Level: 2, Lesson: 4
THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST'S CHURCH
OUTLINE

In God’s heart there is one church. If we have received Jesus as our personal Saviour, then we belong to the church, or body of Christ, as a whole, universally.

There are local expressions of the universal church today. In the New Testament, most of Paul’s letters were addressed to a church in a specific city.

Ephesians 4:10-12, "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

There are five offices, or functions, filled within the body of Christ. God designed these offices to function within the local church setting. The purpose of these offices, or gifts from Jesus, is that through these gifts, the expression of His life will bring us into a place of ministry and cause us to be empowered to effectively serve Him and be effective.

Acts 2:42, "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

Being a part of a local church includes participating in the following ways:

1. Giving of yourself to the teaching that comes from God’s ministry gifts.
2. Fellowshipping with other Christians.
3. Breaking bread together.
4. Praying together.
5. Learning how to commit to each other beyond a place of convenience – submitting to, serving, and loving one another.
6. Becoming involved in a common goal or vision of a particular church and serving in that area.

You will experience greater growth as a Christian if you commit yourself to a local body of believers and begin to serve there.

Pray and ask the Lord to direct you to a local church. Visit and see if there’s a connection. See how your spirit and heart respond to that church, to its vision, to the teachings of the pastor, and to the people in the congregation. God has a place for you to serve and a place for you to receive ministry.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST’S CHURCH
Lesson Text

Today I want to talk to you about another aspect that’s very important in being a disciple and making disciples. Discipleship is the purpose of the local church in our lives. In the scriptures, there is not any specific verse or even a commandment that necessarily talks about the local church, as we know it today. Now let me explain what I mean by that so that you don’t think that I am teaching heresy. Today is the age of the local church. In the scriptures, most of Paul’s letters start off by saying, "to the saints" or "to the brethren" in a specific city. There are a lot of reasons for starting scriptures in this particular way. Of course, back then, there was only one church for one city and culturally there were a lot of differences from today’s church. God’s heart has never changed. There is one church. Anyone who has received Jesus Christ as his or her personal savior, who has been filled with the born again spirit of God, has become a part of the church (Body of Christ).

There are also local expressions of the universal or corporate church in the earth today. In a particular city, like Colorado Springs, there are hundreds of churches. Many of these churches are life-giving, powerful, Jesus-exalting, healthy churches. However, there are many different pastors, who have different congregations and flocks of individuals.

Understanding the local church in our lives is very important. Ephesians 4:10 says, "He who descended is also the One (and the "One" is capitalized, referring to Jesus) who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things" (NKJV). Verse 11 and 12 say, "And He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and some teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Basically, the scriptures are mentioning what we refer to as the five offices or five functions that are filled within the body of Christ. The purpose of the five offices is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, so the entire body is edified. Equipping saints through tapes, television, and videos are examples designed by God to be done within our local church setting. Taking advantage of and understanding the gifts is important, because according to scriptures, the five offices are gifts to the body of Christ (the church). Through these gifts, Jesus desires to see the expression of His life, that will bring us to a place of ministry and cause us to be empowered to serve Him effectively.

Being involved in a local church encompasses much. We are taking advantage of the gifts by giving ourselves to this teaching. Acts 2:42 says, "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." These are principles of a powerful and effective church. By emphasizing "continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine," the disciples placed a high value on the gift of the apostle and gave themselves over to that gift by gathering with brothers and sisters to listen to the teaching. Discipling includes giving ourselves over to doctrine and teaching that comes from the gifts God has given us. "Fellowship" is also mentioned in this verse, and means to relate to and befriend one another. Lastly, "in breaking of bread and in prayers" is a tremendous way for the church to move in power.

Learning how to live within a community in love and serving one another should be exemplified in the local church. Through the good times and the bad times, we need to love each other and be there to encourage one another. By relating positively to one another, we grow together and function as a body (of Christ), committing to each other beyond a place of convenience. By being part of a local church, we are in an atmosphere where we can learn how to commit to each other beyond a place of convenience. Furthermore, being involved in a local church allows us to take advantage of all the giftings of the five offices (apostle, pastor, prophet, evangelist, and teacher) that God freely gave to us.

IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST’S CHURCH
(Additional Information)

The word "Church" is:

a. Derived probably from the Greek word "kuriakon," meaning "the Lord’s house," that was used by ancient authors to describe the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word "ecclesia," which is synonymous with the Hebrew word "kahal" of the Old Testament - both words simply mean "an assembly." The precise meaning can only be known from the connection in which the word is found. There is no clear instance of this word being used for a place of meeting or worship, although in post-apostolic times, it clearly received this meaning. Nor is this word ever used to denote the inhabitants of a country united in the same profession, as when we say, "the Church of England," "the Church of Scotland," etc. We find the word "ecclesia" used in the following senses in the New Testament:

1. It is translated "assembly" in the ordinary classical sense (Acts 19:32, 39, 41).
2. It denotes the whole body of the redeemed, all those whom the Father has given to Christ, the invisible, universal church (Ephesians 5:23,25,27,28; Hebrews 12:23).
3. A few Christians associated together in observing the ordinances of the gospel are an ecclesia (Romans 16:5; Colossians 4:15).
4. All the Christians in a particular city, whether they assemble together in one place or in several places for religious worship, are an ecclesia. Thus all the disciples in Antioch, forming several congregations, were one church (Acts 13:1). We read of "the Church of God at Corinth" (I Corinthians 1:2), "the Church at Jerusalem" (Acts 8:1), and "the Church of Ephesus" (Revelations 2:1).
5. The whole body of professing Christians throughout the world (I Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Matthew 16:18), are the church of Christ. The church visible consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children. It is called "visible" because its members are known and its assemblies are public. Here there is a mixture of "wheat and chaff," of saints and sinners. God has commanded his people to organize themselves into distinct visible ecclesiastical communities, with constitutions, laws, officers, badges, ordinances, and discipline, for the great purpose of giving visibility to His kingdom, of making known the gospel of that kingdom, and of gathering in all its elect subjects.

Each one of these distinct organized communities, which is faithful to the great King is an integral part of the visible church, and all together constitute the universal visible church. A credible profession of Christ constitutes a person - a member of this church. This is "the kingdom of heaven," whose character and progress are set forth in the parables recorded in Matthew 13:1.

The church invisible "consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ, the head thereof." This is a pure society, the church in which Christ dwells. It is the body of Christ. It is called "invisible" because the greater part of those who constitute it are already in heaven or are yet unborn, and also because its members still on earth cannot certainly be distinguished.

The qualifications of membership in it are internal and are hidden. It is unseen except by Him who "searches the heart." "The Lord knoweth them that are his" (II Timothy 2:19). The church, to which the attributes, prerogatives, and promises appertaining to Christ’s kingdom belong, is a spiritual body consisting of all true believers, i.e., the church invisible.

1. ITS UNITY: God has never had only one church on earth. We sometimes speak of the Old Testament church and of the New Testament church - the church was not to be changed but enlarged (Isaiah 49:13-23, 60:1-14). When the Jews are at length restored, they will not enter a new church, but will be grafted again into "their own olive tree" (Romans 11:18-24; Ephesians 2:11-22). The apostles did not set up a new organization. Under their ministry disciples were added to the church already existing (Acts 2:47).
2. ITS UNIVERSALITY: It is not confined to any particular country or outward organization, but comprehends all believers throughout the whole world.
3. ITS PERPETUITY: It will continue through all ages to the end of the world. It can never be destroyed. It is an "everlasting kingdom."

   Adapted from Easton’s Bible Dictionary 1897

Here are some questions to think about for this lesson

Level 2 Lesson 4 Questions
THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST'S CHURCH

1. How does Ephesians 1:22-23 describe the universal church?
2. How does I Corinthians 1:2 describe the local church that was at Corinth?
3. According to Ephesians 4:11-12, what is the real job of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher?
4. What was the early church like, according to Acts 2:44-47?
5. What advice do we glean from Hebrews 10:24-25?

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