Lessons On The Church

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Lessons On The Church!
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Lessons On The Church
Hopefully by the end of this series you will be
familiar with each of these aspects of the N.T.
church, and will be able to teach defend what
the Bible teaches about each of them!

• Use of the word in the N.T. and What the N.T.
  church is and is not
• Organization of the local church
• Relationship between local chuches
• Worship of the local church
• Work of the local church

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Lessons On The Church!

• Lesson 1
• What Is The New Testament Church?

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What Is The New Testament Church?

• EKKLESIA
• A collective noun compound of two Greek words,
  found in this form 115 times in the N.T.
• EK Out
• KALEO To Call

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The Meaning of A Word Is Determined By Usage
Not Etymology!

• Butterfly
• Butter
• Fly

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The Meaning of A Word Is Determined By Usage
Not Etymology!

• Pineapple
• Pine
• Apple

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What Is The New Testament Church?

• EKKLESIA
• An assembly of the citizens summoned to
  transact public business.

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What Is The New Testament Church?

• EKKLESIA
• An assembly of the citizens summoned to
  transact public business.
• Used primarily in qualitative sense in the
  N.T. emphasizing that it refers to people!
  (cf. 1 Peter 29 2 Thess. 214)

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What Is The New Testament Church?

• An assembly of people in general
• Acts 1932,39,41
• The church (congregation) of Israelites in the
  wilderness
• Acts 738

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What Is The New Testament Church?

• All of Gods people in all ages!
• The Universal Church
• Matt. 1618 Eph. 44 122,23

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What Is The New Testament Church?

• All of Gods people in all ages!
• The Universal Church
• Matt. 1618 Eph. 44 122,23
• A group of Christians in a given locality
• The Local Church
• 1 Cor. 12 1 Thess. 11

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What Is The New Testament Church?

• Used In A Distributive Sense
• Conveys information about every member of the
  class which it names
• Acts 511 81,3 125

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The Universal Church Is Not
A Collection of Local Churches!
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The Universal Church Is
People!
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• Inspiration gives no indication the universal
  church was intended to act as a single functional
  organization. It provides no universal oversight
  for decision-making that must accompany such
  action and no universal treasury to fund such
  action. Its influence upon the world is exerted
  distributively as its members are light, salt,
  and a leavening power We must begin to think
  straight regarding the universal church before we
  can put the local church in proper perspective.
• Robert Turner, Cogdill-Turner Discussion, p. 11

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Figures Used By The H.S. To Describe The
Universal Church

• The kingdom is made up of citizens
• The body is made up of members
• The flock is made up of sheep
• The army is made up of soldiers
• The family is made up of children
• The individual saint is the runner in a race
• There are laborers in the vineyard
• There are stones in the building
• There are branches in the vine

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• In this general sense the church is not a
  denominational institution composed of a
  sisterhood of local churches of the same faith
  and order, but a spiritual body composed of all
  Christians.
• F.D. Srygley, The N.T. Church, p. 7

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• To say that the local churches of Christ
  constitute the church of Christ is a great
  mistake, for there are children of God who are
  not members of any congregation The church is
  not so much an organization as it is an
  organism.
• R.L Whiteside, Reflections, pp.
  259-260

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• So far as we know all brethren have always
  understood that the individual Christian is the
  unit of the church universal. The body is
  Christs, and we are members of it. We were
  unaware that any thought or taught that
  congregations were units of the body of Christ,
  in the sense that individuals are. Congregations
  are nothing more nor less than groups of
  Christians. Groups are not members of the
  church individuals are. We believe the
  scriptures are perfectly clear, and brethren in
  full accord on this point.
• Reuel Lemmons, Firm Foundation, 08/02/60

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What Is The Local Church?

• It Is A Collective Unit That
• Worships
• 1 Cor. 1118,20,33 1427 Acts 207 Hebrews
  1025
• Works
• Phil. 415,16 1 Cor. 161,2 etc.

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What Is The Local Church?

• It Is A Collective Unit That
• Has a local government (organization)
• Acts 1423 Phil. 11 1 Cor. 53-5

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What Is The Local Church?

• It Is A Collective Unit That
• Has a local government (organization)
• Acts 1423 Phil. 11 1 Cor. 53-5
• Has a local treasury
• Phil. 415,16 1 Cor. 161,2 2 Cor. 118,9 1
  Cor. 914

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What Is The Local Church?

• It Is A Collective Unit That
• Has a local government
• Acts 1423 Phil. 11 1 Cor. 53-5
• Has a local treasury
• Phil. 415,16 1 Cor. 161,2 2 Cor. 118,9 1
  Cor. 914
• Carries out discipline
• 1 Cor. 51-13

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Important Differences Between The Universal The
Local Church

• You are added to the universal church by God
  you join the local church
• Acts 247 926
• The universal church is entered by baptism
  entering the local church involves human judgment
• Gal. 327 Eph. 122,23

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Important Differences Between The Universal The
Local Church

• None but the saved are in the universal church
  some not of us may be in the local church
• 1 John 219 2 Tim. 219

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Important Differences Between The Universal The
Local Church

• None but the saved are in the universal church
  some not of us may be in the local church
• 1 John 219 2 Tim. 219
• Satan cannot prevail against the universal church
  he can, and often does, against a local church
• Matthew 1618 Rev. 25ff.

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Lessons On The Church

• Use of the word in the N.T. What the N.T.
  church is and is not
• Organization of the local church
• Relationship between local chuches
• Worship of the local church
• Work of the local church

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Definition - Authority
Greek Word Exousia (exousia) Vine The power
of authority, the right to exercise power the
power of rule or government the power of one
whose will and commands must be obeyed by
others. (page 89). Thayer The power of
authority and of right the power of rule or
government
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Matthew 2123

• Now when He came into the temple,
• The chief priests and the elders of the
• People confronted Him as He was
• teaching, and said, By what authority are
• You doing these things? And who gave
• You this authority?

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Matthew 2818

• And Jesus came and spoke to them,
• saying, All authority has been given to
• Me in heaven and on earth.

We must recognize the need for authority, and
have respect for authority once it has been
established!
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Matthew 2123-27
Now when He came into the temple, the
chief priests and the elders of the people
confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, By
what authority are You doing these things? And
who gave You this authority? 24 But Jesus
answered and said to them, I also will ask you
one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will
tell you by what authority I do these things 25
The baptism of John where was it from? From
heaven or from men?
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Matthew 2123-27
(cont.), And they reasoned among themselves,
saying, If we say, From heaven, He will say
to us, Why then did you not believe him? 26
But if we say, From men, we fear the multitude,
for all count John as a prophet. 27 So they
answered Jesus and said, We do not know. And He
said to them, Neither will I tell you by what
authority I do these things.
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Mans Need for Authority in the Religious Realm

• The Chief Priests and Elders of the Jews
  recognized the Need for Authority
• Matthew 2123-27

• Some deny that authority from God is needed for
  all that man does in Religion
• Some look to self as authority
• Jeremiah 1023 Proverbs 1412

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Jeremiah 1023
O LORD, I know the way of man is
not in himself It is not in man who walks
to direct his own steps.
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Proverbs 1412
There is a way that seems right to a
man, But its end is the way of death.
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Colossians 220-23
Therefore, if you died with Christ
from the basic principles of the world,
why, as though living in the world, do you
subject yourselves to regulations 21 Do not
touch, do not taste, do not handle, 22 which
all concern things which perish with the using
according to the commandments and doctrines of
men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance
of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false
humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no
value against the indulgence of the flesh.
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Matthew 158-9
These people draw near to Me
with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they
worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men.
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Modern Expressions Regarding Authority

• We do not need authority for everything we do.
• Thus saith the Lord.

A Basic Bible Principle(cf. 2 John 9-11) We
may act without divine authority from God, but we
cannot do so and have Gods approval and
fellowship!
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2 John 9-11
Whoever transgresses and does
not abide in the doctrine of Christ does
not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of
Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If
anyone comes to you and does not bring this
doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor
greet him 11 for he who greets him shares in
his evil deeds.
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Genesis 43-7
And in the process of time it came to
pass that Cain brought an offering of the
fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also
brought of the firstborn of his flock and of
their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his
offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his
offering. And Cain was very angry, and his
countenance fell. 6 So the LORD said to Cain,
"Why are you angry? And why has your countenance
fallen? 7 "If you do well, will you not be
accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies
at the door. And its desire is for you,
but you should rule over it."
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Hebrews 114
By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent
sacrifice than Cain, through which he
obtained witness that he was righteous, God
testifying of his gifts and through it he being
dead still speaks.
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Romans 1017
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God.
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Mans Need for Authority, seen in Examples

• Cain and Abel
• Genesis 4
• Hebrews 114 Romans 1017

• Nadab and Abihu
• Leviticus 101-2

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Leviticus 101-2
Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of
Aaron, each took his censer and put fire
in it, put incense on it, and offered profane
fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded
them. 2 So fire went out from the LORD and
devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
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Mans Need for Authority, seen in Examples

• Cain and Abel
• Genesis 4
• Hebrews 114 Romans 1017
• Nadab and Abihu
• Leviticus 101-2

• King Uzziah
• 2 Chronicles 2616-20

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2 Chronicles 2616-20
But when he was strong his heart was
lifted up, to his destruction, for he
transgressed against the LORD his God by entering
the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the
altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went
in after him, and with him were eighty priests of
the LORD valiant men. 18 And they withstood
King Uzziah, and said to him, It is not for you,
Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the
priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated
to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for
you have trespassed! You shall have no
honor from the LORD God.
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2 Chronicles 2616-20
(cont.), 19 Then Uzziah became
furious and he had a censer in his hand
to burn incense. And while he was angry with
the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead,
before the priests in the house of the LORD,
beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the
chief priest and all the priests looked at him,
and there, on his forehead, he was leprous so
they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also
hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck
him.
When Uzziah turned from divine authority, he
became a source of authority unto himself.
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Conclusion

• In this lesson we have
• Determined what authority is, and shown mans
  need for authority
• Shown that those who scorn the need for authority
  overlook a basic principle taught in Gods word
• Shown the need to learn (from the examples cited)
  the need for divine authority in our practices
  (cf. Rom. 154)

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Romans 154
For whatever things were written
before were written for our learning, that
we through the patience and comfort of the
Scriptures might have hope.
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Questions
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• Lesson 1
• The Need for Authority

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Question 1

• Since the Genesis 4 account of Cain and Abel does
  not mention the kind of sacrifice they were to
  make, how do we know God told them what to offer?
  (Read Hebrews 114 Romans 1017 and Acts 1034)
  Since God did not authorize Cain's sacrifice, by
  whose authority did he offer it?

Faith comes by hearing Gods word Since Abels
sacrifice was offered in Faith, it must have been
in response to Gods instructions. Cain offered
sacrifice by his own authority (Will worship)
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Question 2

• Nadab and Abihu were priests, thus were the right
  men to burn incense they were burning incense,
  so were doing the right thing yet, they were
  rejected. Why?

Though they were the right men, doing the right
thing, they were not doing it in the right way!
God cares how we do things. If He has specified
a way it is to be done, we must respect His will
in this.
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Question 3

• What should be the attitude we hold toward the
  commandments of men? (cf. Matthew 159
  Colossians 220-23).

Recognize that such commandments are examples of
self-willed expression (self-imposed religion),
and as such constitute a vain attempt to please
God. God, not us, has the right (authority) to
determine what pleases Himself.
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Question 4

• From reading Matthew 2123-27, how do we know
  that both Jesus and the Jews recognized the need
  for divine authority for their practices?

Jesus accepted the legitimacy of their question,
though he sought to convict them of their
hypocrisy. By what authority are You doing
these things? And who gave You this
authority? If from heaven, Why then did you
not believe?
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Question 5

• What is the basic Bible principle established by
  2 John 9-11, as discussed in our lesson?

That we may act without divine authority, but if
we do, we cannot have Gods approval and
fellowship. Whoever transgresses and does not
abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have
God.