<< Previous | Index | Next >>"WHY I BELIEVE" In The Church INTRODUCTION 1. It is not uncommon today to hear people disparage the church... a. I have heard people say in effect, "Christ, yes; the church, no" b. Professing they love Jesus, desiring even to follow Him, they have little use for "the church" 2. In previous lessons in this series, I have offered some reasons "Why I Believe..." a. In God b. In the Bible c. In Jesus Christ [Now I would like to explain why I believe in the church mentioned by Jesus in Mt 16:18 when He said "I will build My church". Let's first note what is said about the church in the Scriptures...] I. THE CHURCH DESCRIBED A. IN THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS... 1. Christ is "head over all things to the church" - Ep 1:22 a. That Christ is head over all things is clear enough, but what is meant by the phrase "to the church"? b. Perhaps that Christ exercises His authority over all things "in the interest" of the church (Hendriksen); i.e., the rule of Christ is for the benefit of His church! c. Does this not say something about the Lord's estimation of His church? 2. The church "is His body" - Ep 1:23 a. The body of Christ! b. It is His spiritual body, of which He is the head! 3. The church is "the fullness of Him who fills all in all" - Ep 1:23 a. Christ fills all in all; what fills Him? b. The church constitutes His fullness! c. If one is to be in Christ, by implication he or she must be in the church! 4. The church is part of God's "eternal purpose" - Ep 3:10-11 a. The manifold wisdom of God is made known through the church b. In keeping with God's eternal purpose; i.e., His plan which He had from eternity! 5. To God be "glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages" - Ep 3:21 a. Certainly God is worthy of all glory b. In the church and by Jesus Christ, God will be glorified forever! 6. "Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body" - Ep 5:23 a. His authority over the church is again emphasized; also that it is His body b. But here we note that Christ is the Savior, not of all men, but of His body, the church! c. Again the implication is clear; to be saved, we must be in His body, the church! 7. Christ "loved the church and gave Himself for it" - Ep 5:25 a. Jesus loves His church, even as husband is to love his wife b. His death on the cross had His church in view; He was dying for the church! 8. Jesus' design is to present it as "a glorious church" - Ep 5: 26-27 a. He seeks to "sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" b. He desires for it to not have spot or wrinkle, but to "be holy and without blemish"! 9. Jesus nourishes and cherishes the church - Ep 5:29-30 a. Even as you care for your own body b. So Jesus has the same concern for His body, the church! c. All because "we are members of His body"! B. ELSEWHERE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT... 1. The church was purchased with the blood of Christ - Ac 20:28 2. The church is His body - Col 1:18,24 3. The church is the family of God, the pillar and ground of the truth - 1Ti 3:15 [In view of the Scriptures' high estimation of the church, it is something in which we should strongly believe. But exactly what is this "church"? The word translated "church" in our Bible is ekklesia...] II. THE CHURCH DEFINED A. THE MEANING OF "EKKLESIA"... 1. Many note that this word is a combination of two words: ek (out of) and kaleo (to call) a. Concluding that the primary idea is that of being "called out" b. That Christians were called the "ekklesia" because they were "called out" 1) It is true that Christians have been called out - cf. 1Pe 2:9 2) But "ekklesia" does not stress the "called out" nature of the church! c. This is a common mistake of defining a word by its etymology rather than by its actual usage in its historical context 2. The word "church" as defined by Easton's Bible Dictionary: a. "In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word 'ecclesia', which is synonymous with the Hebrew 'kahal' of the Old Testament..." b. "...both words meaning simply an assembly." 3. Notice Thayer's definition: "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly" a. "an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating" - cf. Ac 19:39 b. "the assembly of the Israelites" - cf. Ac 7:38 c. "any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously" - cf. Ac 19:40-41 4. The word "ekklesia" therefore emphasizes the "assembled" nature of a group; i.e., it simply refers to a gathering, an assembly of people B. AS USED IN THE CHRISTIAN SENSE... 1. Thayer offers the following uses of "ekklesia" in a Christian sense: a. "an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting" - cf. 1Co 14: 19,35 b. "a company of Christians, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake" - cf. 1Th 1:1 c. "those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body" - cf. 1Co 1:2 d. "the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth" - cf. Ep 1:22-23 e. "the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven" - cf. He 12:22-23 2. Putting it most simply, we can think of the church in two primary senses: a. The church universal - the whole assembly of people who are saved, both living and dead b. The church local - a company of saved people in a geographical area who work and worship together as a local congregation c. It is the church "universal" of which Jesus spoke in Mt 16:18 CONCLUSION 1. The church "universal" is that grand assembly or company of people... a. Of which Christ is the head, and the Savior - Ep 5:23 b. Which Christ loves, and for which He gave Himself - Ep 5:25 c. Which Christ gave Himself to sanctify and cleanse - Ep 5:25-26 d. Which Christ desires to present as a glorious church, without spot or blemish - Ep 5:27 2. Do you believe in that church...? a. I hope that you do now, if you didn't before! b. If you believe in Jesus and in the Bible, then you must! 3. How does one become a member of that wonderful church...? a. Note that the Lord added to the church daily those who being saved - Ac 2:47 b. Those being added were also those who were being baptized - Ac 2:41 c. That's because those being baptized were being saved - cf. Mk 16: 16; Ac 2:38; 22:16 When a person responds to the gospel of Christ by faith, repentance and baptism, their sins are washed away be the blood of Jesus, and the Lord Himself adds him or her to His church! Have you been added by the Lord to His church through obedience to the gospel of Christ...?<< Previous | Index | Next >>
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