The Church 

Foundations of Faith – The Church

After Jesus rose from the dead, many came to believe in Him and began to gather together in local congregations. This growing assembly of believers of both Jew and Gentile became known as the “church”. It was Jesus who began the church and even told His disciples that one day He would build it.

(Matthew 16:18kjv), “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

As we begin to read the Book of Acts, we see the wonderful beginning of the church and then the continual building of it as we read the rest of the New Testament.  

As time went on, various religions that claimed to be Christian were created by man. They held to manmade rules, traditions and even pagan practices instead of the Word of God. This has caused great confusion for many. 

Along with this, to man’s great error, church has become something that God never intended. The church was meant to be a called-out people from the worldly sinful ways of their surroundings to be a witness to the world of what the Kingdom of God is really all about. The church was designed by God to be an assembly of believers meeting together as a family, with the Holy Spirit actively in their midst guiding, directing and being just as much a part of the church as the people themselves! Christ was meant to be the head of the church, not some man given the title of pastor. The Word of God was meant to be the only “constitution” and not man-made rules and regulations.  

The church was meant to be warm, hospitable, intimate, loving and caring. Not cold, ritualistic, distant and indifferent to its members. It was to be the outward and visible expression of the “fruit of the Holy Spirit”. Specifically; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. It was to be the outward expression of the love and care that Christ has for both the saved and lost. By the Holy Spirit working through the lives of each believer and thus each assembly, the works that Christ did while on earth for both believers and unbelievers were to continue through the church. The church was also meant to be the pillar and ground of the truth.  It was not to promote false doctrines and false practices. 

What Is the Local Church?

It is NOT a Building

(Acts 14:27), “Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”

God’s Word says here that the disciples “gathered the church together.” It is obvious that they did not gather “buildings” together. Sometimes when we see the great expense that is put into the architecture and interior decorations of “church buildings,” our attention is drawn away from what the church really is. Some might think that because of the greatness of the building structure, the “presence” of God surely must be in there. But the truth is, the “presence” of God is in the heart, mind and souls of those who truly love the Lord Jesus Christ and are following His teachings in their daily lives! Our bodies are the temple of God.

(1Corinthians 6:19), “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

It is NOT a “Denominational” Group

God is not interested in what we call our denomination. Being a Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, etc., does not guarantee anybody eternal life. What God is interested in is what is in your heart and not an “outward label.” What the Lord is interested in is, if you have Him in your heart.

(1 John 5:12), “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

The church is an assembly of people who truly love the Lord and have been called out by God to serve Him. They are saved multitudes from every nation.

In (1 Corinthians 12), God’s Word calls the Church the “body of Christ.” It is in this chapter of Corinthians that the Church body is compared to the human body.

• Each member has a different function, 

(vs 14-20), “For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. ”

• No one member can function alone 

(vs 21), “And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

• Each member’s contribution is very important 

(vs 22-24), “No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,”

• A properly functioning body operates as a single unit

(vs 25-27), “that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”

What Is the Function of the Local Church?

The first local church in the Bible was organized in Jerusalem, (Acts 2:41-47). We see that the believers there organized their church for the following purposes:

• The teaching of the Word of God

(vs 42), “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.…”

• Fellowship with other believers 

(vs 42), “…and fellowship, in the breaking of bread.…”

• Prayer

(vs 42), “…and in prayers.”

• The observance of the two ordinances of the Church

Baptism, (vs 41), “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized…”

The Lord’s supper, (1Corinthians 11:23-26) 

In our next lesson we will study these two ordinances in more detail.

• To be a testimony of God’s grace and power 

(vs 43), “Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”

• For mutual assistance and ministry amongst each other 

(vs 44-45), “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” 

• Meet together in one area and also in small groups

(vs 46), “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,”

• To glorify and praise God 

(vs 47), “praising God…”

• To reach out into the community 

(vs 47), “… and having favour with all the people…” 

• To multiply

(vs 47), “…the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

• To edify the believers (build up, strengthen)

(Ephesians 4:11-16), “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

• The church is called to be the “pillar and ground” of the truth

(1 Timothy 3:15), “but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

Three main Core Values of the early church where Discover, Develop, and Display

Discover

• Found People Find People
• Saved People Serve People
• God Is the Goal (There’s no greater pursuit in life than knowing God)
• Prayer Is a Priority

Develop

• Passionate About God’s Word
• Followers, Not Fans
• Church Of Small Groups
• Generous With God’s Resources 

Display

• Go the Extra Mile (Like the “good Samaritan” in Luke 10:25-37)
• Never too Early, Never Too Late (Whether young or old, serve God)
• Playing It Safe Is Risky (By faith, do whatever, whoever, whenever God asks)
• Think Inside the Box (Embrace our limitations and let them inspire our creativity and innovation)

It would do well to develop these same core values in every assembly.

Meeting in small groups was just as important as meeting in large groups at the temple

The early believers met in larger groups at the Temple to praise and worship God. What was just as common and important was, meeting in small groups in each other’s homes for praise, worship, prayer, studying God’s Word and growing closer together as a family through fellowship.

(Acts 5:42), “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

You will also see that small groups were the “original design” in the way that Jesus intended His church to meet as you read; (Acts2:46; 5:42) (Romans 16:3-5) (1Corinthians 16:19) (Colossians 4:15) (Philemon 2).

Please DO NOT take lightly the concept of small groups. This was the original blueprint of the early church. The reason why is because there are many advantages meeting in small groups as we see in the following points. 

• People’s Needs Become More Noticed and Cared For 

(Acts 2:44-45), “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” 

When the Christians of the early church assembled in each other’s homes, the needs of one another became very clear and were cared for. People in need were not ignored or unattended. There was a great sense of compassion and devotion towards one another. They were in a true sense a family! 

• Mutual Edification and Involvement 

(1Corinthians 14:26), “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”

Small group meetings were participatory. Everyone had the right and opportunity and responsibility of bringing their spiritual contribution to the ‘common table’ (Eph. 5:19-20) (Col. 3:16) (Heb. 10:25). This made assembling more meaningful for all. Every believer was able to do their part in edifying those that were gathered together! This was done by having the opportunity to bring to the group’s attention a verse from God’s Word that was on their mind and relevant for the moment. Others were able to share their own personal experience and understanding that would encourage the edification. Some had the opportunity to pray for a specific person there or the group gathering as a whole. Everyone felt needed and wanted to make their gathering together a wonderful, heavenly and relevant experience. Please understand how important this is in promoting a joy and desire to assemble with other believers as we see this in the design of the church assemblies throughout the New Testament.

• Sharing a Meal Together

(Acts 2:46), “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,” 

(1Corinthians 11:20-34), “…Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.…”

The early believers experienced warm, inviting and joyful moments meeting in various people’s homes, having a wonderful time of fellowship, bonding, discovering different needs of others, talking about the Lord and His Word and also sharing a meal together. There is something very special about being invited to another’s home for a dinner. There are very few other moments such as these that promote such a visible and genuine family spirit!  It also was a time for those who were able, to be a blessing to the poor and hungry by providing food for them. 

For example; try promoting getting together after the weekly main church gatherings, to share a meal. Everyone can bring a dish to pass to enjoy a meal together and then engage in fun activities and games that promote group involvement and bonding together in a family spirit. 

• In Depth and Relevant Home Bible Studies 

(Acts 20:20), “how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,”

According to the relevant needs of the members, they had weekly Bible studies covering different topics. This was a time when all were welcomed to ask questions concerning the subject, which is more difficult to do in the large assemblies. By many personal testimonies, people have found this to be a time of great bonding with others and excelling their understanding of God’s Word and other spiritual matters. 

• Reproducing 

(Acts 1:8) “…and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

Reaching out to the lost with the gospel of Christ was a main joy and responsibility that the early believers took to heart. With this effort came the necessity to produce more local assemblies to meet the needs of the growing population of the family of God. Bringing the “good news” of the gospel of Christ to the lost was not a church “program” but rather the natural outpouring from thankful hearts. They took very seriously the price that was paid through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was a price that freed them from death, hell and a debt they owed that was beyond their ability to pay. It was a price that freed them from the bondage of sin and curse of the law! If the assembly of believers are truly thankful and in love with Jesus that brings obedience to His Word, multiplying into more assemblies of believers will follow that love and obedience.

“The Bride” – the special place that the Church has in the heart of Christ!

One last thing to mention concerning the Church; for all eternity, it will hold a special place in the heart of Christ and forever will be at His side!

(Ephesians 5:21-32), “…Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord…Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

(Revelation 19:7), “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

(Revelation 21:9), “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”

The Church!

BUILDING A FOUNDATION THAT WILL NEVER CRACK!