The Bride of Christ

Intro

The Church of Christ. The Church is made up of all who are born again.

There are many images that the Bible uses to describe the Church: pillar of true, family of God, etc.

Among the various images that we find in the New Testament that describe the Church, the one that convey the idea of the mission entrusted to the Church by Jesus is the image of the Bride.

The Church is the Bride of Christ Jesus: For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior (Ephesians 5:23 - NIV); Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready (Revelation 19:7 - NIV).

Sermon's outline. Regarding this bride, Luke in these verses describes the characteristics. This evening we will see the Bride of Jesus engaged in:

Worship (Acts 2:47);

Teaching (Acts 2:42);

Fellowship (Acts 2:46);

Testimony (Acts 2:47).

N.1-Worship

Acts 2:47 NIV

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Main activity. The main activity performed by the Church in these verses is worship.

It seems clear to us that the only One worthy to be praised and to receive honor and glory is Jesus: to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves (Ephesians 1:6 - NIV);

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11 - NIV).

We were created by God to worship. We are worshipers. The question to ask is: who or what are we worshipping?

Worship, to be true, must be based on a right perception of God. The book of Exodus emphasizes the importance of knowing God as he truly is, and not as we imagine him to be.

T. Desmond Alexander

It is idolatry to worship the true God by a wrong method. Tell It All, Volume 9, Sermon #514 - Mark 5:33

Charles Spurgeon

N.2-Teaching

Acts 2:42 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Hunger for God's Word. Christ's bride is able to provide food and spiritual nourishment for those new to the faith.

There is so much to know about Jesus:

The doctrine of salvation;

The doctrine of Baptism in the Holy Spirit;

The doctrine of water baptism;

The doctrine of the gifts of the Holy Spirit;

The doctrines of the return of Jesus.

We cannot continue to affirm the doctrine of the man who was born blind: He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25 - NIV).

We must provide all who attend our church with proper spiritual nourishment.

11002 I love to teach. I love to teach as a painter loves to paint, as a musician loves to play, as a singer loves to sing, as a strong man rejoices to run a race. Teaching is an art—an art so great and so difficult to master that a man or a woman can spend a long life at it without realizing much more than his limitations and mistakes and his distances from the ideal.

William Lyon Phelps

N.3-Fellowship

Acts 2:46 NIV

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

The fellowship that produces fruit. The believers of the Church of Jesus were often together (in the Temple and in the houses).

This unity produced evident fruits because they were generous to each other.

I think it doesn't make much sense to have fellowship and continue to be indifferent to the needs of the fellowship, to the needs of our brothers and sisters.

There is danger of losing the spiritual fellowship by thinking that our social fellowship is the climax of all fellowship.

Donald Grey Barnhouse (American Minister)

True fellowship produces generosity and concrete love for those in need.

Thanks to fellowship we have the opportunity to empathize with the suffering of others.

N.4-Testimony

There is a world waiting for the Church of Jesus. Luke states that the people of Jerusalem had respect for the Church.

Prayer, fellowship and teaching have produced evident results not only within the Church but also outside the Church.

The people of Israel had noticed that there was something extraordinary about this group of people: the Church.

If lips and life do not agree, the testimony will not amount to much.

Henry Allen Ironside

If there is right worship of God in our Churches, if there is right fellowship and right teaching in our Churches, the benefits will also be evident outside the Church.

The world awaits the Lord's Church, a Church capable of being credible through the fruits of a real consecration.