The Church

Aug 14

Write out this week's memory verse in your favorite translation.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer Acts 2:42 (ESV).”

This week, we will discuss the following:

What is the Church?
What does it mean to be part of the Church?
Why are there different denominations?
What does Church leadership look like?

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

In Greek, the word "church" is translated from ekklesia (ἐκκλησία), which means the called-out ones. This term refers to the individuals, not the building itself. In Romans 16:5, it is mentioned to extend greetings to the church that is located in their house. Paul refers to the Christians who gather together as the "church."

The Church was not always called “church” or “ekklesia.” Originally, they were called “The Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

Ekklesia is used in the New Testament 114 times. It is translated Church 74 of the 114 times and Church(es) 34.

The gathering that occurs every week at the building where the Church meets highlights four unique characteristics. These four features are highlighted in the memory verse for this week. Please write them down below:

The Apostles’ teaching (Scripture)
Fellowship
Breaking of bread (communion)
Prayer

We are told to be part of the weekly worship. Read and write out Hebrews 10:24-25:

“And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near (HCSB).”

From the Bible Dictionary:

“The English word ‘church’ is derived from the Gk. adjective kyriakos as used in some such phrase as kyriakon dōma or kyriakē oikia, meaning ‘the Lord’s house’, i.e. a Christian place of worship. ‘Church’ in the NT, however, renders Gk. ekklēsia, which mostly designates a local congregation of Christians and never a building. Although we often speak of these congregations collectively as the NT church or the early church, no NT writer uses ekklēsia in this collective way. An ekklēsia was a meeting or assembly. Its commonest use was for the public assembly of citizens duly summoned, which was a feature of all the cities outside Judaea where the gospel was planted (e.g. Acts 19:39); ekklēsia was also used among the Jews (lxx) for the *‘congregation’ of Israel which was constituted at Sinai and assembled before the Lord at the annual feasts in the persons of its representative males (Acts 7:38).

In Acts, James, 3 John, Revelation and the earlier Pauline letters, ‘church’ is always a particular local congregation. ‘The church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria’ (Acts 9:31) may look like an exception, but the singular could be distributive (cf. Gal. 1:22) or, more likely, is due to the fact that the verse concludes a section about how ‘the church in Jerusalem’ (Acts 8:1) was persecuted and its members scattered. Although every local congregation is ‘the church of God’ (1 Cor. 1:2), Paul makes no use of the term in connection with his doctrine of justification and salvation, and it is conspicuously absent from his discussion of Israel and the Gentiles in Rom. 9–11. But in the later Colossians and Ephesians Paul generalizes his use of ‘church’ to indicate, not an ecumenical church, but the spiritual and heavenly significance of each and every local ‘body’ which has Christ as its ‘head’, and by which God demonstrates his manifold wisdom through the creation of ‘one new man’ out of all races and classes. In God’s purpose there is only one church, one gathering of all under the headship of Christ. But on earth it is pluriform, seen wherever two or three gather in his name. There is no need to explain the relation between the one and the many. Like the believer, the church is both local and ‘in heaven’. Heb. 12:23 also has a picture of a heavenly ‘assembly’ (ekklēsia), but this is based on the model of the ‘congregation of Israel’ at Sinai, and it is uncertain whether the ‘first-born’ who comprise it are human or heavenly beings. Likewise, Jesus’ ‘church’ of Mt. 16:18 may not be identical with what Paul means by ‘church’. Jesus may mean the gathering of his apostles to form, under him, the restored house of David (cf. Mt. 19:28; Acts 15:16), by means of which salvation would come to the Gentiles (Rom. 15:12). (In Mt. 18:17, ‘the church’ refers to the synagogue.) Paul likens the local church to a *body whose members are mutually dependent (1 Cor. 12:12ff.), and to a building being erected, especially a *temple for God’s Spirit (1 Cor. 3:10ff.). Metaphors of growth are used, and also the image of a flock being fed (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). ‘Church’ is not a synonym for ‘people of God’; it is rather an activity of the ‘people of God’. Images such as ‘aliens and exiles’ (1 Pet. 2:11) apply to the people of God in the world, but do not describe the church, i.e. the people assembled with Christ in the midst (Mt. 18:20; Heb. 2:12).”[1]

Acts 2 records that the “Church” was established at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came.

“Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved (Acts 2:38-47, NLT).”

There are two addresses we can take when discussing the church.

The Universal Church
- This is also known as the capital “C” church, which is particularly evident in Christian literature. When talking about the “C” church, we are referring to the global church—united as one body, all Christians.
The Local Church
- This is the lowercase "c" church. When referring to the local church, we are referring to the congregation you attend in your community.

Now that we know what the Church is, let’s be clear what the Church is not.

The Church is not watching online.
- While this is an excellent resource for when we are unwell, it should not be seen as a substitute for the Church's intended purpose. It is important for the deacons from the local church to prioritize visiting and providing care for sick and homebound individuals. They will engage in prayer and communion with them. Online church recordings should not be viewed as a substitute for Christian fellowship and service. They are lacking important elements of the church gathering mentioned in Acts 2:42.
Church is not at the ball fields with your kids during sporting events or extracurricular activities.
- When we prioritize attending sporting events over the Church gathering, we are sending a message to our children about what we value most. Where we invest our time, money, and thoughts is where our body, soul, and mind reside. Remember Hebrews 10:24-25.

It’s important to note that, on average, we allocate just one hour per week to church. This is 52 weeks a year for 18 years (assuming attendance continues during high school). Throughout their 18 years in your household, only 0.5% of their time is devoted to Church.

52 hours out of 8,760 hours a year.
935 hours out of 157,680 hours in 18 years.

Do not forsake the Church for the sake of temporal things!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE PART OF THE CHURCH?

When one pledges their allegiance and loyalty to Christ as their Lord and Savior, they become part of the community of believers known as the Church.

Several local churches offer formal membership, which may involve attending classes. Nevertheless, upon embracing Christianity, one becomes a member of the universal church. There is a distinction between being a convert and being a follower of Jesus (also known as a disciple). A follower dutifully follows the commands of their leader.

WHY ARE THERE DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS

We will look deeper into this topic during our Historical Theology class, specifically focusing on church history.

In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his legendary 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg. These addressed 95 aspects of the Catholic Church that Luther saw as wrong. He posted them on the church’s door to initiate a public debate, a customary practice of that era.

This signifies the beginning of Protestantism. Luther did not intend for the church to split into different sects, but ultimately, it did, and Protestantism was born.

Before this, there were only the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church was misusing its authority, leading to the creation of Luther’s 95 Theses. Other individuals who played meaningful roles in the Protestant Reformation include Tyndale and Wycliffe.

The young Protestant church was primarily made up of two denominations, the Lutherans and the Anabaptists (although this is debatable because they do not consider themselves a denomination). From there, numerous divisions occurred, resulting in the multitude of denominations that exist today. will cover this in more detail in our Historical Theology class (which means church history or history of Christian thought).

Because this will be heavily addressed and studied in the future, I do not want to spend too much time on it. If you would like to know more now, please see the footnote[2].

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR ELDERS/OVERSEERS/PASTORS

Elders—This role of elder can also be referred to as pastor, overseer, bishop, or shepherd. When referencing an elder in the context of church leadership, it does not mean someone who is simply old in age but rather someone who has authority in the Church. The qualifications for the elders of a Church can be found in the Pastoral Epistles, specifically 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.

Deacons—Deacon is derived from the Greek word διάκονος. This role serves the church and utilizes funds to assist those ill and in need. The qualifications for this position are found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Read this passage and make a list of the qualifications of a deacon below.

___________________________