- The church as Biblically described
- Universal church – Hebrews 12:15-24; Acts 9:31
- Local congregation – Galatians 1:21-24; I Corinthians 1:1-3
- Both have members
- Let’s look at a Christian’s attitudes with respect to:
- The universal church
- The local church
- Other church members
- The universal church
- This is what Jesus said He would build – Matthew 16:18
- He bought it with His blood – Acts 20:28
- Jesus loves the church and gave Himself for it – Ephesians 5:25-29
- He wants His church to be pure, blameless, and holy - Ephesians 5:27
- He both nourishes and cherishes His church - Ephesians 5:29
- That comes from baptism and from His word - Ephesians 5:26
- It is maintained in His word - John 17:17
- Referred tp as His body – Romans 12:4-5
- We are not just individuals
- We are members of each other
- As such, we are one body – I Corinthians 10:16-24
- We should seek our neighbor’s good
- We should desire that all be pure – Colossians 1:21-23
- If you’ve been saved, you’ve been added to it – Acts 2:41,47
- The local church
- Where all collective activities are undertaken
- Worship – Acts 20:7
- Where saints have much or most of their Christian associations – Acts 2:44-47
- Analogy of the body – I Corinthians 12:12-27
- If one is a baptized believer, one is a member of the body
- As such, each member is part of the whole
- We all work together – Philippians 2:1-4
- We maintain a single-minded purpose
- Each member has value in this
- Each member has function – Ephesians 4:11-16
- This body assembles and associates for purpose
- Keep each other in paths of righteousness – Hebrews 3:12-19
- Encourage and stimulate fellow Christians – Hebrews 10:23-25
- Maintain our focus as a congregation – I Corinthians 9:24-27
- Maintain our identity as Christians and as a church – Revelation 2:2-6
- Where all collective activities are undertaken
- In summary:
- Remember who we are
- Members of our Savior’s church
- Members of our local church
- Members of one another
- Treasure what Jesus treasured
- His church
- Its members
- Its message to the world
- Remember who we are
For further study, see also:
assembly
attitudes
church/body
encouragement
fellowship
local church
local church membership
prejudice
universal church
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