Theme verse for this series:
1 Peter 3:15-16 [NLT] Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way.
The tenth and eleventh statements we are going to unpack in our What We Believe series are…
10. THE CHURCH AND ITS MISSION
The Church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for
the fulfillment of her Great Commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22,23; 2:22; Hebrews 12:23).
Matthew 28:19-20 [NLT] Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
11. THE MINISTRY
A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the fourfold purpose of leading the Church in: (1) evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20), (2) worship of God (John 4:23,24), (3) building a Body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11,16), and (4) meeting human need with ministries of love and compassion (Psalms 112:9; Galatians 2:10; 6:10; James 1:27).
Ephesians 4:11-12 [NLT] Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
What is the Church?
The word “church” comes from a Greek word that means an assembly of people or citizens.
For New Testament believers in Jesus, the church is the spiritual family of God, created by the Holy Spirit through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The Church is not simply an organization or collection of people. The Church is a living organism.
What the Church is not.
The Church is not a building, even though we call our buildings churches.
Some Ways to Describe the Church
The Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 1 Corinthians 12:27)
The Temple of God/Temple of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The Bride of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32)
Membership in the Church
Ephesians 2:17-21
The Work of the Church
There are three main objectives for the Church:
Telling the world about Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20)
Worshiping God (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Growing into Christlikeness (Colossians 1:28-29)
How do we know we are making progress? (Galatians 5:22-23)
How can we work together as the Church?
Every living organism needs some amount of structure to function as it should.
God has called and has given gifts to men and women to lead, teach, and shepherd His people. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
We see examples from Paul’s writings that help us to see leaders being chosen and recognized for service to the Church. (1 Timothy 4:11-16.)
The work of the person called into ordained ministry is to help each believer to be equipped to fully utilize every gift and talent to contribute to the growth of the Kingdom of God.
God calls every believer to serve Him.
God calls some to lead in His Church to bring leadership to this service.
APPLICATIONS FOR TODAY:
What does it mean for us to be part of God’s Church?
1. We are part of the worldwide family of God.
2. Every Christian has a place of service.
3. See yourself as an ambassador of Jesus wherever you go. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
4. Be open to the special calling of God into vocational ministry.
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