The New Testament church is our Lord's vehicle to evangelize the world. His plan is not to bring to spiritual birth the sinner and then allow him to be orphaned. Rather, He has prepared an institution to reach out in soul winning fervor to the unsaved, win them, baptize, teach, train and care for them until they are mature and can spiritually reproduce. Indeed, the church is there to meet their needs from spiritual birth to physical death.
American society no longer respects the church by and large. Worship services have been declared the "most wasted 60 minutes of the week." Its values are not expressed in our humanistic society. Its evangelistic outreach is often hindered by local prohibitions. Zoning laws are enacted which interfere with services and use of property. Often the Christian schools are resented and looked down upon.
But before we throw up our hands in despair we need to remember the first century was no friend to this fledgling institution of our Lord.
Yet, churches were founded and they flourished. And that was done in a hostile environment and without professional programs, designed buildings, budgets, or a work week with a day off for worship! How could they do it? Simply by following the Great Commission with the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
I have a personal love for the local church and I relish the privilege of pastoring and preaching about the local church. Other than the family, it is the only institution I have ever wanted to be a part of.
Society has a wrong concept of the "church". Wrong interpretations lead to wrong practices which, in turn, bring discredit to God and His institution. There are some imperatives we need to consider regarding this word "church". We want to look at the definition, description, and destination of the local church.
I. DEFINITION
A. First, the Greek word for church is ecclesia, which means to be "called out".
B. Basically a church is a Called out assembly.
1. As such, it is local and visible, not universal and invisible.
2. There are 112 instances in the New Testament where the word "church" refers to a local, visible body of people.
3. Out of a total of 115 references in the New Testament to the "church" that is an overwhelming proportion of over 97%!
C. There are those who advocate the universal, invisible church composed of all born again people from Pentecost to the Second Coming.
1. This view is popularized in the footnotes of the Scofield Reference Bible.
2. However, such a definition contradicts the basic meaning of the word ecclesia as the word was used and understood in New Testament days.
3. Literature of that day indicated clearly that the word 'assembly' or 'church' was used in reference to a local, visible organization.
4. This is true whether the word referred to the nation of Israel in the wilderness (Acts 7:38) or the political assembly of a Greek city (Acts 19:32)
5. Thus we would normally conclude the same definition when used of Christ's institution.
6. It was a visible, local body that Jesus referred to in Matthew 18:17 when He said, 'tell it to the church.'
7. It was a local, visible body that Paul addressed in I Corinthians 1:2, 'Unto the church of God in Corinth'.
8. The seven churches in Asia Minor who were the primary recipients of the book of Revelation were local, visible and geographically separated institutions.
9. Before we leave this thought, it needs to be said that Jesus, not the Holy Spirit, established His church, and He did it before Pentecost according to Matthew 18:15 despite what the footnotes of some reference Bibles say.
10. Pentecost was the empowering of that first New Testament church.
II. DESCRIPTION.
Three major descriptions are used by the Apostle Paul to describe the New Testament church: Building, Body and Bride. These descriptions are graphic and meaningful.
A. In I Corinthians 3:9 the church at Corinth was described as God's building, ". . . Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."
1. Likewise this thought is advanced in Ephesians 2:20-21.
"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone; In whom all the building fitlyframed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:"
2. That figure of speech suggests several thoughts:
a. Beauty, privacy, productivity - but the most powerful thought to me is that of PROTECTION.
b. Protection from the forces of nature -such as rain, sun and wind.
c. Protection from disturbing, factors of our society, both normal and abnormal such as noise and harassment.
3. So it is with the church, that local body of born again, scripturally baptized believers.
a. The church is there to provide teaching, fellowship and spiritual support.
b. "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellow- ship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts 2:42.
c. Protection is needed from false teaching, and only Bible doctrine will provide that.
d. Protection is needed from the world's allurements.
e. Fellowship with the brethren that involves transparency, accountability and prayer will instill spiritual vigor in one's soul.
f. Protection from discouragement comes as mature brethren share their experiences.
4. There are normal factors in life that draw believers away from God.
a. Work, the activities of a growing family, failing health, financial reverses...
b. But loving confrontation from a fellow believer, someone saying to us, "This is wrong, you know "better", helps build a wall of protection against these.
c. But the church is more than a building for protection.
B. According to I Corinthians 12:27, "Now ye are the body; of Christ, and members in particular."
1. The local church is a body.
a. We live in a "body conscious" age.
b. The word "body" brings to mind thoughts of size, strength, unity, and diversity.
c. David, as he considered the complexity of the human body, he wrote, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
d. So is the church!
2. What is the human body for? It is to do the will of its head!
a. If I take a step, it is because my mind tells my foot to move.
b. If I speak, it is because my mind gave my vocal cords an order.
c. Paul uses the human body as an example of a church, in Col. 1:18.
"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."
3. Churches, then, have a responsibility to PERFORM the bidding of our Head: The Lord Jesus Christ.
a. When Jesus came to this earth, He came in a body and in that body He went about doing good.
b. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead, comforted the sorrowing, preached the Word and He befriended sinners.
c. Today, He indwells individual believers, I Co. 6:19, " . . . Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost . . ." and He is in the midst of the churches, Re. 2:1, ". . . who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks."
4. What is a church then?
a. The church, as a body, is the mind through which Christ thinks.
b. The church, as a body, is the heart through which Christ loves;
c. The church, as a body, is the hand through which Christ reaches out a healing touch, lifts the fallen and welcomes the outcast.
d. The church, as a body, is the voice through which Christ speaks.
C. Not only is the local church a building and a body, it is also a bride.
Eph.5:25, 27, 32 " Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."
1. Just as the words "body" and "building" suggest a variety of thoughts, so does "bride."
2. Beauty and preparation are thoughts that immediately come to mind.
a. There is something about the nature of a wedding that transforms a bride to a new level of beauty.
b. Then, when we think of preparation, Revelation 19:7 is so appropriate; "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."
c. But according to Ephesians 5 the supreme characteristic of the bride is that of PURITY.
d. In all of the weddings I have performed in my ministry, I have seen all kinds of brides -frightened brides, nervous brides, giggly brides, angry brides - but never have I seen a dirty bride!
e. Ephesians 5:26 states, "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.'
3. This is Christ's desire.
a. That we be a 'holy' or separated people.
b. There ought to be a difference in the lives of Grace Baptist Temple members and others in the world.
III. DESTINATION
Are we ready for the return of Christ? Are we ready to meet Him? Have we done all that we could for Him? Have we been faithful to the local church? Heb. 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."