The Importance of the Church

Abundant Life

Abundant Life Episode 39 In this episode Saso and Ben discuss the topic of the importance of the church. The Christian life was not meant to lived out in isolation. Some people say that they can worship God on a mountain away from people. It’s true, you can worship God anywhere, Jonah prayed to God from the belly of a big fish. However, you can’t simply live like a monk because it’s not God’s design. The last two episodes were about adoption and unadoption, going from being unadopted to being adopted into the family of God which is what we call the church. Websters 1828 Church A house consecrated to the worship of God, among Christians; the Lords house. This seems to be the original meaning of the word. The Greek, to call out or call together, denotes an assembly or collection. But, Lord, a term applied by the early Christians to Jesus Christ; and the house in which they worshipped was named from the title. So church goods, bona ecclesiastica; the Lords day, dies dominica. The collective body of Christians, or of those who profess to believe in Christ, and acknowledge him to be the Savior of mankind. Why do we go to church? Why is it important? Key Verse Hebrews 10:24,25 What does this verse mean? We are to exhort (to incite by argument or advice) each other. We often see brothers and sisters fall away from the church when they desire not be accountable or they do not want to be encouraged to do the right thing. We are in the last days and it is important that we hold each other accountable to the do the right thing and that we have the godly influence to a lost world around us. What is the church? Jesus instituted the church. Matthew 16:18 - 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. The Catholic church use this verse to say the church was built on Peter, but the Rock spoken of is Jesus Christ. A righteous church can only be built on God and not on man, programs or anything that is not of God. The name Peter or petros means small stone, or little stone or piece of a big rock. There is a sense in which Peter helped build the church, but the foundation of the church has always been and will always be Jesus. 2 Peter 2:5-8 Jesus not only instituted the church, but He is the cornerstone, or the head of the church and our high priest. Hebrews 4:14-16 Essentially the church is a big huge family made up of brothers and sisters in Christ. It is so good to be a member of the family of God. Romans 8:15 As members of the family of God, we have the privilege of serving God through ministry and in essence we are His hands and feet. God can use us, but we must be willing participants walking in the Spirit. God doesn’t need us but He choses to use us as His hands and feet. Colossians 3:15 We are called to be one body and not part of our own groups and cliques although it is natural at times to link with those who are of like personalities and likes, but all believers have in common being washed in the blood of the Lamb. We are of the same blood line where we can call each other brothers and sisters in Christ. Matthew 18:20 What a blessing to be with those who have experienced the washing away of our sins and the cleansing He gives. To summarize, church is a community of believers that gather together to encourage one another, observe Lord’s table, perform baptism, minister to one another, and most important to carry out the gospel to the ends of the earth. How do you become a member of the family of God? Jesus was clear about this, to become a member of the church, you must be born again. Jesus met with a leader of the pharisees named Nicodemus. John 3:3 How do you become born again? Romans 10:9-10 This verse is jam packed with the full gospel message. To confess that Jesus is Lord means that you are submitting to His Lordship, you are surrendering your will to His will,