NKJ)
Beware
The
Bible makes it abundantly clear that false teachers will deceive many
people into believing false doctrines. The only way to know for sure that
you are right with God is to know what He has to say and trust Him rather
than men.
2 Pet 3:16-17
16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in
which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable
people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest
you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the
error of the wicked; (NKJ)
Matt 7:15-16
15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from
thorn bushes or figs from thistles? (NKJ)
Matt 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name?'
23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart
from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (NKJ)
Acts 20:30-31
30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking
perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not
cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. (NKJ)
Denominationalism
Denominationalism
is something Jesus prayed would not happen. The Bible predicted that it
would happen and warned against it. In the first century, there was only
one church. Over the years, Satan has divided religions into the numerous
sects we have today.
1 Cor 1:10
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the
same mind and in the same judgment. (NKJ)
John 17:20-21
20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will
believe in Me through their word;
21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in
You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that
You sent Me. (NKJ)
Rom 16:17
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and
offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
(NKJ)
We
hope this lesson helps answer questions you may have about the Church.
If you questions about anything you have read in this lesson please feel
free to ask us by telephone or email. Thank you! The Home
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