Week 1: The Church January 6, 2013

“The ideal church is a place with…” What did you write?  Beautiful Music  Specific Instruments  Good Sermons  People your age, culture and background  Or a place with other kids the same age as yours  Place for you to serve  Feel of the Church, décor, smells  Big or Small congregation

Class Outline What is a Healthy Church Week 1: The Church (What is a Healthy Church Chap. 1&2) What you looking for in a Church and what is the Church? Your Christianity and Your Church What is a Christian Family, Fellowship, Body What the Church is and isn’t People not a place Week 2: What is the Church’s Purpose and Function What is a Healthy Church Chap. 3&4 and Article II from PBC Constitution What are the “Essential” marks of a Healthy Church Week 3: Essentials of a Healthy Church What is a Healthy Church Chap 5, 6 & 7 Week 4: What the Church Believes Article III PBC Statement of Faith What are the “Important” marks of a Healthy Church Week 5: A Biblical Understanding of Conversion, Evangelism and Discipline. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 8, 9 and 11 Week 6: Church Membership Part 1. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 10 and 9Marks Church Membership book Week 7: Church Membership Part 2. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 10 and 9Marks Church Membership book Week 8: Biblical Discipleship and Church Leadership. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 12 & 13 What is a Healthy Church Member Week 9: A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener and Biblical Theologian. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 1 & 2 and Listen Up booklet Week 10: A Healthy Church Member is Gospel Saturated and Genuinely Converted. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 3 & 4 Week 11: A Healthy Church Member is Biblical Evangelist and a Committed Member. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 5 & 6 Week 12: A Healthy Church Member Seeks Discipline and is a Growing Disciple. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 7 & 8 Week 13: A Healthy Church Member is a Humble Follower and a Prayer Warrior. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 9 & 10

A Topic for Everyone Gal. 1: 6-7 (NASB): I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. The “you” in there is the Church, not just the Pastor or Leadership it is every Christian and member of the local bodies. It’s “You” and all the members of the Church that are responsible before God for what the Church becomes. Hebrews 13:17 (NASB): Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 10:23-25 (NASB): Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Your Christianity and your Church Christians don’t realize how our relationship with God incorporates a number of secondary personal relationships. God means to establish us in relationship with an actual flesh and blood, step on your toes body of people. What is a Christian? Forgiven of sin, reconciled with God the Father through Jesus Christ Recognized his or her defiance to God’s law and had given themselves over to worship and loving things other than God. They have recognized these “idols” are doubly damning because they can never be satisfied in this life. They know Gods great mercy and promise, He sent His Son to live the perfect life and pay the price I could not pay, it is Christ's Blood that satisfies His righteous anger paying my moral debt and His Holy requirements and removes His wrath against my sin.”

But that is not all; a Christian has also by virtue of their reconciliation with God been reconciled with God’s people. Matthew 22:37-39 (NASB): And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Alistair Begg comments: “One stone is not a temple or even a wall; one bodily part is useless without the others. In our individualistic society, it is easy to imagine that we can “go it alone.” But when God calls you to a task, remember that He is also calling others to work with you. Together your individual efforts can be multiplied.” Your Christianity and your Church cont….

A Family, a Fellowship, a Body The analogy of a family is helpful in seeing our reconciliation with God also means reconciled to His people. Ephesians 1:5 (NASB): He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, It is no polite and formal fellowship it is a body bound together by individual decisions, but more than that it is bound by the work of Christ. It is impossible to answer the question what is a Christian without ending up in a conversation about the church; at least in the Bible it is. The Church is really not a place, it is a people, God’s people.

What the Church is and isn’t IS: The new covenant, blood bought people of God. That is why Paul said “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” We believe in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” ISN’T: The style of music or sermon style Type of church organization

The Bible teaches that Christians should care about what happens at a church, what it does. We need to balance two things, caring about people and caring about what they do. The church may fail to meet all your expectation in what it does or how it does it. Remember that the church is a group of people still growing in grace. Love them, serve them, be patient with them, remember to think of the family. What the Church is and isn’t continued…

Mark 3:32-35 (NASB): A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”