ECCLESIOLOGY:
To begin with, the Greek definition of the church is “Ekklesia,” which means called out. The church embodies a group of people called out from the world into God’s kingdom of His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ. (Col. 1:13). To be more concise, the church consists of Jesus Christ as the head and the church as His body. (Eph. 1:22)
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is not restricted to space or time. Instead, it transcends time from the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 to the present day. The day of Pentecost signifies the birth of the church. On that day, the 120 followers of Jesus were in the upper room and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Peter preached to throngs of people, resulting in 3,000 of them being added to their number on that memorable day (Acts 2:41).
THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH MANDATE OF THE CHURCH
Matthew 28:18-20 KJV
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20 “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen
According to the above scripture that Jesus spoke to His disciples the mandate or purpose of the church is to make disciples. The church is not limited to space because it is the Body of Christ. The “true” church reaches beyond its boundaries and facilitates the mandate of Jesus Christ.
To implement this command, the church must go beyond the boundaries of its walls to witness first in its hometown, (Jerusalem); Judea and Samaria, (Nation-Wide); then, globally. In other words, the church should have evangelism at the heart of its ministry! The most salient verb in this scripture is a crucial command it to “make disciples.” In Greek, the other verbs are expressed as participles and thereby designate the procedures that are to be utilized to achieve the goal of making disciples.
⦁ Going. As stated before, the church must have a heart for missions. It is not to be an island surrounded by water. It should launch out into the water and catch the fish (people).
⦁ Baptizing. This orientation summarizes the outreach ministry and directly correlates with an inner conversion to Jesus Christ. It is also an identification with Him. (Colossians 2:12)
⦁ Teaching. All new Christians must be taught, for they are babes in Christ (Colossians 5:13).
They need to be trained and equipped for “the work of the ministry.”
(Ephesians 4:12)
WHAT CONSTITUTES MY VIEW OF THE CHURCH AND HOW IT SHOULD IMPACT SOCIETY?
I contend that the church is universal and diverse. The scripture that explains this concept is Galatians 3:28, when Paul, who was the apostle to the Gentiles, says that in the body of Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
My proper view of the church is manifold. For instance, if the church is in a community, it should influence and affect it in several ways. The church I attend has mentoring and tutoring programs.
It has partnered with schools to provide resources. An education group has been formed, of which I am the organizer, to give students the necessary skills to master state and district tests.
In addition, my church schedules clothing and food giveaways. Church events are planned, i.e., Christmas programs and Halloween festivities. The sole purpose of these activities is to evangelize the people in and outside of the community.
THREE METAPHORS OF THE CHURCH THE CHURCH IS A VINE
“I am the true vine, and the Father is the vinedresser, Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:1-2)
Jesus distinguishes Himself as the True Vine and provides the sustenance to each branch that composes its diverse parts and is different from those false vines that claim to be so.
The relationship with the Lord is the key ingredient in the fruitfulness of the church. It cannot bear fruit if it is not connected to the vine which is the vital source of its life. If the branch is cut off, one can tell because there is no fruit.
THE CHURCH IS A BRIDE
The Old Testament provides an analogy of the church as a bride. The Nation of Israel was depicted as the Wife of the Lord. The Song of Solomon was a love story; however, it represented the relationship between Yahweh and Israel. Similarly, the book of Hosea’s adulterous wife was a picture of Israel pursuing other gods.
The same comparison is seen in the New Testament Church when Ephesians 5:25-33 is read. Paul advises husbands and wives to apply the principles of the scriptures to their marriages and lives. The church should implement those same principles. The church must be uncorrupted and pay attention only to her husband, Jesus Christ.
THE CHURCH IS A FLOCK “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD” PSALM 23
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:14
We, the church are the sheep of the Jesus Christ’s pasture and are called to obey and to follow Him with faith. We are to listen only to His voice and recognize no other.
GOD’S PLAN FOR CHURCH ORGANIZATION
| SUBJECT | EXAMPLE | TEACHING |
|---|---|---|
Elders | Acts 14:23 | Titus 1:5 |
Authority in the Church | Acts 16:4 | I Thessalonians 5: |
Laying on of hands | Acts 6:6; 1 Timothy 4:14, 2Timothy 1:6 | 1 Timothy 5:22 |
The church does not observe all the practices outlined in the chart; however, at least two should be evident. For instance, many churches do not “lay hands on the congregants; however, they call them to the altar for prayer. Most churches have layers of authority in the church, i.e., pastors, trustees, deacons, chairs of various boards, ministers of music, directors of choirs, etc.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE
JESUS HIMSELF GAVE A PATTERN FOR CHURCH DISCIPLINE
Matthew 18:15-20 KJV
STEPS OUTLINED IN THIS SCRIPTURE
According to research, the first assembly of the disciples happened on a Sunday, the day of Pentecost (John 20:19). Also, Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples except Thomas on that same day; a week later, on a Sunday, the disciples gathered again, Jesus appeared and showed Himself to Thomas.
Paul specifies in his epistle to the Corinthians:
2 “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”
In conclusion, I agree with the aforementioned text that Sundays should be the day for the church service. Why, because “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” (2 Corinthians 13:1 KJV)
