The Church

In this series, my pastor went through five events in the 50 day period after the resurrection that reshaped  humanity:  1) post-resurrection appearances of Christ for 40 days; 2) Great Commission; 3) Ascension; 4) arrival of Holy Spirit at Pentecost; and 5) birth of a movement called the Church.   Sunday's sermon was on the fifth event.  The Church was first mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 16:18b "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."   But, it was in Acts 2:41-47, after the Pentecost, that the Church was birthed.


The main message of the Church is not to make people feel good; instead, it is centered on CHRIST - that we need a Savior and the gift of salvation is offered through Him.  The Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost, because it is the power for the harvesting of souls (Pentecost is 7 weeks of the celebration of the Feast of Weeks or Harvest (49 days) + Passover (1 day) = 50 days).   The Church is to be the movement of God in this world.


Biblical descriptions of the Church are:  flock of God (1 Peter 5:2-4), household of God (1 Tim 3:15), kingdom of God (Phil 3:20), body of Christ (1 Corinth 12:12-27), bride of Christ (Eph 5:22-32), support and pillar of Truth (1 Tim 3:15), chosen people, royal priesthood, & holy nation (1 Peter 2:9), and holy temple (Eph 2:21-22).  As the bride of Christ, we are the most loved because we have an intimate covenant relationship with Him.


The primary ministries of the Church given in Acts 2:42 are:  

• Apostolic teaching (of the truth in God's Word) - "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21)
• Community - fellowship - Koinonia (Koinos = common) and what we all share in common is Christ
• Worship - the breaking of bread helps us not to forget the death of Christ for our sins
• Prayer - this is a PRIORITY, and it is best if we have a "holy dissatisfaction" of our prayer life that we may constantly seek to improve.  In yesterday's devotional, a quote said "Prayer is the highest use to which speech can be put."  And, my pastor quoted Corrie Ten Boom who said "Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?"

The practical manifestations of the Church are miracles, compassion (we can never outgive God), decentralization, celebration, and favorable reputation (Acts 2:43-47).   And the evidence that a Church is on mission is that God will add to the numbers (vs 47), for church growth is "automatic" when we are doing God's work.