The Local Church:
What is it?
and
Why you should build your life around it
“On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail
against it.”
-Mt 16.18
“And he is the head of the body, the church.”
-Col 1:18
God’s plan: to incorporate you into a loving family of
Christians where you can be a productive provider,
safely shepherded, and growing in grace.
UNDERSTANDING THE CHURCH
Ekklesia – the Greek word translated ‘church’, refers to an
‘assembly’ or ‘the called out ones’.
From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia:
“In Acts the ekklesia has come to be the regular designation for the
society of Christian believers, but is employed in two distinct senses.
First in a local sense, to denote the body of Christians in a particular
place or district, as in Jerusalem (5:11; 8:1), in Antioch (13:1; 15:22),
in Caesarea (18:22)--a usage which reappears in the Apocalypse in
the letters to the Seven Churches. Then in a wider and what may be
called a universal sense, to denote the sum total of existing local
churches,… which are thus regarded as forming one body.
In the Pauline Epistles both of these usages are frequent. Thus the
apostle writes of "the church of the Thessalonians" (1Th 1:1), "the
church of God which is at Corinth" (1Co 1:2; 2Co 1:1). Indeed he
localizes and particularizes the word yet further by applying it to a
single Christian household or to little groups of believers who were
accustomed to assemble in private houses for worship and
fellowship (Ro 16:5; 1Co 16:19; Col 4:15; Phm 1:2)--an employment
of the word which recalls the saying of Jesus in Mt 18:20. The
universal use, again, may be illustrated by the contrast he draws
between Jews and Greeks on the one hand and the church of God
on the other (1Co 10:32), and by the declaration that God has set in
the church apostles, prophets, and teachers (1Co 12:28).
The Questions we will address:
1. What is the local church?
2. Why is the local church important to us?
3. Why join a church?
4. What does membership in a local church involve?
1. What is the local church?
The local church is the gathering together of born-again
believers in a visible, tangible display of love and unity.
In a healthy local church, many essential elements are
present:
1. True believers gathering together to honor and
seek God
2. Right preaching of apostolic doctrine (doctrine that
is rooted in the New Testament Apostolic tradition)
3. Ministry gifts in operation: Biblical leadership,
responsible to God for the oversight of the flock, is
recognized and is functioning
4. Administration of Water Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper: Who is, and who isn’t, a Christian?
Symbolic ‘boundaries’ are recognized:
-Water baptism – your start
-Lord’s Supper – your continuing
5. Practice of discipline: the overseeing of hearts and
lives
6. Care of the members for one another: community
7. Mission beyond itself: to reach out and make
disciples
.
2. Why is the local church important to us?
The local church provides the context in which believers
can grow in Christ and corporately display His glory. The
local church allows for a clear identification with the church
by members and provides the environment of worship,
prayer, teaching, oversight and community needed to
bring the members to maturity and to fulfill the mission of
Christ.
3. Why join a church?
a. For the _____________________ Christians
b. For the _____________________ Christians
c. For the ________ Christians
d. For the _______________
_____________
e. For the ________________ - it was His idea!
4. What does membership in a local church involve?
Many things: baptism, attending, worship, serving, giving,
communion, prayer, relationship and accountability.
We need to see local church membership as one of the basic
requirements of Christian living.
Additional Questions
Why are there so many different churches and denominations?
1. We need many local churches, so there will always be many
churches.
2. The unity of the early church was not as much ‘organizational’ as it
was ‘organic’.
3. The history of decline and restoration during the last 2,000 years has
left us with many churches. Some are active and alive, some are
inactive, or even dead.
What is a ‘para-church’?
A para-church is a group that is lacking one or more of the essential elements
of a local church. Para-church groups are often organized to facilitate the
work of Christ in very specific ways (ie, evangelism, feeding the hungry, radio
station, university, missions-sending, etc.) and serve best when they are built
upon, and function within, a narrow charter.
Examples: The Gideon Society, Good News Radio, Pioneers.
The strength of para-church groups is their ability to channel the resources of
individual believers and local churches toward a specific objective. The
weakness of para-church organizations is their tendency to morph into quasichurch structures with less-than-clear charters (ie, “disciple believers”). When
that occurs, para-church groups tend to compete with local churches and drain
local church resources rather than facilitate specific endeavors.
What is a ‘cult’?
A Christian cult is a group that uses Christian terms (God, Christ, Holy Spirit,
church, pastor, communion, etc.) but has departed from New Testament
Apostolic teaching, especially in regard to the person and work of Jesus
Christ.
Cults functioning in our area: Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses