Convictions | Part 8

What is the Church?

1. The church is a community of believers.

(Acts 2:44) All the believers were together and had everything in common.

(Revelation 5:9) With your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe

and language and people and nation.

(see James 2:1 – 7) Rich and poor are both in the community

2. As a community, the church is a Family.

(1 Timothy 5:1 – 2) Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he

were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and

younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

(Matthew 12:49 – 50) Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the

will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

(1 John 3:16 – 18) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life

for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has

material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has not pity on them,

how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words

or speech but with actions and in truth.

3. The church is the Bride of Christ.

(2 Corinthians 11:2) I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one

husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.

(Ephesians 5:32) This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the

church. (see Eph. 5:21 – 33)

4. The church is the Body of Christ.

(1 Corinthians 12:12 – 14) Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its

many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit

so as to form one body – whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free – and we were all

given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but many.

(Ephesians 1:22 – 23) And 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.

5. The church is both local and universal.

(Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; 1

Thessalonians 1:1; Acts 9:31; Ephesians 5:25; 1 Corinthians 12:28)

The Purpose of the Church

1. The purpose of the church is ministry to God through worship.

(Acts 2:42, 46 – 47) They devoted themselves . . . to prayer . . . to meeting together

in the temple . . . praising God.

(Colossians 3:16 ESV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and

admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual

songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

(Ephesians 5:16 – 19) Making the most of every opportunity . . . be filled with the

Spirit . . . sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.

2. The purpose of the church is ministry to believers through nurture.

(Colossians 1:28) He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone

with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

(Ephesians 4:11 – 13 ESV) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,

the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building

up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge

of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness

of Christ.

3. The purpose of the church is ministry to unbelievers through evangelism and mercy.

(Matthew 28:19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . .

(Luke 6:35 – 36) But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without

expecting to get anything back. . . Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.