The Church
"Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose," (Phil. 2:2).
What is the church?
Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but of people.
The church is the body of Christ, of which He is the head. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The body of Christ is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2) until Christ’s return. It is comprised of those who have been saved and redeemed by the True and Living God, based upon the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus upon the cross. Inclusion in the Body of Christ is not by membership in a denomination, nor by baptism, nor or by dedication. It is not received by ritual, or by ceremony, or by natural birth. It is received by faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8).
It is much more than a gathering of believers who profess the true and living God and attend weekly worship meetings. The church is the bride of Christ. It is a living temple of the True God. It is not the building, the meeting place, an organization, or a denomination. The church is the totality of all true believers regardless of denominational affiliation. The entire body of believers is the church and as such, it is the dwelling place of the Holy and Infinite God.
The body of Christ is comprised of two aspects:
1) The universal church consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). This verse says that anyone who believes is part of the body of Christ and has received the Spirit of Christ as evidence. The universal church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
2) The local church is described in Galatians 1:1-2: “Paul, an apostle … and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia.” Here we see that in the province of Galatia there were many churches—what we call local churches. A Baptist church, Lutheran church, Catholic church, etc., is not the church, as in the universal church—but rather is a local church, a local body of believers. The universal church is comprised of those who belong to Christ and who have trusted Him for salvation. These members of the universal church should seek fellowship and edification in a local church.
It is all right to have differences of opinion on the non-essential matters that do not affect salvation. Yet far too many Christians use these non-essential differences as justification for division.
What are some examples of non-essential matters that people have different opinions about?
Bible Trivia
Which popular saying is NOT in the bible?
1) You are the apple of my eye
2) Cleanliness is next to Godliness
3) Eat, drink and be merry
Additional Resources
Bible Study Schedule:
April 10th (team 1 & 3) & 12th (team 2), 24th & 27th
May 9th & 11th, 22nd & 24th
June 5th & 8th, 20th & 22nd
Our study can be found online at: http://catfoodandcoffee.blogspot.com/
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