THE CHURCH of JESUS CHRIST

Proverbs 15 v 31: "He who listens to the warnings of life has his
place among the wise."

In Greek: EKKLESIA - Assembly, community, congregation, gathering, meeting... In the Bible, this word never refers to an earthly building.

Doctrine:

Matthew 16 v 18 - The Lord Jesus Christ is its architect, builder, foundation and owner. The universal church is his work and his property.

Analogy with the temple of Jerusalem: David had given the plan and some materials to his Son Solomon who had the temple built.

Mat 18 v 20: "For where two or three are assembled in my name, I AM in the midst of them." This is a nice definition of the local assembly.

On the other hand, if He is out, it's serious. See Revelation 3 v 20 where the Lord is out instead of being in the middle.

1 Corinthians 12 v 12 - 13 - It is compared to a body, each disciple is a member, and Jesus is its head (same word as leader). It is through the baptism of the Holy Spirit that we become a member of the congregation.

Ephesians 2 v 19 to 22 - The true church of Jesus Christ is the temple (or house) of God on earth. The temple of dead stones in Jerusalem no longer exists.

Ephesians 4 v 1 to 16 - The unity of the church is only possible on the basis of these 7 essential points. 

Ephesians 5 v 22 to 33 - The church is the faithful wife of Jesus Christ (as opposed to the prostitute whose name is "Babylon").

1 Peter 2 v 1 to 10 - We are the home (or family) of God, and we are His priests exercising the priesthood.

1 Timothy 3 v 1 to 7 - Elders (or supervisors) exercise authority over doctrine and discipline in their local assembly. They must of course be subject to God, and must be trained, and qualified. They have different gifts (Berger, teacher...), but are role models for the herd.

1 Timothy 3 v 8 to 13 - Servants (or deacons) assist elders in unloading certain tasks.

Images of the church in its relationship with GOD:

The Father and His children (john 1 v 12) - His worshippers (jo 4 v 20 to 24) - His people (2 corinthians 6 v 14) - His priests (revelation 1 v 6) - His heirs (Romans 8 v 17).

The son: The shepherd and his flock (john 10 v 11 to 16) - The master and the disciples (John 13 v 13) - The cep and the branches (John 15 v 1 to 8) - The head and body (Romans 12 v 4) - Husband and wife (ephesians 5 v 25) - Elder brother and the Cadets (Hebrews 2 v 10) - The Rock and the Church (1 Cor 3 v 11) - The cornerstone and the house (1 Peter 2 v 6).

The Holy Spirit: The Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3 v 16) - this is our comforter (Jo 14 v 26).

Practice:

Acts 2 v 41 to 47 - Jerusalem, the first local assembly, is a good example to follow today.

Acts 4 v 32 to 35 - Unity in Christ and fraternal sharing. Acts 6 v 1 to 6 - Appointment of the servants who were to assist the elders.

Acts 11 v 19 to 30 Antioch, a church comprising a good proportion of new converts of pagan origin has become a missionary church.

Acts 13 v 1 to 3 - Departure of the first envoys (or missionaries). Any assembly should send missionaries, pray for them and support them financially.

Acts 14 v 21 to 28 - Appointment of elders, elected by each local assembly. There are always several.

"Nowadays, few Christians realize that the word 'pastor' never appears in the singular in the New Testament, except once in 1 Peter 2:25, where the 'Pastor' is our Lord Jesus. Not once in the New Testament do we find a Church led by 'a pastor', there is always mention of the 'elders'.

However, the model of church leadership today is almost always pyramidal, led by a 'pastor', and often some 'elders', which are automatically lower than him on the authority scale. It has become such a widespread and accepted system that few Christians see the difference with the structure we find in the New Testament, or realize the impact that this non-biblical model can have on the life of the Church, local and universal." René de Groot

Acts 16 v 4 - 5 - Growth in quality (love, wisdom, knowledge, holiness...) and in quantity is God's will. A mature church, that is to say adult, becomes a mother church, and thus multiplies. (see also Act 9 v 31)

Romans 16 v 17 to 20 - Dividers must be kicked out before it is too late.

1 Cor 1 v 10 to 13 - Denominations and excessive attachment to a servant are a cause of division and weakening of the church. Let's be spiritual Christians. 1 Cor 5 v 9 to 13 - Separation from those who call themselves Christians while living in sin. Let us pray for their repentance.

Ephesians 4 v 7 to 16 - The 5 gifts-ministers that God gives for the growth of the church.

Hebrews 5 v 11 to He 6 v 3: If one does not progress one stagnates, or worse, one regresss. Are we passive consumers, or are we engaged and concerned about the life of the local church?

Hebrews 10 v 24: Let us not leave our assembly, if it is faithful, and participate in all meetings or activities.

A very spiritual and boiling assembly can unfortunately become lukewarm after a while. As for example the church of Ephesus in the letter of Paul, then a few decades later in Revelation 2 v 1 to 7 (teds).

Problems holding back the growth of the assembly:

Malnutrition: The Word of God is our food, and if we deprive ourselves of it (personal worship or meetings), we will be weak and sad.

If we neglect our life of individual and collective prayer, there will be no growth.

Tolerance of sin, unconfessed sins, occult bonds. Lack of love for Christians, no vision of the Body of Christ

Lukeworm hearth, spiritual drowsiness, ignorance of God's Will, love of the world, laziness, self-centeredness, individualism, bigotry... Etc

Bad theology, false doctrines. No burden for lost souls...

Factors contributing to the growth of the assembly (according to the Book of Acts):

Individual and community prayer. The proclamation of the gospel. Individual and community testimony. Understanding God's plan: The local church. Fear of God . Systematic teaching of the Bible. Fraternal felowship. The Lord's meal. The sanctification of our lives and activities. Collective fasting. The commitment of everyone. Submission to the elders. The demonstration of gifs and ministries. The discernment of the devil's tricks. Liberality and good works. Hospitality . Collective trial (persecution). Teamwork.

Questions

a) Is it better to follow human traditions, or the Bible?

b) Is there in the New Testament: - A man who runs a church? - A denomination, or a federation? - A woman who teaches?

c) Does ecumenism come from GOD?

d) Who is the head of the church?

e) Why aren't we always united?

f) Are you engaged in your local assembly?

g) What can be done to make the church awake?

h) Do you pray every day for your assembly?