1. A Real Beginning

Colossians 1:18 (NKJV)

18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

The New Testament church is a real, visible body of assembled believers. As we identify authentic church life throughout this series, it is important that we understand that Christ founded the church, that He is the only head of the church, and that He must have preeminence in the church as we assemble and follow His leadership.

No church is a mans church, a true church is never based on a personality like a pastor, but on Jesus Christ alone.

Introduction:

In this lesson, we begin a study of that which Jesus loves profoundly - so much that He gave Himself for it.

Ephesians 5:25 (NKJV)

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

Throughout the New Testament, Christ places a high priority on the local church. In these lessons, we will understand better how Christ designed the church to function, how we can love and invest in it, and how we can be built up and enriched through the church as we grow in Christ.

The word church can mean wildly different things to different people. So, before we even get started, let’s take a moment to briefly define it biblically.

A New Testament Church is:

A local, visible assembly - the emphasis of the New Testament is placed on the local church. This is the place where we gather with a body of believers to grow, learn, worship, give, and serve.

Comprised of regenerate membership - members of the local church should be saved people who know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

Separate from the state - the local church is under the direct authority of Christ Himself. He is the head of the church. Thus, the church must autonomous - free from outside control and free to answer to Christ.

Jesus Himself is the head of the church.

Colossians 1:18 NKJV

18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Jesus is the direction-giver, the leader of the local church. He literally purchased the church with His own blood.

Acts 20:28 NKJV

28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to 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.

The local church is not ours - it’s His! We are owned by Christ - He called us out, and we belong to Him. We owe our loyalty and love to the Lord Jesus.

Ephesians 5:23 NKJV

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.

When we think about the local church and the future glorious church that will be assembled around Christ, we recognize that we, as a church, are comprised of blood-bought believers who owe our allegiance to Christ as our head.

The local church that uses Scripture as its sole authority in faith and practice is “the real thing.” It is not perfect, because it is comprised of real people! But it is loved by Christ, and it is a vital part of our Christian growth.

Charles Spurgeon said, “If i had never joined a church till i had found one that was perfect, i should never joined one at all. And the moment I did join it, if i had found one, i should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after i had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.”

When we finally gather around Jesus in Heaven, we will find a perfect church! But until then, we thank the Lord for giving us a place to encourage and be encouraged through relationships and a place to grow through the teaching and preaching of God’s Word.

Although no church this side of Heaven is perfect, it can be authentic and genuine. In this study, we want to identify authentic church life and learn how to better follow the leadership of Christ in the church.

We will begin at the most natural place - the beginning. The church had a real beginning.

Scoffers of church life will sometimes say, “i just don’t believe in organized religion.” This statement leveled against organized religion usually carry with it the idea that church itself is a man made idea and not God’s. Honestly, many of man’s ideas have crept into the church. There are entire denominations that teach their human founders’ ideas rather than God’s Word and they govern themselves according to human ideas. Yet the local church actually was God’s idea, and, as we will discover in this lesson, Christ Himself was the founder.

I. The Calling of the Church

To trace the beginning of the church, we must simply revisit the early moments of the ministry with Jesus.

A. By Jesus invitation

We see the first assembly forming as early as Matthew 4, when Jesus called His first disciples.

Matthew 4:18–22 NKJV

18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

We see in this passage that, Jesus called individuals to leave the world and follow Him. First, He called Peter and Andrew, and then James and John. Eventually, He assembled a group of twelve disciples.

These disciples were the first apostles. And it was these men who Jesus set to be the foundation of His future church.

Ephesians 2:20 NKJV

20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

After Jesus called out the apostles, He commissioned them to minister, and He gave them power to do it.

Matthew 10:1 NKJV

1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, we see that He had the church in mind. Before the church was even started by Christ, we can see that He was already preparing the future leaders of this new institution.

The calling of the church was by Jesus’ invitation, and it was by Jesus authority.

B. By Jesus authority

The institution of the church was not an idea of man. It was established by the direct authority of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)

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.

Just before Jesus made this statement, Peter had made a bold declaration of Jesus’ deity and authority.

Matthew 16:16 (NKJV)

16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

It was in this context, that Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church.”

An interesting note here concerning the Greek word Jesus used when He told Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” The name Peter actually means “rock”. It comes from the Greek word petros, and refers to a stone or rock. But the Greek word for “this rock” in Matthew 16:18. is Petra, and it means “a cliff or ledge; a projecting rock, bedrock” - which can even refer to mountain ranges.

Jesus essentially said to Peter, “You are a rock, but on the truth that you just spoke- that I am the Christ and have authority as the Son of God - on that bedrock, on that cornerstone, I will build My Church.”

God’s assembly, the church, was not founded on human authority, but on God’s authority.

JESUS MUST BE PREEMINENT IN THE CHURCH BECAUSE HE DIED FOR THE CHURCH.

Colossians 1:18–20 NKJV

18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Around the inside of the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome you find letters in Latin six and a half feet tall that say this. “ YOu are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

The Catholic church venerates Peter as the founder of the church, but Scripture clearly points to Christ as the founder. He built the church by His authority, and He purchased the church with His blood.

Belief in Jesus deity and authority is crucial to understanding the origin and foundation of the church.

Scripture makes both of these attributes clear.

1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV

16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

So we see that the church was called by Jesus Himself. He first invited and assembled the 12 apostles, and then by His authority, He organized the institution of the church, with the apostles as the foundation on Him, the Chief Cornerstone.

But who belongs in the church? Who is the church comprised of?

II. The Composition of the Church

The local church is not a building or a location. It is a living habitation of God’s people.

1 Timothy 3:15 (NKJV)

15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

A. Composed of called-out people

The word most commonly translated “church” in the New Testament is the Greek word ekklesia, which means “a called-out assembly.” This word is used 115 times in the New Testament, and 112 of those times, it refers to the local assembly of believers.

The etymology of the english word church is derived from the Greek word kuriakos, which means, “belonging to the LORD.” From Kuriakos we get the Scottish word kirk and from kirk, we get the English word church. So church refers to a group of people who belong to the Lord.

When we understand this truth, we view church differently. Church is not just “organized religion.” It is not just a place we meet so we can have something to do. We are a called-out group of people who belong to the Lord. The church belongs to Him, our lives belong to Him, and we gather together to worship Him according to the direction He set.

Just as Jesus personally called out His disciples in the first century, so we, the local church, are a called-out people. First, we are called through salvation.

1 Peter 1:23 NKJV

23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

In the first century Corinth was a city hardened by idolatry and paganism. Actually, the depth of depravity in this city is probably inconceivable to us. They had houses of prostitution and hideously lewd rituals that were part of their idol worship. Human life was viewed as expendable, as men could be put to death for just losing a race.

Despite all of this Paul preached the Gospel in CORINTH, people trusted Christ as their Saviour. Here, in the midst of this pagan, ungodly culture, God established a local church. Not a social club, not a parachurch organization, not a support group, but a local church- a called-out group of people directly connected to Christ through salvation and able to receive Christ power to live the victorious Christian life.

When Paul later wrote to the church at Corinth, he immediately identified this church as a group of called-out people - sanctified (or set apart) and called to be saints.

1 Corinthians 1:1–2 NKJV

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 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:

Members of the church of Corinth were not without difficulty or sin. Many of them still struggled to gain victory over habits an areas of their lives before salvation. And yet, they were a church- owned by Christ, learning how to grow in Him and follow His leadership.

The local church is composed of people who have been called out through salvation. But to be members of the church, these saved people identified themselves with the church through water baptism. In Scripture, we see that water baptism identifies us with Christ death, burial, and resurrection.

Romans 6:3–4 NKJV

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Baptism is a reflection on the outside of what has happened on the inside. It does not and cannot wash away our sins, but it does identify us with Christ’s payment for our sins.

Additionally, water baptism identifies us with the local church.

Acts 2:41 NKJV

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

Through the centuries, this important ordinance of believers baptism has been misunderstood and twisted. Some baptize infants; some claim baptism washes away sin; some baptized by sprinkling or pouring.

The Roman Catholic church instituted sprinkling of infants. In the 3rd century, the Council of Carthage declared: “We ought not to hinder any person from baptism and the grace of God… especially infants…those newly born.”

But if we look to Scripture, we see baptism was always by immersion, after salvation, and only administered to those who personally put their faith in Jesus for salvation.

Even the Protestant reformers who left the Catholic church couldn’t seem to shake the unbiblical practice of baptizing infants. In fact, many of the reformers mercilessly persecuted Baptists who had long stood for biblical baptism after salvation.

Zwingli himself (one of the key leaders of the Reformation) had many Baptists, including pastor and evangelist Felix Manz, drowned for their belief in baptism by immersion after salvation.

Biblical believer’s baptism is just one of the many examples of the differences in a church that takes the Bible as its final authority in faith and practice and a church that follows the traditions of men.

Scripture is quite clear that a New Testament church is comprised of people who have been called out through Salvation and who have identified themselves with the church through believers baptism.

Additionally, Scripture teaches that Christ churches consist in local assemblies

B. Consist in local assemblies

The church is not simply a “universal” body of saved people. It is comprised of local assemblies that consist of saved, baptized believers.

As early as Acts 9, we see multiple churches established in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria.

Acts 9:31 NKJV

31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Real churches were functioning and multiplying without councils or denominations in the first century, These were autonomous groups of believers who had biblical church leaders and functioned under direct headship of Christ.

In a biblical sense, the “universal church” will be assembled when Christ returns for us. In Scripture, this is called “the glorious church.”

Ephesians 5:25–27 (NKJV)

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,

26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

We look forward to the day when we will gather with that glorious church - the only perfect church that will ever assemble! Until then, we are committed to assemble in local churches to carry out Christ mission on Earth.

III. The Continuation of the Church

A. Through Christ commission

B. Through believers obedience