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2. WHY WE BELIEVE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH 1 Peter 3:15 and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

3. 3 An Introduction …. We Hear Many Say – Join The Church of YOUR Choice!We Hear Many Say – Join The Church of YOUR Choice! The Real Question We Should Ask Ourselves – WHAT ABOUT THE CHOICE OF GOD?The Real Question We Should Ask Ourselves – WHAT ABOUT THE CHOICE OF GOD? It is not uncommon today to hear people disparage the church... We have heard people say in effect, “Christ, yes”; “the church, no!” Professing To Love Jesus, desiring even to follow Him, they have little use for‚the church. For Many the Church was Simply an afterthought of God, when the Jews Rejected Christ --- Also, known as the Church Age. We would like to explain why we believe in the New Testament church mentioned by Jesus in Mt 16:18 when He said‚ “I will build My church”. The Series “I Will Build My Church in 2004” dealt extensively with this subject. Let’s first note what is said about the church in the Scriptures...]

4. 4 THE CHURCH DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS...Eph 1:22 Christ is‚ head over all things to the church - Ephesians 1:22 That Christ is head over all things is clear enough, but what is meant by the phrase‚ to the church? “Perhaps that Christ exercises His authority over all things, in the interest of the church (Hendriksen); i.e., the rule of Christ is for the benefit of His church!” Does this not say something about the Lord’s estimation of His church? The church‚ is His body - Ephesians 1:23 The body of Christ! It is His spiritual body, of which He is the head! The church is ‚the fullness of Him who fills all in all - Ephesians 1:23.

5. 5 THE CHURCH DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS... Ephesians 3:21 Christ fills all in all; what fills Him? The church constitutes His fullness! If one is to be in Christ, by implication he or she must be in the church! The church is part of God’s ‚eternal purpose - Ephesians 3:10-11 The manifold wisdom of God is made known through the church In keeping with God’s eternal purpose; i.e., His plan which He had from eternity! To God be‚ glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages - Ephesians 3:21 Certainly God is worthy of all glory In the church and by Jesus Christ, God will be glorified forever! Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body - Ephesians 5:23

6. 6 THE CHURCH DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS...Ephesians 5:25 His authority over the church is again emphasized; also that it is His body But here we note that Christ is the Savior, not of all men, but of His body, the church! Again the implication is clear; to be saved, we must be in His body, the church! Christ ‚loved the church and gave Himself for it - Ephesians 5:25 Jesus loves His church, even as a husband is to love his wife His death on the cross had His church in view; He was dying for the church! Jesus’ design is to present it as‚ a glorious church - Ephesians 5:26-27 He seeks to‚ sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. He desires for it to not have spot or wrinkle, but to‚ be holy and without blemish!

7. 7 THE CHURCH DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS... Ephesians 5:29-30 Jesus nourishes and cherishes the church - Ephesians 5:29-30 Even as you care for your own body So Jesus has the same concern for His body, the church! All because‚ we are members of His body! ELSEWHERE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT... The church was purchased with the blood of Christ - Acts 20:28 The church is His body - Colossians 1:18,24 The church is the family of God, the pillar and ground of the truth - 1 Timothy 3:15 In view of the Scriptures’ high estimation of the church, it is something in which we should strongly believe. But exactly what is this‚ “church”? The word translated‚ “church” in our Bible is from the Greek ekklesia...

8. 8 WHAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH ??? IT IS NOT : A MATERIAL BUILDING: - ACTS 7:38 ; 17:24A MATERIAL BUILDING: - ACTS 7:38 ; 17:24 AN EARTHLY KINGDOM : - JOHN 18:36-37 ; 6:15AN EARTHLY KINGDOM : - JOHN 18:36-37 ; 6:15 A JEWISH ASSEMBLY : - JOHN 10:16 ; EPH. 2:14- 16 ; GAL. 3:7A JEWISH ASSEMBLY : - JOHN 10:16 ; EPH. 2:14- 16 ; GAL. 3:7 A DENOMINATION : - MATT. 16:18 ; COL. 1:18 ; EPH. 1:20-23A DENOMINATION : - MATT. 16:18 ; COL. 1:18 ; EPH. 1:20-23 A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION : - ROM. 13 ; I PET. 2:13-17 ; MATT. 22:17-21A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION : - ROM. 13 ; I PET. 2:13-17 ; MATT. 22:17-21 A BUSINESS INSTITUTION : - I COR. 16:1-2 ; MATT. 6:33 ; II JOHN 9A BUSINESS INSTITUTION : - I COR. 16:1-2 ; MATT. 6:33 ; II JOHN 9 THE N.T. CHURCH IS : A SPIRITUAL BUILDING : - I PETER 2:5,9 ; I COR. 3:9 A HEAVENLY KINGDOM : - ROM. 14:17 ; JOHN 3:5 ; COL. 1:13-14 A GENERAL ASSEMBLY : - GALATIANS 3:28 THE LORD'S CHURCH : - MATT. 16:18 ; EPH. 1:20- 23 ; ACTS 2:47 AN EVANGELISTIC ORGANIZATION : - EPH. 3:10 ; I TIM. 3:14-15 ; MK. 16:15-16 AN EDIFICATION INSTITUTION : - EPH. 4:12-16 ; I THESS. 5:11

9. 9 THE CHURCH DEFINED THE MEANING OF‚ EKKLESIA... Many note that this word is a combination of two words: ek (out of) and kaleo (to call) Concluding that the primary idea is that of being‚ called out. That Christians were called the‚ “ekklesia” because they were called out cannot be denied from a study of the N.T. It is true that Christians have been called out - cf. 1 Peter 2:9 But‚ it is important to note that ekklesia does not stress the‚ called out nature of the church! This is a common mistake of defining a word by its etymology rather than by its actual usage in its historical context The word‚ “church” as defined by Easton’s Bible Dictionary: In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word ‛ecclesia’, which is synonymous with the Hebrew ‛kahal’ of the Old Testament......both words meaning simply an assembly.

10. 10 THE CHURCH DEFINED THE MEANING OF‚ EKKLESIA... Notice Thayer’s definition:‚a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly‚an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose: of deliberating - cf. Acts 19:39 ‚the assembly of the Israelites, - cf. Acts 7:38 any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously - cf. Acts 19:40-41 The word‚ “ekklesia” therefore emphasizes the assembled nature of a group; i.e., it simply refers to a gathering, an assembly of people.

11. 11 THE CHURCH DEFINED AS USED IN THE CHRISTIAN SENSE... Thayer offers the following uses of ‚ekklesia in a Christian sense: ‚an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting - cf. 1 Corinthians 14: 19,35 ‚a company of Christians, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake - cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:1 ‚those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body - cf. 1 Corinthians 1:2 ‚the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth - cf. Ephesians 1:22-23 ‚the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven - cf. Hebrews 12:22-23

12. 12 THE CHURCH DEFINED AS USED IN THE CHRISTIAN SENSE... Putting it most simply, we can think of the church in two primary senses: The church universal - the whole assembly of people who are saved, both living and dead. The church local - a company of saved people in a geographical area who work and worship together as a local congregation. It is the church‚ universal of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 16:18 --- “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH….”

13. 13 THE CHURCH DEFINED THE CHURCH LOCAL THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL The whole assembly of people who are saved, both living and dead EPHESUS CORINTH

14. 14 The Term “church” As Is Found In The N.T. Is Never Used In A Denominational Sense A Denomination Is SMALLER than The UNIVERSAL Church – Not One Claims to have “all the saved”A Denomination Is SMALLER than The UNIVERSAL Church – Not One Claims to have “all the saved” BUT:BUT: LARGER Than The LOCAL CHURCHLARGER Than The LOCAL CHURCH

15. 15 The Term Is Applied In The N.T. To The Lord's People. The term is used in a general sense to designate all the saved...Matt. 16:18 ; Eph. 1:22 ; 5:25 ; Col 1:18.The term is used in a general sense to designate all the saved...Matt. 16:18 ; Eph. 1:22 ; 5:25 ; Col 1:18. The word is used of a local congregation of God's called out within a definite locality:.....I Cor. 1:2 ; II Cor. 11 ; II Thess 1:1 ; also of those who where meeting in their homes...Rom 16:4-5 ; Col. 4:15 ; Philemon 2.The word is used of a local congregation of God's called out within a definite locality:.....I Cor. 1:2 ; II Cor. 11 ; II Thess 1:1 ; also of those who where meeting in their homes...Rom 16:4-5 ; Col. 4:15 ; Philemon 2. The term is used in a distributive sense.The term is used in a distributive sense. Distributive being : "in logic, having reference to each individual or group or class considered separately" (Century Dict.)Distributive being : "in logic, having reference to each individual or group or class considered separately" (Century Dict.) Acts 5:11...fear came upon the churchActs 5:11...fear came upon the church Acts 8:1....Persecuted the church.Acts 8:1....Persecuted the church. Acts 8:3....to every house.Acts 8:3....to every house. In the fourth sense it is used of the church assembled together, who have come together for a specific purpose...I Cor. 11:18 ; "in one place"..... I Cor. 14:23.In the fourth sense it is used of the church assembled together, who have come together for a specific purpose...I Cor. 11:18 ; "in one place"..... I Cor. 14:23.

16. 16 THE CHURCH IS IMPORTANT AND NOT JUST AN AFTER THOUGHT OF GOD… 1.GOD'S GRACE ; CHRIST'S BLOOD ; MAN'S FAITH & OBEDIENCE EQUALS REDEMPTION & SALVATION 2.THE CHURCH IS THE INSTRUMENT WHERE IN GOD HAS PLACED SALVATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

17. 17 In Conclusion …. The church‚ universal is that grand assembly or company of people... Of which Christ is the head, and the Savior - Ephesians 5:23 Which Christ loves, and for which He gave Himself - Ephesians 5:25 Which Christ gave Himself to sanctify and cleanse - Ephesians 5:25-26 Which Christ desires to present as a glorious church, without spot or blemish - Ephesians 5:27 Do you believe in that church...?

18. 18 In Conclusion …. How does one become a member of that wonderful church...? Note that the Lord added to the church daily those who being saved - Acts 2:47 Those being added were also those who were being baptized - Acts 2:41 That’s because those being baptized were being saved - cf. Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16 When a person responds to the gospel of Christ by faith, repentance and baptism, their sins are washed away be the blood of Jesus, and the Lord Himself adds him or her to His church! Have you been added by the Lord to His church through obedience to the gospel of Christ...?

19. 19 Call To Speak To US Live Now!!! Call And ---Call And --- Ask For A Copy Of This Presentation.Ask For A Copy Of This Presentation. BY EMAIL, BY FLOPPY DISK or IN PRINT.BY EMAIL, BY FLOPPY DISK or IN PRINT. Ask To Be Added To The Beacon’s Mailing.Ask To Be Added To The Beacon’s Mailing. Ask For A Free Bible Correspondence Course.Ask For A Free Bible Correspondence Course. Call With A ---Call With A --- Biblical Question Or Comment.Biblical Question Or Comment. Receive a Biblical Answer – “Book, Chapter and Verse”.Receive a Biblical Answer – “Book, Chapter and Verse”. Call (828) 327-9459 or - WHKY