Church
What is the church? Not a building, but the people who comprise it. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 2:21, ESV. "in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."
What is the purpose of the church? To be witnesses for God. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 43:10-11, NKJV. "You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “ And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior."
What is the mission of the church? It' s in the Bible, Isaiah 42:6-7, KJV. "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."
Who does God want to see in His church? Everyone. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 56:7, "Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
Christ is the cornerstone and foundation of the church. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 2:19-20, NKJV. "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone"
Christ is the head of the church. It's in the Bible, Colossians 1:18, NKJV. "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."
The church is the body of Christ. It's in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:13, TLB. "Each of us is a part of the one body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves and some are free. But the Holy Spirit has fitted us all together into one body. We have been baptized into Christ's body by the one Spirit, and have all been given that same Holy Spirit."
How does Christ love the church? As a husband loves a wife. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 5:25, NKJV. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her"
The church is a hospital for sinners. It's in the Bible, Luke 5:31-32, NKJV. "Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
One of the duties of the church is to help stand for the truth. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 4:14-15, NKJV. " 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"
What other kind of duties should the church be doing? It's in the Bible, James 1:27, NKJV. "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."
Church attendance is important for worship, support, and preparation for the last days. It’s in the Bible, Hebrews 10:25, TLB. “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.”
The church is not about one person, but everyone joined together in Christ. It's in the Bible, Romans 12:5, NIV. "So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."
Each believer has a significant contribution to make. It’s in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:27, NIV. "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
The Holy Spirit gives gifts to build the church up in unity. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 4:11-13, NKJV. "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"
The point of spiritual gifts is to build up the church to succeed together. It's in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 14:11, NKJV. "Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.
The church will grow in the fear of the Lord and by the Holy Spirit. It's in the Bible, Acts 9:31, NKJV. "Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied."
What will God's church in the end-times look like? It's in the Bible, Revelation 14:12, NKJV. "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
What common ground do the people of God's church have? It's in the Bible, 1 Peter 2:9, NKJV. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light"
What has Jesus called His church to do? It's in the Bible, Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV. "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen".
