41 - THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH
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. Matthew 16:18
INTRODUCTION The word "church" has come to mean a number of different things. Sometimes people say they "attend church" when they join a group of people in worshiping God. When they decide to go to the church, they make their way to a building. A young man who feels God’s call upon his life may be ordained by the Evangelical Free Church, which means he is identified with a particular denomination. If we ask a person to which church he belongs, he might acknowledge he belongs to the First Presbyterian Church, which means a particular local assembly of people. When a young girl accepted Christ she was told how she was now spiritually related to everyone in the Church, which meant the universal Body of Christ. When we think of the many ways we use the word "church," it is understandable why there is so much confusion surrounding this doctrine.
Three divinely established institutions are the family, the state, and the church. Each has a unique purpose and God has chosen to work in specific ways through these institutions. If one of these does not function according to biblical patterns, its purposes are frustrated. When the church is not doing its job, God’s most effective tool for evangelism and edification is blunted. This is not because of an arbitrary decision by God, but he has chosen to limit himself to the effectiveness of the strategy of these institutions.
Differing philosophies concerning the nature of the local church tend to be a divisive issue today. Inasmuch as we live in a pluralistic society, people conceive of their own needs and ideas for the church. Each person from a different background devises a different concept of what the church should be. The pages of the New Testament should be carefully studied to determine the biblical makeup of the local church. A church is not a building, nor is it just any gathering of Christians, simply because those assembled call themselves a church. Whenever we think of the term "church," we should concern ourselves with the people and their purpose for assembling in the name of the Lord. The first step in understanding the church is to determine its nature. Not only is the word "church" used in a variety of ways, but there are several important facts to understand concerning the etymology of the word. In the original language the word ekklesia, usually translated "church" in the Scriptures, occurs over a hundred times. It comes from the Greek words meaning "out" and "call." The church is a group of people who are "called out." On some occasions when the word "church" was used it referred to a guild (Acts 19:32, Acts 19:39, Acts 19:41). Sometimes it referred to a general gathering (Acts 7:38), in this case Israel, the "church in the wilderness." At least once, the word was used in reference to the synagogue (Matthew 18:17).
Most other appearances of the word are translated "church," and are used in two ways. We read frequently of local assemblies as "the church of Christ" (Romans 16:16), "the churches of God" (1 Corinthians 11:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:14), and "the church in Corinth" (1 Corinthians 2:1). In other places (Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 3:10, Ephesians 3:21; Ephesians 5:23-32) we read not of "churches" but of one Church, the Church, used in a general way as speaking of all the people of God as the Lord used the term: "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Many refer to the church (the local assembly) and the Church (the universal Body of Christ). Most of our discussion in this section will deal with the local, visible church. A local church is more than a gathering of Christians. It must assemble for the right purpose and have the right authority. It must reproduce itself and have the right organization. And, finally, it must have God’s seal on its existence which gives credibility to its ministry. A church is an assembly of born-again believers in whom Christ dwells by the Holy Spirit, an assembly that exists for the glory of God, under the discipline of the Word of God, and spiritually prepared to carry out the Great Commission. Its credibility is evident through the manifestation of spiritual gifts to nurture and reproduce itself. When a group of Christians is characterized by these distinctives, it is a church in the biblical sense of the word.
ASSEMBLY OF BAPTIZED BELIEVERS
Many groups use the generic name "church," but they do not fit the characteristics of the New Testament. The first part of the definition relates to members and how they got into the church. First, the members had to be believers; second, they were baptized; then they chose to assemble together. This pattern is clearly established in the Book of Acts.
Assembly. The word ekklesia means "called-out ones" and was used by the Greeks to identify a special group of people, such as a town meeting (Acts 19:32). In the New Testament, it came to refer to, those God had called out to himself. Peter wrote, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). The first characteristic of the New Testament church is that it is a group of people that assemble together with the Lord and for his purpose.
Believers. The Bible holds up the standard of a regenerate church membership but even then recognizes that some only profess salvation and become members who do not possess eternal life. Only those who know Jesus Christ personally should belong to his church. Because God worked through the apostles in the church at Jerusalem, a divine respect and reverence became evident among the community. "And of the rest, [dared] no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women" (Acts 5:13-14). Even though the people of the city did not themselves desire to join the church, they admired the members of the church. Only believers were members of that church.
Baptized. On the day of Pentecost, Peter and the other apostles preached to Jews from around the world in their native tongues. Many were saved as they responded to the gospel preached that day. "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). Baptism is the first step after salvation. Members of the New Testament church were baptized soon after conversion. The New Testament gives no illustration of an unbaptized Christian except the thief on the cross, and his yieldedness to Christ indicates he would have been baptized if given the opportunity. While baptism has no merit in securing salvation, this act of obedience is a "badge of discipleship" in which a believer publicly identifies with Christ and his church. THE BODY OF CHRIST The church is more than an organization, it is an organism. The life of the church is the very life of Christ himself. Paul recognized the presence of Christ in the church when he called[ it "the body of Christ" on a number of occasions (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:23). Jesus observed the uniqueness of the church when he predicted, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). Paul spoke also of Christ being the head of the Body (Ephesians 4:15). While these truths are spoken of the universal body, what is true of the whole should be true of each individual part, each local church. In the same way, individuals are a part of the universal body by the Holy Spirit’s work of joining us to the Body of Christ: "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles... and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many" (1 Corinthians 12:13-14).
BIBLICAL DISCIPLINE A New Testament church will place itself under the direction of the Word of God. When the church takes itself out from under the Scripture by disobeying it, that church no longer meets the biblical standards of being a church.
Doctrinal purity. One of the first characteristics of the church in Jerusalem was that "they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine" (Acts 2:42). When church problems threatened to cut into the time the apostles needed for the ministry of the Word, an alternative solution to the problem was proposed (Acts 6:2-3). A biblical theology was characteristic of New Testament churches (Acts 17:11).
Right practice. The Bible is not just a collection of theological truths. It is a practical manual written "that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:17). The apostles taught doctrinal content to the early Christians but also applied it to life. What we believe, when applied to life, does affect the way we live. Being under the discipline of the Word of God will involve both positive and negative discipline. The Scriptures on one occasion called on the church to remove any of its members for some problem in that person’s life (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). That is negative discipline. Just as a parent disciplines in the home to correct the child and help him grow, so the discipline of the Word of God must be applied in the church.
ORGANIZED
God is a God of order and organization. That is obvious as you consider the immense universe around us which was created by God. That is also obvious when you look closely at the church in the New Testament. While some may suggest there was no organization in the early church, the Bible tells us members, were added (Acts 2:41), job descriptions were present (1 Tim 3), votes were conducted to expel immoral members (1 Corinthians 5:4), and votes were taken to elect church officers (Ephesians 3:6:5; Ephesians 3:14:23). The church also organized a missionary team and sent them out (Acts 13:27). There may even have been some "order of service" in the early church. Paul advised, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). To accomplish this task, the Holy Spirit endows certain ones with the gifts of government and leadership (Romans 12:8; 1 Corinthians 12:28). The church is organized and ~ equipped to carry out its purpose, which is the Great Cormmission.
Purpose. The early church gives us insights into what the church was intended to accomplish. The first believers "continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). "Continuing in the apostles’ doctrine" implies that there was a teaching ministry going on. The church was also to be a place of fellowship, meaning more than coffee and cookies in the church gym after the evening service. Fellowship occurs when Christians involve themselves constructively in the lives of other believers.
Mission. The mission of the church is set forth in the Great Commission: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them.. . . Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). In another place Christ commanded: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every living creature" (Mark 16:15). In yet another place Christ said "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). At his ascension Jesus told his disciples, "Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The pattern of evangelism was established by the first church. "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42). As those early Christians believed everyone without Christ was lost, they felt the need to present the gospel to everyone. Before long their critics accused them of having saturated their town with the gospel (Acts 5:28). Later others recognized their influence upon the world (Acts 17:10).
ORDINANCES
God has given the church two symbolic rituals to increase our understanding of our relationship to Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Now I praise you, brethren, that ye ... keep the ordinances [traditions], as I delivered them to you" (1 Corinthians 11:2). Part of the traditions was clearly the Lord’s Supper but it probably included also the meaning of baptism (Romans 6:1-23). Baptism. The first ordinance of the church is baptism. It was practiced by the church with every believer, as far as we know. As people were baptized, they were symbolically identifying with the church (Acts 2:41) and their Savior (Romans 6:37; Galatians 2:20). Usually baptism was an evidence to their friends and neighbors that they were serious in their decision to follow Christ. It became known as a "badge of discipleship."
Lord’s Supper. On Jesus’ final night with his disciples, he observed the Passover and ate the Passover meal. After dinner, he gathered his disciples around to initiate the second ordinance of the church. The Lord’s Supper is practiced by a church as a constant reminder of Christ’s death on Calvary. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26). The observance of this ordinance also provides an opportunity for self- examination (1 Corinthians 11:28). God provided this ordinance as one means whereby he could keep his church pure and separated from the world.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS The Scriptures teach that every Christian has a spiritual gift. Some gifts are given specifically to the church in the farm of gifted leaders (Ephesians 4:11) but all gifts can be used in the church for the building up of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:1-31). God provides the spiritual leadership in a group to make it a church. When an organization ceases to have spiritual leadership, it ceases to function as a church. It is important that every Christian determine his spiritual gift and exercise it in the ministry of the local church (see chart in Chapter 22).
CONCLUSION
Jesus promised, "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). It is an institution that he organized, so we must carefully study its nature to determine if we are building our churches to fulfill the pattern begun by Christ. Today the church is still near to the heart of God, "Even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25). Because of its priority, every Christian needs to belong to and involve himself in the ministry of a good church. If God has promised to bless his church, then those who desire the blessing of God upon their service need to serve him through a church.
DAILY READINGS Monday: Acts 17:1-15 Tuesday: Matthew 18:15-35 Wednesday: 2 Timothy 3:15 - 2 Timothy 4:8 Thursday: John 4:5-26 Friday: 1 John 1:1-10 Saturday: 1 John 2:1-17 Sunday: 1 John 2:17 - 1 John 3:3