Bible Blueprint Bible Study

      In the previous lesson, we showed man’s redemption from sin made possible by the death of Jesus Christ. Part of man’s redemption involves the church that Jesus built. According to Acts 2:38, 41, and 47, when a person is forgiven of their sins, when they are saved, they are added to the church. With this lesson, we will examine the church to which the saved are added by the Lord.

The Church

      In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The word church is translated from the Greek word ekklesia which means “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.” (Thayer) To shorten the definition, you could say that ekklesia (church) means those who are called out. From this definition, we understand that Jesus was saying that He would build His group of those who are called out or His church.

      In Acts 2:47 we see a reference to this church which Jesus promised to build. “. . . And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47) Applying the above definition of ekklesia (church) to this verse, we see that the Lord added to the group of those who had been called out (the church). The Lord added those who were saved to the church. (We will address this point later in our study.)

      What is the church? The church is a group composed of those who have been called out of sin and the darkness of the world. The one church found in the New Testament is composed of those who have been called out by Jesus Christ. (cf. Matthew 11:28; 2 Thessalonians 2:14)

The Establishment of the Lord’s Church

      To better understand the church of Christ, it is essential that we begin with some Old Testament prophecies which foretold the coming of the church. Let us begin with the prophet Joel. Around the time period of 835 B.C., the prophet Joel wrote a prophecy that pointed to events surrounding the establishment of the church. (Joel 2:28-32)

      A couple hundred years later, somewhere around 605 B.C. to 536 B.C., the prophet Daniel put forth a prophecy which again foretold events leading up to the establishment the church. (Daniel 2:31-45) The prophecy came in the form of an interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. King Nebuchad- nezzar's dream foretold the coming of four great empires or kingdoms followed by the greatest kingdom, the church.

      During the same time period as Daniel, B.C. 627 - B.C. 580, the prophet Jeremiah prophesied about the establishment of a New Covenant. (Jeremiah 31:31-34) Take notice of parts of the prophecy: “. . . I will make a new covenant . . .” (vs 31), “. . . I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (vs 33), and “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, saying, . . . 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, . . .” (vs 34)

      Not only did the prophets prophecy about the coming of the church, but we also see that Jesus promised to establish His kingdom, to build His church. Consider the following passages which contain promises about a coming kingdom, the church.

      In Matthew 6:10, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” In another reference to the coming kingdom, Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) Mark 9 records Jesus promising that some of the hearers present with Him would not die until they saw the kingdom of God present with power. (Mark 9:1)

      Not only did Jesus promise the coming of a great kingdom, but He also promised to build His church. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19) Take notice that once the church was built, the apostles would be given the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

      After His death and resurrection, just before ascending into Heaven, Jesus promised His apostles, “. . . but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. . . But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-8)

      As prophesied and as promised, Jesus established His church. Acts 2 contains the record of the establishment of the church on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the death of Jesus. In verses 1-4, we see that the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit as was promised by Jesus and as was prophesied by Joel. In verses 5-13, we find the apostles being given the ability to speak in tongues, that is the ability to speak in a foreign language of which they were unlearned. This gift of speaking in tongues provided proof that what the apostles were teaching was from God.

      Beginning in verse 14, we have the “first gospel sermon” as spoken by Peter. In verses 14-21, Peter showed how the prophecy of Joel was being fulfilled. In verses 22-36, Peter preached to the people Jesus and Him crucified, the resurrection of Jesus, as well as the exaltation of Jesus. Peter also showed the people their sin. Then, in verses 37-39, based on their question of “what shall we do,” Peter told the people what to do to receive the remission of their sins. Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

      On that day, 3000 people responded to Peter’s instructions to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins. Once they obeyed, the people were saved and the Lord added them to the church. (vs 40-41, 47) This was the beginning of the Lord’s church.

The Church Belongs to Christ

      The church belongs to Jesus because He paid the price for the church. Paul wrote to the elders in Ephesus, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28) Take notice again of that last phrase, “to shepherd the church of God which He (Jesus, jmd) purchased with His own blood.” Jesus paid the price for His church. The price was Jesus’ shed blood on the cross. In paying the price for His church, Jesus made possible man's redemption. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace . . .” (Ephesians 1:7)

The Church is the Body of Christ

      Paul wrote in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22,23) According to the apostle Paul, Christ is the head over all things to the church, His body. This simply means that the church (those called out of sin) is the body of Christ and that Christ is the head of the church (body). This concept becomes even more clear when we consider the words of Paul in Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Here we plainly see that when a person is baptized, he is baptized into Christ, baptized into His body. Paul wrote, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body . . .” (1 Corinthians 12:13) This one body was referring to the body of Christ, the church.

      Since the church belongs to Christ and it is the body of Christ, only Christ can add people to His church. Luke wrote, “. . . And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47) When a person believes in Jesus Christ, repents of his past sinful life, confesses his belief, and is baptized into Jesus Christ, then the Lord will add that person to the church, the body of Christ.

      Another distinctive quality of the church is that the church bears the name of Christ in different forms. (See the following chart.)

The Warning

      Should we beware of churches which do not bear the characteristics of Christ’s church? The answer is a resounding, “Yes.” Here are the reasons why. First, the apostle Paul taught that there is only one body. (Ephesians 4:4) Since the body of Christ is the church, we must conclude that there is only one church that Christ built. Beware of anyone who teaches that God established a multitude of churches, all with different beliefs. Secondly, the church of Christ was founded upon the teachings of Christ and His apostles. Paul wrote, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, . . .” (Ephesians 2:19,20) Beware of any church that does not teach and practice all that Jesus and His apostles taught. Any such church not founded upon the teachings of Christ and His apostles is not the church that Christ built. The apostle Paul warned that all who would teach something different than what was taught by Christ and His apostles would be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9) Jesus, himself, said, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” (Matthew 15:13, KJV)