THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH

Selected Scriptures

1. THE TRUE CHURCH

v The three marks of a true church

o True preaching of the ______________________

o Proper observance of the ___________________

o Faithful exercise of ___________ ____________

2. THE CHURCH DEFINED

v Ek -_____________________

v Kaleo - __________________

v Literal meaning is to _______________ ____________

The church is a group of people who have been called out of or summoned out of this world to be placed into a spiritual body and that body is called together to accomplish a very specific purpose. (See Ephesians 3:10)

Who is it that places us in the church?

“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.” (1 Corinthians 12:18, NASB95)

I. The New Testament teaches us whose church it is.

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28, NASB95)

v The ______________________ of the Pastor

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:28-29, ESV)

v The ______________________ of the Owner

GOD _________________ THE CHURCH!

Christ has been given the __________________ over the church.

“And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,” (Ephesians 1:22, NASB95)

“He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
(Colossians 1:18, NASB95)

As the head of the church Jesus exercises His authority in the following four ways.

1. Christ is the _______________________ of the Church

“For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.” (Ephesians 5:23, NASB95)

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” (Ephesians 5:25, NASB95)

2. Christ is the ________________________ of the Church

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,” (Hebrews 13:20, NASB95)

3. Christ is the ________________________ over the Church

“And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”(Ephesians 1:22-23, NASB95)

4. Christ is the ________________________ of the Church

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, " (Ephesians 5:25-26NASB95)

THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH - Handout