QUESTION: What does the word 'Church' mean?

DEF:
           The English word 'church' derives  from the Greek word 'kyriakon'= the Lord's house, a church building. In the New Testament the word 'church' comes from the Greek  word 'ekklesia'= a public assembly. (Acts 19:32,39,41) The NT word 'ekklesia' is both the local church (Matt. 18:17; Acts 15:41) and the universal church (Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28)

           In the Hebrew OT world the word   'qahal'  designated the assembly of God's people. (Deut. 10:4; 23:2-3; 31:30) The Septuagent translates 'qahal' as both 'ekklesia' and  'synagoge'. 'A group or assembly of persons called together for a particular purpose.' 'A community of people in which and through which the Spirit of God is working.'

          The church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit; 1 Cor. 3:16-17

BIBLICAL USAGE

ACTION: Read  (Matt. 16:18)

  -Matthew is the only Gospel to use the word church and He sees it's origin in Jesus himself.
  -Mentioned often in the Book of Acts as well as many of the other NT books.

NATURE
          Throughout history the nature of the church has been defined by divided Christians trying  to establish the validity of their own existence. If we are to be true to the NT testimony of the church, it must be acknowledged that there is a  variety of images and concepts that contribute to the understanding of the nature of the church.

QUESTION:  What are some of the NT concepts and images  of the nature of the church?

          The salt of the earth, branches of the vine, the elect, the bride of Christ, exiles, ambassadors, a chosen race, the holy temple priesthood, etc. According to Paul Minear in his book 'Images of the Church in the NT'  there are 95 different  and distinct images.

         The Body of Christ:  Of all the NT writers, only Paul uses this term. Christians are one body in Christ with many members. (Rom. 12:4-5;1 Cor. 12:27) The church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23, 4:12) who is the head of the body (Eph. 5:23) and the body is dependant  on the head for it's life and growth (Col. 2:19)

           The church is never directly called the bride of Christ, but is so understood by Paul's analogy in which the husband-wife relationship is said to be like the Christ-church relationship  (Eph. 5:22-33). Husband and wife are to be one flesh, and this is the same  regarding Christ and the Church. (Eph. 5:31-32) also see 2 Cor.11:2-3, Rev. 19:7-8,  21:2-14.

          Although there are many images it is necessary that we find ones that are useful in holding theothers together. The councils of Constantinople in 381, Ephesus in 431 and Chalcedon in 451 has    united them all together in 4 images.

QUESTION: What are they? Anyone know?

   The church is to be "One , Holy, Catholic and Apostolic"

QUESTION: What does it mean that the church is ONE?

The Church is One
         Did you know that there are over  2200 different church denominations.

QUESTION: How many different denominations are there in the world? (over  2200)
                      Doesn't that effectively refute the idea that the church is ONE?

          NO.  The NT is clear regarding the unity of the church.
             -In 1 Cor. 1:10-30 Paul warns against divisions in the church.
             -In the same letter (chap. 12) he states that while there are many gifts, there is one body.
             -The Gospel of John speaks of  One Shepherd and One Flock (10:16)
             -Paul declares that all are one in Christ (Gal. 3:27-28)
             -Also see Acts 2:42 and Acts 4:32 and Eph. 4:1-6.

           Unity does not necessitate uniformity. From the very beginning the church as been diverse (Jerusalem church was different than the Antioch and Ephesus churches)  The NT church did not display uniform worship, structure or even theology.

QUESTION: What do you think about this? Is it true?
                      If it is true what should be our feelings about diversity of worship / government / theology?

          Therefore the challenge for the church today is to live in unity without insisting that our kind of worship, structure and theology is more correct and more like the NT church than any other. Unity is possible when we stop thinking of our own church / denomination as the vine and all other churches / denominations as the branches.

QUESTION: What does it mean that the church is 'holy'?

The Church is Holy
           According to 1 Corinithians, Christian there were guilty of incest (5:1) suing one another (6:8), having sexual relations with prostitutes (6:16). In Rome the weak Christian were judging the strong ones, and the latter despised the former
(Rom. 14:10) Such is the partial testimony of the NT concerning the reality of sin in the church. One doesn't     have to look very far to see sins infestation in the church today.

QUESTION: Doesn't  the presence of sin refute the idea that the church is holy?

          No.  Since 1 John 1:8 reminds us that the church that has no sin to confess does not exist. Others have claimed that it is not the church that is sinful but the people. However, the church  does not exist in the abstract; it is sinful people who constitute the church. The answer is in the definition of Biblical holiness. Holiness is a separation from that  which is profane and dedication to the service of God. Christians are holy in that they are  separated for God's service and set apart by God.
(2 Thess. 2:13; Col. 3:12)

QUESTION: Did you realize that you are attend a 'Catholic' church?
                      What does 'Catholic' mean?

The Church is Catholic
           The word  'catholic' derives from the Latin catholicus which in turn derives from the Greek   'katholikos'  meaning  "universal". Although the word is not used in the NT  the concept is  expressed biblically. Ignatious of Antioch wrote in the early 2nd century 'Wherever  the bishop is, there his people    should be, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic church'.
Only from the 3rd century is the term catholic to have it's meaning of 'orthodox'. (The church  was the standard of determining what was orthodox.  Therefore to speak of  catholic in it's original usage refers  to the  universal church which has a common identity of origin, lordship and  purpose.

The Church is Apostolic

QUESTION: What does it mean that the church is apostolic?

ACTION:  Read Eph. 2:20

          Eph. 2:20 states that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. Apostles were eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry and prophets were Christian prophets who were spokesmen for the risen Jesus. It was the apostles who wrote most of the NT books and the message of these books have been accepted as normative for faith and practice. It is the norm by which the life of the church is to be measured; and the church can be one, holy and catholic when it is apostolic. To claim. however, that the church is apostolic does not mean there is a direct line of succession  through specific individuals. It is to recognize that the message and the mission of the apostles is     mediated through the Scriptures.
 

Conclusion
          The adjectives  'one, holy, catholic and apostolic' are terms specific enough to describe the essential nature of the church and yet to allow for differences within denominations and churches in the ways in which each fulfills it's mission and ministry to the world.

PURPOSE

QUESTION:  WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH

         God has called the church out of the world for a purpose. He intended for his creation to have fellowship with him.
           -It is to be a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5)
           -It is to declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called us out of the darkness into his marvelous light.
              -As a priesthood, the church is responsible to bring God's Word to mankind and to intercede with God on behalf of
               mankind.
           -To be the physical representation of God's kingdom on earth.
           -To be the body in which the Spirit of God dwells.
           -The mission of the church is not optional, for by its very nature the church is mission.
           -The mission is in and to the world. To bering the Good News to all peoples.

BASIC COMPONENTS  OF THE CHURCH

 There are five components that make up all churches and are basic to all churches.

 Faith: The fundamental aspect of the church is faith. It was Peter confessing his faith in Christ that the promise came
           'Upon this rock I will build my church'.( Mt. 16:18) It was not until Jesus found a man full of faith that he could begin his
           church. The church is primarily a society not of thinkers  or workers, but believers.

 Fellowship: If all members are joined to Christ, all believers must stand in a living  relationship to one another. The Christians
            were first recognized by others because of their fellowship, thus the term    brethren.

 Unity: Even though local congregations sprang up wherever the Gospel was preached, they enjoyed an were independent life
            of their own. However, it was recognized that there was a union between the churches in Jesus Christ. This truth comes
            to completion in Paul's vision of the church in Eph. 4:4ff; Col. 1:18.

 Consecration:  Saints is one of the most reoccurring word to describe the believer in the NT. Its  meaning consists of the
            sainthood of the believer by the separation from the world by  God's electing grace. (See 1 Peter 2:9) Also implied is
            an ethical holiness- a holiness  consisting of not only a status determined by our relationship to Christ, but in actual
            expression of practical saintliness, a consecration to God that finds expression in character and conduct. Those  who
            are in Christ are a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17) and those to whom has come  the separating and consecrating call
            (2 Cor. 6:17) must cleans themselves from all  filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God
            (2 Cor. 7:1)  This is to be understood as a process with ultimate completion in the eternal state.

 Power: As the church we receive power , spiritual power, from Christ our head. The power of the keys of the kingdom to
           open it to both the Jew and the Gentile. (Mt. 16:18-19; Acts 2:41; Acts 10:34-38; Acts 15:7) Through the power of
           the Word and the Holy Spirit. The church is to be Spirit lead and driven. All is done in and by the power of the HS in
           the life of Believers.

CHURCH ORGANIZATION

         From the NT we can see that Jesus gave his disciples no formal prescription for the organization of  the church.  From Pentecost , the Hebrew Christians continued to worship in the Temple/Synagogues but this was supplemented by the apostles teachings , celebration of the  Lord's Supper, and fellowship with other believers. Church formal organization was a slow developing process based on the emerging needs of the people

QUESTION: What are the three basic types of government found in most denominations?

         There are three types of governments;  Episcopal,   Presbyterian and   Congregational.

QUESTION: What does the structure of the Episcopal type of government look like?

    Episcopal:  In this model the head minister is the bishop and the other ministers are presbyters (priests) and deacons. They see their roots in the lives of the Apostles who ordained bishops by the laying on of hands. (Acts 6:6;  1 Tim. 4:14)
(Acts 14:23)

QUESTION: What denominations use this type of governmental structure?

           -Episcopal and Roman Catholic are examples of this type of government.
          -Episcopal: James the head of the Jerusalem Church
          -RC: Peter the first among the apostles and the first pope.

QUESTION: What are the pro's and con's of this type of governmental structure?

 Historical support: This three tier government was in existence from  100 through 300ad.
 Opposition: There is no NT evidence that Bishops differed from the presbyters.  Not all churches were started by apostles
                     and then had presbyters ordained by bishops. The church at Colosse is an example of this. Yet it had a viable
                     ministry.

QUESTION: Would you feel comfortable in this type of governmental structure?

                     What does the structure of the Presbyterian form of government look like?

    Presbyterian: This system emphasizes the importance of elders or presbyters.  These elders/ presbyters join together to form a presbytery and this group governs the actions of the local church. There is a loose association between churches and the pastor is called by the congregation but ordained by the presbytery. There is a ruling elder and a teaching elder in each church.

          The church elects a board of presbyters (session) and this board makes most of the decisions in the church. Presbyteries are under the authority of a Synod  and the Synod is under the authority of the General Assembly. This is a representative government.

QUESTION: What denominations use this type of governmental structure?

           -Presbyterian and Methodists are examples of this type of government.

QUESTION: What are the pro's and con's of this type of governmental structure?

 Historical Support: Became important after the Reformation.
 Opposition: The parity between the ruling elder and the teaching elder is often problematic.

QUESTION: Would you feel comfortable in this type of governmental structure?

                     What does the structure of the Congregational form of government look like?

    Congregational: This form places the emphasis on the congregation. Chief Biblical support for this type    of government is the idea that Christ is the head of the church (Col. 1:18) and that there is a    priesthood of the believer (1 Pet. 2:9)  The emphasis is on the local congregation in the NT. This is where the autonomy of the local    church came from. There was no formal bonds which held the churches in the NT together except   Christ. This type recognizes no authority outside the local body of believers.

QUESTION: What denominations use this type of governmental structure?

   -Baptists, Quakers (friends) and any other church with this word in their name.

QUESTION: What are the pro's and con's of this type of governmental structure?

  Historical Support: This type of government appeared after the Reformation.
  Opposition: There is the possibility of the unregenerate or carnal Christians deciding the future as well as daily operation of
                      the local church.

QUESTION: Would you feel comfortable in this type of governmental structure?
 

Conclusion: It seems that the NT has elements of each of our modern forms of church government and that any / all of them could have developed from the NT church. But to say that one is more Biblical than the other is stretching  what we know.

Intro: The church, the people of God, have never been in full agreement as to doctrine.
         Acts 6 there was a problem between the Greek and Hebrew Christians.
         Acts 15 there was a problem about what demands needed to be made with the Gentile Christians.
         Paul's letters dealt with doctrinal issues that were problematic to the early church.

QUESTION: What does it mean to be Arminian?

Arminianism: Developed in 1560-1609ff . Emphasis in on the free will of man.

Holds to the following doctrinal beliefs.
 1. God elects or reproves on the basis of foreseen faith or unbelief.
 2. Jesus died for all although only believers are saved.
 3. Man is so depraved (sinful) that God's grace is needed for salvation.
 4. All good works must be ascribed to grace, but this grace is not irresistible.
 5. It is possible for believers to fall away from faith and loose their salvation.

QUESTION: Which denominations who hold to this: Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran

QUESTION: What does it mean to be Calvinist?

Calvinism: Developed by John Calvin  (1509-1564)   Emphasis is on the sovereignty of God.

Holds to the following doctrinal beliefs.  T U L I P
 T = Total depravity of man. All have inherited Adams sin.
 U = Unconditional election.  Election is based on the sovereign will of God.
 L = Limited atonement. The work on the cross is limited to those elected to salvation.
 I = Irresistible grace. The elect will be saved apart from their own desire.
 P = Perseverance of the saints.  You can not lose your  salvation.

QUESTION: Which denominations who hold to this:

 Baptist, Reformed, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran and  Catholics also recognize the same divisions of Scriptural history, but differ on the question of man's responsibility in the covenant of grace. Taken together, this view is the dominant by far.

QUESTION: What is Covenant Theology?

Covenant Theology: Developed by Augustine of Hippo. It is a system of Biblical interpretation based on the systematic expression of theology found in the Bible. The basis is God's condescension to man. It stresses the  sovereignty of God, and the dependence of man. Basic tenet of the reformed churches.

    1. See scripture as being covered by two covenants: Works and Grace.

    2. Each covenant has 4 parties: the individuals, the promise, the proviso (condition) and the penalty (for failure)

    3. Covenant of Works:
            Parties: God and Adam who represented all humanity.
            Promise: life
            Proviso: perfect obedience by Adam.
            Penalty: death for disobedience.
    4. Covenant of Grace:
           Parties: God and believers
           Promise: eternal life
           Proviso: faith in Jesus Christ
           Penalty: eternal death for unbelief.
    5. Circumcision is sign of Covenant of Works and baptism is sign of Covenant of Grace.
    6. There is no distinction made between Israel and the Church.
    7. Most are a millennialists.

 Denominations who hold to this: Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Methodist

QUESTION: What is a Dispensationalist?

         This is a fairly recent view. It came out of the evangelical movement in the  1800's. It was developed by N.J. Darby and  C.I. Scofield.

Dispensationalism: It describes the special ways throughout history  that man is responsible to God. It organizes history and theology around a series of dispensations, or ages, or arrangements made by God. Each dispensation begins with an offer of blessing by God and ends with man's failure to meet God's conditions thus resulting in a time of divine judgment. There are usually 7 dispensations which all lead to the return of Christ  and the perfection of our salvation.

    1. Dispensation of innocence. From creation to the fall. People could have direct fellowship with God but they must not eat
        from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. They disobey and God's judgment is the expulsion from the Garden.

    2. Dispensation of conscience. From the Fall to the flood. People were responsible to live according to their God given
        conscience. They disobeyed God and He judged the earth with the Flood.

    3. Dispensation of human government. From Noah to Abraham. People were to follow God both by their conscience and
        by just government. They failed and God judged with the confusion of tongues at Babel.

    4. Dispensation of promise. From Abraham's call to Moses. The covenant people were to remain faithful to  God alone
        and practice circumcision. They failed and God judged with slavery in Egypt.

    5. Dispensation of law. From Moses giving the law to Death of Christ. The covenant people were to be faithful to God by
        following the law. They won't and God will judge with a Great Tribulation. The church is  removed in the rapture before
        things revert to the conditions of the OT.

    6. Dispensation of grace. From Pentecost to the Rapture. The church is to exhibit saving faith in following  Christ.
        No judgment by God in this dispensation.

    7. Dispensation of kingdom. From millennium on... People are to obey Christ who reigns on Earth. Final judgment is the
        Great White Throne.

         There is a distinction between  Israel and the Church. They are not the same and God still has a plan for his original people. Are pre-mill, and usually pre-trib. Professes a literal interpretation to the Scriptures.

     Denominations who hold to this: Baptist, Pentecostals, Brethren and most Independent Churches.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:  THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESUPPOSITIONS. by James E. Bordwine, Th.D.

         No one approaches the Scriptures neutrally, as if he is absolutely objective and void of predisposition's. Among professing Christians, then, you discover different emphases, or interpretive schemes, which account for the various systems.

For example. dispensationalists come to Scripture with the presupposition that God has an earthly purpose for Israel, and a heavenly purpose for the church. Covenant theologians, on the other hand, come to Scripture with the presupposition that there is one covenant of grace with various administrations.

         Since there is no neutrality in approaching Scripture, and since presuppositions are a given reality, the necessity of presuppositions being based on careful exegesis is underscored. Thus our understanding of the whole of Scripture affects our approach to the parts; and our examination of the parts, methodologically speaking, leads us to make generalizations about the whole. It is not wrong to have presuppositions. But in light of how influenced we are by them, I trust that we can see the importance of evaluating whether or not the presuppositions of any system are based on textual evidence.

Other terms that you should know.

QUESTION: What does it mean to be Ecumenical?
                       Who is the 'World Council of Churches'?

 1. Ecumenism: An attempt to unite the divided church. World council of churches formed in 1948. Mainly made up primarly
                          of Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran and United Church of Christ. But may include Catholic and other
                          denominations.

QUESTION: What are some positive and negative aspects of this movement?

QUESTION: What does it mean to be Evangelical?

 2. Evangelicalism: Made up of churches and individuals who proclaim the 'good news' or gospel of Jesus Christ.
     Evangelicals affirm that salvation from sin and death is obtained through  the grace of  God not  earned by good works.
     This term usually relates to 'born again  Christians'. The name is based on the Bible text 1 Cor. 15:1-4

     Most evangelicals support the following:
          a. personal experience of conversion
          b. living a moral life
          c. the Bible is God's authoritative, infallible rule for life
          d. common zeal for evangelism
          e. the sovereignty of God.
          f. total depravity of man.
          g. sacrificial, atoning, substitutional death and resurrection of Jesus for our sins.
          h. look for the visible, personal return of Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom.
          i. trinity, incarnation, virgin birth, bodily resurrection of believers, immortality of the soul.

QUESTION: Are you an Evangelical?  Is CBC?

QUESTION: What does it mean to be a Fundamentalist?

 3. Fundamentalism: Was a reaction to  modernism and liberalism of the early 1900's. This group is  highly separatists.
     -They will only usually associate with those whose doctrinal statements are the same. They differ from evangelicals in that
       they feel that they are more faithful to Bible believing Christians,  more militant against church apostasy, ecumenism,
       personal evils, and less willing to cater to social  and intellectual respectability. They opposed Billy Graham.

     -In the 1970's and later they became prominent in the political arena with the election of Ronald Reagan. They began to
       oppose secular humanism. (evolution, political and theological liberalism, loose  personal morality, sexual perversion,
       socialism, communism.)
     -All who are not fundamentalist are either not believers or they are unfaithful to Christ.

 They believe:
  a. Inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible.
  b. The Trinity
  c. The virgin birth and deity of Jesus.
  d. God's creation of the world and man's fall due to sin.
  e. The substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.
  f. The bodily resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
  g. The regeneration of believers.
  h. The personal and imminent return of Jesus.
  i. The resurrection and final assignment of all human beings to either eternal bliss or eternal woe.
  j. Scripture is verbally inspires and without any errors.
  k. The literal interpretation of Scripture.

QUESTION: What do you think about this title? What are the pro's and con's?

QUESTION: Are you a Fundamentalist? Is CBC a Fundamentalist church?

QUESTION: What is Pentecostalism?

 4. Pentecostalism: A movement within the Christian church patterned after the first Christian Pentecost where the Holy Spirit
    came upon the disciples and transformed them into  bold evangelists. It is  characterized by the appearance of the gift of
    tongues, healing and miracles. It began in the Midwest at  the turn of the 19th century. Initially rejected by the Methodists,
    Baptists and Holiness churches, they  began to create their own denominations such as : Pentecostal, Full Gospel, or
    Foursquare.

     -Today it is  the fifth largest Protestant affiliation.  Since 1960, the Episcopal, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians  and
      other main line denominations have joined the movement but have often not  changed names and  have remained within
      their own denomination. Since 1967 even the Roman Catholic's have joined the movement with the Catholic Charismatic
      Movement within their denomination.

     -Main doctrinal issues are the miracle gifts...the gifts of the Spirit are still complete, none have ceased. There is also the
      belief in the baptism of the holy spirit. This is an additional filling in the life of the believer when they have given their all to
      him in submission.
  -They are evangelical and some would consider themselves fundamentalists.

     Charismatic: is basically Pentecostalism that has stayed within the parent denomination.

QUESTION: What does it mean to be a Universalists?

 5. Universalism: The belief that there is an ultimate well being of each individual. It states that although all humans have fallen
    in sin and are lost, ALL will be saved through the universal redemption of  Christ. Some even go as far as to say that even
    the devil, once he has been punished long enough ,will  gain entry to heaven.

Three major tenets:
  a. The purpose of God: the restoration of all things to their original perfection.
  b. The means of restoration is Jesus Christ.
  c. The nature of the restoration is union of every soul with God.

QUESTION: Pro's and Con's?

QUESTION: What is liberalism theology?

 6. Liberalism Theology: Also known as 'modernism'.
      -It's basic premise is to adapt religious ideal to modern culture and modes of thinking. They believe that the times have
       changed since the Bible was written and that it is incomprehensible  for us to think that everything as it is written still applies
       today. They also believe that the Bible is not the only authority. All beliefs must pass through the sieve of reason and
       experience and one's mind must be open to new truths wherever they come  from. The Bible was written by people limited
       by their time. It is not infallible nor supernatural. It  does not possess absolute authority. They further believe that God is
       immanent in the world and since He is there is no distinction between natural and supernatural. They believe that there is
       one religious consciousness and that it is not in any particular  denomination and is open to all who wish to find God. They
       believe that mankind is getting better as time goes on. God did not come in Jesus Christ to judge the world but to save it.

      -This form of theology is found in every denomination, including Baptist (American)

Conclusion:
      Many of these theological schools have points which seem sound. That is the hook  It is not until you get involved and dependent on them that you find out what they really stand for.  Be careful to study fully a doctrinal statement and ask questions that you may think are taken for granted. Know what you are getting involved with before you get involved!