1. A Real Beginning (Week 2)

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.

Read page 6 Section M.

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.

Read Page 9 through page 10 Article 2.

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

Read page 6 section N

Read page 10 Article 3

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

In this section we will answer 2 questions.

1. How did a group of 1st century believers grow and multiply churches to the point that 2,000 years later there are local churches all around the world?

2. How can we today continue Christ purpose for the church.

A. Through Christ commission

Just before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He gave a sacred commission to His apostles. We call this the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:19–20 NKJV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

This commission was not for the apostles only. As we saw in our first study. The Apostles became the foundation upon which the churches were built because of the doctrine they received from Christ.

Ephesians 2:19–20 NKJV

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

As the apostles went into all nations preaching, baptizing converts, and organizing churches, they transferred this commission to the local churches.

Today, it is our privilege and responsibility to make this last command of Christ our first priority in the church. This commission is the reason the church exists - to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in every part of the world. We will look more at this in the coming weeks.

The church that Christ has established continue as His people are obedient to His commission

B. Through believers obedience

It is amazing how many Christians in America will complain about the demise of our nation and the crumbling of Christian values, while they themselves have neglected Christ commands concerning the church.

Two men were out fishing on a Sunday morning when one said to the other, “You know, I really feel kind of guilty for skipping church this morning.” “Yeah, I know what you mean,” the other man replied. “But, I couldn’t have gone this morning anyway.” “Why is that”, the first man responded. “Because my wife is sick and she wasn’t going.”

It is amazing the excuses we will allow to keep us out of church, but not keep us from doing other things we want to do.

Faithful church attendance is not an option for the obedient child of God. Christ actually commands us to assemble with our church.

Hebrews 10:24–25 NKJV

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

We also must be obedient to stand for the faith and boldly proclaim the truth. The Bible tells us that the church itself is the pillar and ground of the truth.

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.

If the truth is not preached at the church and upheld by Christians, who will uphold it? God has designed the church to be both the guardian and the proclaimer of the truth.

Throughout the centuries, Christians have stood for the faith.

Ephesians 6:14 NKJV

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Think of the believers in the early centuries. The book of Acts records many who were persecuted for their faith in Christ.

Peter and John were arrested, threatened, and beaten (Acts 4, 5)

Stephen was stoned (Acts7)

Saul, who would later become Paul, imprisoned and tortured many Christians (Acts*).

King Herod beheaded James and imprisoned Peter (Acts 12).

Paul was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and eventually martyred - all for the sake of the Gospel.

Then there was brutal persecution of believers durning the Dark Ages. As well there was great persecution during the Reformation.

New Testament churches have gone by different names in different periods of history and in different geographic areas. Regardless of the persecution through the years. Believers in the local New Testament churches have stood for the faith. Their heritage of courage and their commitment to truth is now our responsibility to continue.

Many Christians in America do not value truth highly enough. This is evidenced when they react when the church takes stands against cultural issues of sin and they themselves become angry when they hear biblical truth taught that gooes against their lifestyle.

The truth is precious. It is worth living for and dying for. As members of this local church, we are responsible to stand for the truth.

2 Timothy 2:1–2 NKJV

1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

It is through preaching, Sunday school classes, Bible Studies, discipleship, counseling that the church has been commissioned to pass on the faith.

The local church has been ordained by God as the pillar and the ground of the Truth. The church continues as we, who are believers, are obedient to Christ’s commands to assemble, to stand for the truth, and to teach the truth.