Scope
“church”
- This refers to ALL the saved (Ephesians 5:23).
“churches”
- This refers to a limited group of (presumably) saved people in a certain location (Philippians 1:1).
Entrance and removal
“church”
- God decides
- Acts 2:47 – The Textus Receptus manuscript (used as the basis for the KJV and NKJV) includes ekklesia here. Other manuscripts do not.
- John 15:6
“churches”
- People decide (Acts 9:26-28; I Corinthians 5:2, 7, 13; III John 1:9-10)
- Acts 18:27
- In I Corinthians 5, they were told to control their membership.
- Diotrephes was attempting to keep people out of a local church in III John 1.
- Church directories are not the same as God’s book of life! II Timothy 2:19
Remember
- The universal church is NOT composed of local churches. It’s composed of individual Christians.
Beginning and ending
“church”
- The church began when people were first saved (~ 33 A.D., Acts 2:36-47) and will never come to an end (Matthew 16:18; I Thessalonians 4:17).
- Hebre3ws 9:15 – Jews under the Law of Moses were also redeemed by the blood of Christ. See also Galatians 4:5
- Hebrews 9:11-12 – When were these Old Testament people saved? When Jesus entered the most holy place and gave Himself as a sacrifice.
- The church will never end. Satan can do nothing to stop it.
“churches”
- They begin and end any time since Acts 2 (Acts 11:21-26; 15:41; 16:5; Revelation 2:5).
- The church at Benchley began on October 23, 1994.
Conclusion
- Are you a member of THE church described in the Bible?