The Church: Christ's Body

Acts 9:31 KJV 1900

Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Introduction

Church is?

What do your answers reveal about your view of church?

How might Jesus finish that sentence?

This lesson will us understand the nature of the church and God’s purpose for it. God invented church, so we should know what He has to say about it.

This week we will understand the nature of the church and God’s purpose for it. we will find church most satisfying and rewarding when we do church with God’s purposes as our guide.

The Church Age

The Start

After Jesus rose form the dead, He instructed His disciples to remain in Jerusalem to wait for the coming of the Holy Sprit. The disciples and other early believers had genuinely trusted in Christ as their Savior, but they were not indwelt by the Spirit.

Acts 1:1–5 KJV 1900

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Jesus Promised His followers the Holy Spirit would come to them and that they were to wait until that day. This is what is often referred to as the Baptism of the Spirit. During this time the believers did not have the Spirit permanently. Before Jesus ascended into heaven and even before He came to earth. The Holy Spirit only came for a time into a person.

The Church Age then began when He established the Church and then ascended into heaven.

The Church is the way in which God works in our world today. The church is the body of Christ and we work together to bring about affect and change in the world through the gospel message. Believers work together to do Christ’s work. Their individual roles make up apart of Christ’s body. The believers are to be the hands and feet of Christ. Christ directs us as the head of the church.

Ephesians 1:22–23 KJV 1900

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Luke described when the Holy Spirit permanently came to the believers not long after Jesus ascended.

Acts 2:1–4 KJV 1900

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Holy Spirit came upon them with a sound of a mighty wind and the appearance of flames hovering over each believer. The mighty sound and flames helped the believers understand the powerful effects the Holy Spirit would have in and through them.

None of us heard a mighty wind or saw the flames when we trusted in Jesus. And the Holy Spirit no longer gives believers some of the same ability He came the early believers. These are called the sign gifts, they were given to help establish the church, and spread the gospel to new people groups. Today we have the completed Word of God, which has ended these types of gifts.

But The Spirit gift us with the same power and presence that He did in the early believers.

The End

The Church Age has continued uninterrupted since the start of the church. The Spirit comes into believers at the moment they trust Christ. This will continue until Jesus returns to take the Church to heaven. That event is called the Rapture.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 KJV 1900

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

At the Rapture, Christ will return to the air above the earth to snatch up His church and take them back with Him to heaven. To the unbelievers, it will probably look like the believers suddenly disappeared. The world will be shocked. The Rapture with be the end of Christ’s work on earth through the church. After the Rapture, God will judge the world for seven years. The Bible calls those seven years the Tribulation. We’ll learn more about this next week.

Local Church People

Church Members

The body of Christ refers to all believers who lived at some point between the start of the church and the end. Local churches are gathers of members of the body of Christ who live and fellowship together.

Local churches have official memberships. Joining a local church does not have anything to do with salvation. Rather, it is a step of obedience to God. God wants us to be a part of a church so they might work together to carry out His work. God designed the local church to need each other as they work together. The early church understood that they needed each other to function.

Acts 2:41–47 KJV 1900

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

They fully understood the value of being with each other and decided to meet every day. Their church membership affected every aspect of their lives.

Acts 5:42 KJV 1900

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Church Leaders

God calls men to pastor local churches. No man should take a pastorate without a sense of God’s calling him to ministry. and no church should call a man to be their pastor without first examining the man’s life. To help churches evaluate potential pastor, Paul listed the qualifications of bishops (pastors) in his letter to Timothy.

1 Timothy 3:1–7 KJV 1900

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

A Pastor must care of his church members like a shepherd cares for his sheep.

Acts 20:28 KJV 1900

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

He is to make sure they are fed God’s Word through his preaching ministry. God expects hims to teach his people how to effectively participate in ministry.

A church that rightly responds to their pastor’s leadership will participate in ministry and bring him great joy. A church that expects their pastor to do all the work will discourage their pastor and burn him out.

Deacons are the only other Biblical church office. They are laypersons elected by the church to serve the church and care for its members. Deacons have requirements too. Paul listed them in his letter to Timothy as well.

In many churches today, deacons assist the pastor with financial or business matters. There is nothing wrong with that, bu care for the church’s people should be their primary focus.

Local Church Purposes

Some churches think they need to entertain people or show them a good time. Such churches are ignoring God’s clear instructions about why churches exist. Their efforts will have little to no eternal value.

To Disciple Believers

Paul gave clear reasons for a church’s existence when he wrote t the church in Ephesus.

Ephesians 4:11–13 KJV 1900

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

God used apostles and prophets in the early days of the church to help establish Scripture and doctrine. Once the Bible was complete, though, God phased out the use of apostles and prophets. But He still uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers. This is what pastors and missionaries do today.

to edify a believer means to build up and encourage a believer spiritually. It is the same as discipling. Building them up to then encourage and disciple others.

To help the church and the spread of the gospel. Each believer was given a gift at the moment of salvation.

Romans 12:6–8 KJV 1900

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Each believer is given one of more of these to be used by God.

To glorify God

The Spirit provides the power we need to use our spiritual gifts effectively. So we can’t claim we lack the strength and wisdom to serve God.

Ephesians 3:20–21 KJV 1900

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

To glorify God means to magnify Him or make Him know. Churches filled with believers who do their part to disciple others in the power of the Spirit will magnify truths about God.

The church of Jerusalem quickly spread from Judea to Galilee. As the church members took part in the ministry, they edified one another so that they became more like Christ. Their respect for the Lord motivated them to take part in the work. They believed they needed to do with Christ wanted them to do. As they obeyed, the experience the Sprit’s comfort and joy. And their testimony before the lost backed up their witness so that others wanted to know and serve Christ.