Although we often refer to the building that we meet in as the church, I think we all know that the building is in fact not the church. The church is the people. You and I make up the church. We often talk about the church, and we have read about it in the Bible, but if someone were to ask you about it, what would you say? Today, we will try to help one another to better understand what the Bible affirms about the church.
READ Scriptures-
Acts 20:28; 2:40-41; Ephesians 4:11-16
Purchased by the
Blood of Christ (Acts 20:28)
The Flock, the Church of God, was purchased with the blood
of Christ. This is why the cross has such great significance in Christian
doctrine. God has redeemed us with the blood of His Own. We are His purchased
possession. We are not independent men and women, and the church does not
belong to itself, but we are all bought by the blood of Christ.
Populated by All True
Believers in Christ (Acts 2:40-41)
One the day of Pentecost, when the church was first
established, those who heard the message of the Gospel and received it were
baptized and added to the church. Those who had genuinely repented and believed were baptized and added. We, too,
have all heard and believed the Gospel. All of us who have put our faith in
Christ belong to, and are in fact the body of Christ.
Provided Leadership
(Eph 4:11, 15)
The chief point that we must grasp is that the Church was
bought by the blood of Christ, it is His, and Christ is the head of the body.
Let us constantly remember that we belong to and answer to the Lord Jesus
Christ. After we understand that we can begin to see how He establishes His
church. He Himself gave some apostles and some prophets to the church. They
were the unrepeatable foundation on which the church is built. Those offices
are not held today. Yet, Christ still makes provision for the church as He
gives some evangelists and some pastor/teachers. Evangelists establish churches
and trouble-shoot for them. They are not always around, but pastors are locally
resident. We have already seen in Acts 20 that God has given the church elders
who are to shepherd the flock. They are first to take heed to themselves and
then to the church. I have argued in the past that our English translations use
five different words for one position. Elder, Pastor, Overseer, Bishop, and
Shepherd are all terms that refer to the one office in the church that is
responsible for the well-being of the whole church. This is a great responsibility
mainly because the church was purchased with the precious blood of Christ. Men
and women that we can also talk about as a gift to the church, not mentioned in
this passage, are the deacons. They are to serve the church, mainly tending to
the physical matters of the body, under the direction of Christ-the-Head and
the Elders.
Preparing for
Ministry (Eph 4:11-12)
The passage tells us that the Elders are to be preparing the
church for ministry. You, the saints, are to be equipped for the work of
ministry. The Elders and I are supposed to be equipping you for ministry and
building you up in Christ. Whether you take advantage of them or not, we are
constantly trying to offer you several opportunities to grow and serve one
another and the community.
Promoted by Unity
(Eph 4:13-14)
This work in the church is supposed to continue until we all
come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. We are
aiming to measure up to the stature of the fullness of Christ. Disunity is one
of the greatest enemies of individual congregations and the church as a whole.
If we are going to be edified, there’s going to have to be some love. We are
going to have to come here to worship together and much more. We are going to
have to gather around the Word of God, we are going to have to serve one
another, and we are going to have to reach out to our community.
Conclusion
“Christ is at once the One into whom all Christians
grow and out of whom . . . the church [unites] itself in love” (Wood, 59).