The CHURCH – What Is It?
Is it a building? A particular
denomination? A Sunday meeting? Or none of these? Biblically speaking, it’s not really any
of these. The English word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” meaning “a called-out assembly”. The “ekklesia” is God’s people viewed together as a new and
whole community. “Ekklesia” in the NT can encompass
any number of believers. It is used of small groups that met in homes (
The New Bible Dictionary by
Drs. J. Douglas, F. Bruce, J. Packer, R. Tasker, and
D. Wiseman on page 228 renders the word “ekklesia” as
used in the NT mostly as a local congregation of Christians and never as a
building. On page 231, it states that the NT provides no detailed code of
regulations for the government of the Church, and the very idea of such a code
might seem repugnant to the liberty of the gospel dispensation/era; but Christ
left a body of leaders in the apostles and gave them a few general principles
for the exercise of their ruling function.
Or, as Dr. M. Unger on pages 204, 205 of Unger’s
Bible Dictionary states: “In the NT, the church fundamentally comprehends
the whole number of regenerated persons (Christians)
specifically from Pentecost to the first resurrection (rapture – 1 Cor.
Rom.
16:5; 1 Cor.
Do these verses show that the church (as used in the New Testament) consisted of believers meeting together rather than it being a building that Christians met in?
Acts
8:1 What does
it say the church did as a result of the persecution in
[Notice
it says “they all scattered”, referring to people (the church) not a physical
building].
And what does it say all the
scattered believers (church) did in
8:4;
Do you see how preaching the word (the gospel – Col. 1:5, evangelism) was
the normal, natural thing to do for all these believers (the church)? Why
do you think it was so (read Phil. 2:2
with
Why did Barnabas and
Saul/Paul meet with the church for an entire year (
Why do you think these
spiritual leaders spent an entire year teaching the church, these believers, at
Could what happened in 9:31 and 16:5 be a possible clue, when it says that the church was being built up, strengthened in the faith and increasing in number daily (apparently due to being taught doctrine and evangelism, Eph. 4:11-13)?
Acts
14:21-23 Who
did Paul and Barnabas appoint in every church in Lystra, Iconium, and
And what were these groups of believers called
before elders were appointed?
[Dr. A.T. Robertson (professor of interpretation of the Greek New
Testament at Southern Baptist Seminary) in his book Word Pictures in the New
Testament, “Acts”, vol. 3, p. 216, states that these groups of believers in
various cities were already considered churches before they ever had elders.]. So you don’t have to have a spiritual leader,
elder, or pastor in order for a gathered group of Christians to be considered a
church.
Why
did Paul leave Titus in
What did you learn about how
churches got elders (their spiritual
leaders)?
Do you think today’s elders should be appointed by the church’s founder(s) or by those delegated with such authority by the church’s founder(s), as opposed to elders being elected by the congregation? Why?
What are the qualifications for eligibility for being an elder or overseer/bishop (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Tim. 3:1-7)?
[“husband
of one wife” – 1 Tim. 3:2, The
Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, page 736 states, “virtually all
commentators agree that the phrase prohibits both polygamy and
promiscuity.” “This ambiguous but
important phrase is subject to several interpretations.” The New Testament Commentary on Timothy
and Titus by Dr. William Hendriksen states on page 121, “This cannot mean
that an overseer or elder must be a married man.” “The meaning of our present
passage (1 Tim. 3:2) is simply this,
that an overseer or elder must be a man of unquestioned morality, one who …
does not in pagan fashion enter into an immoral relationship with another
woman.” “One cannot excuse an attempt to
make a text say what it does not actually say in the original.” “…Paul, did not
oppose remarriage after the death of the marriage-partner…” Matthew Henry’s Commentary, vol. 3,
page 1197, regarding 1 Tim. 3:2 states, “…not having many wives at once, as at
that time was common both among Jews and Gentiles, especially among the
Gentiles.” Titus 1:5, 6, 7, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, page
762 states, this “probably means that the elder should have been married
only once.” The N.T.C. on Timothy and
Titus page 347 states, that “one wife’s husband” means “faithful in the
marriage-relationship.” Matthew
Henry’s Commentary, vol. 3, page 1222, regarding Titus 1:6 states, “Not
that ministers must be married, that is not meant; but … no bigamist; not that
he might not be married to more than one wife successively; but being married,
he must have but one wife at once, not two or more, according to the too common
sinful practice of those times…” “Polygamy is scandalous…”].
What were their responsibilities (Acts
[“guard” –
protect the spiritual well-being of, especially against false teachers]. [“shepherd” –
feed, protect, care for]. [“manage” – direct]. [“charge” – rule
over in spiritual matters]. [“instruct” – admonish, rebuke, warn, and teach].
What was the pastor or
top spiritual leader not to receive an accusation against an elder on the basis
of (1 Tim.
What was to be done with elders who continued in
unrepentant (not changing their thinking to cease from the) sin, and why (1 Tim.
Do you know of any churches who follow these principles regarding the qualifications for elders, the appointment of elders, the responsibilities of elders, and the discipline of sinning, unrepentant elders?
Do any of the above passages say that a church has to have elders in order to be a church?
Why do you think this is?
1 Tim. 3:8-10, 12; Acts 6:3 What are the qualifications for being in the
office or position of a deacon (Gk. “diakonos” – a servant; one who helped with the
administration of the material needs of the believers/church)?
Do you know any deacons? If so, do you know if they
meet these qualifications?
Do any of these passages say
that a church has to have deacons? Why
do you think this is so?
Acts
What observations can you
learn from this?
1 Cor.
1:2 Who or what
is the church at
[“sanctified” – Gk. “hegiasmenois”,
means “have been set apart for God”].
[“saints (Gk. “hagious”) by calling” (Gk. “kletois”), means “people separated to God because of being
called out (summoned or appointed) by God for salvation and so they believe in
Jesus Christ (all believers/Christians), Acts
Again, do you see that the
church is people, believers, not a building?
1 Cor.
3:9, 16, 17 To what is
the church/believers compared, and why does God use this comparison (see Eph.
And who lives in us believers
both collectively (
Why is
the church/Christians also compared to a human body in 1 Cor.
1 Cor. 5:1, 2, 12, 13 How are believers to deal with members in
their church or assembly who are living in unrepentant (not changing his
thinking to cease from) sin (assuming the
believers have first confronted the member about his/her sin – Matt.
How do
you feel about doing this, and why?
1 Cor. 10:30-33 What shouldn’t believers do to the church (other believers)?
How might believers give
offense (a cause of sin) to the
church or individuals within it (also see
Rom.
Do you try to refrain from doing those things that might encourage another believer to do what you’re doing, only in his/her case, he/she thinks that what you’re doing is wrong? Why?
1 Cor.
11:17-22 When the
Corinthian believers came together as a church/group, what wasn’t it for, but
should have been (vs. 20)?
[The wealthy believers were stuffing
themselves and getting drunk while the poor believers were going hungry at this
church dinner (called a love-feast – Jude 1:12), where the rich were supposed
to share their food with the poor before the Lord’s Supper took place.].
How often should the Lord’s Supper be taken/eaten (
Though the NT doesn’t state how often the church
should take the Lord’s Supper, what was its purpose (
How often do you take the Lord’s Supper, and why?
1 Cor. 12:28, 31 What
was the church (the assembly of
believers) to earnestly desire?
What were the top three
spiritual gifts that God appointed in the Church (the body of Christ, believers –
What
do these top three spiritual gifts all have in common?
Why are instructional gifts the most important to
have among a group of believers (Prov.
23:7a; Jn.
Why else is prophecy (direct revelations from God to the apostles
and/or prophets) important – 1 Cor.
14:3, 4, 12, 19; 1 Tim. 1:3-7; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; 4:2-4; Titus 1:5, 9-11; 2:1, 7;
3 Jn. 1:3, 4; 2 Jn. 1:4, 6 (when that
gift was still in operation before the completion of the New Testament in AD
95, 1 Cor. 13:9, 10)?
Are you appreciative of and
esteem/highly honor those who work hard at instructing you in the Lord (1 Thes.
1 Cor. 16:1-3; 2 Cor.
What procedure did Paul suggest these believers take
in order to ensure that the funds would be ready to send to
Do you financially help out other Christians you know about who are truly in need, and do you do so cheerfully and voluntarily? Why?
Does Paul or any other NT epistle writer say that Christians have to tithe (give 10%) of their income or, for that matter, give any fixed amount or percentage to the church? If so, prove it from the NT Epistles, which were written to Christians (as the OT and Gospels were primarily for the Jews under the Mosaic Law).
However, should Christians help out their spiritual
teacher, pastor, or biblical missionaries/evangelists in a financial or
material way (Gal. 6:6; Phil.
And should we help out our fellow Christian brethren
who are in true need (1 Jn.
Eph.
Does it say anywhere in the NT that the Pope or any other person (e.g., an apostle, like Peter) is the head of the Church on earth? If so, prove it biblically.
[Peter is not the first pope. Christ
built His church upon Himself – 1 Cor. 3:10, 11. In Matt. 16:18, “Peter” (Gk. “Petros” – masculine gender) means “stone or smaller rock”,
whereas “rock” (Gk. “
[Christians/believers are Christ’s body (Eph.
1 Tim.
2:11-14;
[The Greek word “hesychia”
meaning “quiet” does not mean complete silence or no talking, but it means “settled
down, undisturbed, not unruly” as it does in Acts 22:2 and 2 Thes. 3:12. A
different Greek word “sigao” means “silent, saying
nothing”, as it does in 1 Cor.
Are the women in your Christian gathering unruly and/or disruptive, or are they settled down and submissive?
What are women in the church not allowed to do according to God’s Word, and why?
Do women in your church teach Bible classes that have men in them, or do they hold leadership positions such as elder or pastor? If so, what do you plan to do about it, and why?
What is the pillar and support of the truth?
Based on this (as
well as the points mentioned under the 1 Cor.
1 Tim.
5:5, 9, 10, 16 Who is the
church to materially assist, if she meets certain qualifications? Why (5:3)?
Jas.
2:1-9 What are believers not to do in their assembly, and why?
Do you give preferential
treatment to the wealthy believers in your assembly/church? Why?
Jas. 5:14-16 What can a believer do who
is sick (because of being disciplined by
God due to that believer’s living in unconfessed, unrepentant sin)?
What should that believer do
when the elders arrive (vs. 16)?
What
should the elders then do (vss. 14, 15)?
[“Anoint
with oil” is probably used symbolically of the promise of physical well being –
see Psalm 23:5; 133:2.].
And what should eventually
result (vss. 15, 16)?
Does your church practice
this, and why?
1 Cor.
11:5-10 During the Apostle Paul’s time when 1st
Corinthians was written (about AD 55),
the public head covering of women was a universal custom in both Jewish
culture (3 Maccabees 4:6; Mishnah,
Ketuboth 7.6; Babylonian Talmud, Ketuboth 72a-b) and Greco-Roman culture (Plutarch Moralia
3.232c; 4.267b; Apuleius The Golden Ass 11.10).
The cultural symbol
of a head covering on women expressed subordination to male headship in
general and to husbands in particular. Since the culture these Christian women lived
in viewed uncovered heads on women disgraceful/shameful; therefore, these
Christian women should continue using the same cultural symbol to show
subordination to male spiritual authority/headship in the church while praying
– Drs. J. Walvoord and R. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, p.
529.
However, in American
culture and in many other countries today, a head covering no longer symbolizes
subordination to male headship in general or to husbands in particular.
Therefore, for Christian women to wear a head covering while praying in church
no longer conveys subordination to male spiritual headship in the church.
Consequently, Christian women no longer need to wear a head covering while
praying because its former cultural, symbolic meaning of subordination to male
headship has been lost.
Does the American culture have any symbols communicating subordination to male headship? If so, what?
If not, how can Christian women display subordination to both male spiritual authority and to their husbands, if married?
Acts
[To be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ” is a synecdoche (a figure
of speech where a part is used for a whole). Here, Jesus (a part) is used for
the Trinity (the whole). Other examples of synecdoches are found in: Josh.
What
did Jesus tell His disciples to do regarding baptism in Matt. 28:19, 20?
Who can baptize new believers (e.g., Acts
Is there a specific time
after believing in Christ as Savior when a new believer should get baptized (Acts
[Note that the one doing the baptizing
doesn’t have to say any specific words/formula as he baptizes the new
believer.].
[The word “baptize” comes from the Greek word “bapto” meaning to submerge or sink. So, believers should
be submerged into water both because of what the word “baptize” means and
because of what baptism signifies (i.e., a visible sign/picture of the
believer’s identification and union with Christ and his/her being placed into
the body of Christ, His church – Rom. 6:3-5).].
Heb. 10:24, 25 What
are believers not to forsake?
What
are they to do?
Could these things be done
very easily if they didn’t assemble together?
Also, if believers failed to assemble/meet, then they wouldn’t benefit from all the other Christians’ spiritual gifts, experiences, and resources. Are you meeting/assembling regularly with a group of believers to do all of the above?
Why?
As a result of this study, do you see that nowhere in the New Testament does it say that a church/group of believers has to have: weekly meetings, meet on a certain day of the week (e.g., Saturday or Sunday), meet at a particular place (e.g., a building called a church), have trustees, ushers, a youth director, choir director, have a youth program, a formal choir, a particular order of service, have Sunday School classes, a nursery, an altar call, a financial collection, deacons, elders, a paid minister, or many other things that traditional building-attenders in our American culture say you have to have in order to be an official church?
However, if any of these
things are helpful for fulfilling the purpose of the church (which is to help believers grow into
Christ-like maturity in both character and mission – Eph. 4:11-13; Matt. 28:19,
20 with Acts 10:42; Phil. 2:2 with 1:27 – which means godly/holy living, doing
evangelism, and building believers up spiritually), then utilize
them, but if they don’t, then they are unnecessary. It seems that most
so-called churches today in
Dr. Paul Benware (professor of Bible and theology at Moody
Bible Institute) on page 96 of Moody Monthly in the March 1986 issue
states: “The local church has three basic purposes. The first is evangelism.
The church’s external ministry is to take God’s good news to those who do not
know Christ (Matt. 28:19, 20). The
second purpose of the church is edification – to build up and strengthen
believers. This is part of its internal ministry (Eph. 4:7-13; Acts
Dr. John MacArthur Jr. (graduate from Talbot Theological Seminary
and pastor of Grace Community Church in California) on page 48 of Fundamentalist
Journal, in the November 1984 issue, states regarding the purpose of the
church: “The saints would do the work of the ministry, and the body would be
built up – not only spiritually, by edification, but also numerically, by
evangelization.”
Dr. Grant Howard Jr. (pastor for many years and now professor of
Pastoral Theology at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary) on pages 1 and
8 of his What On Earth Is The Church Supposed To Be
Doing? states that “…the prime purpose of the
church gathered was edification. This was to be our internal purpose and
program – spiritual growth. Building up the body of Christ.
Equipping the saints. Moving people
to maturity – Christ-likeness” based on Ephesians 4. And
“…evangelism. The right job of the church scattered is evangelism.
That’s our external purpose – spiritual birth.”
Dr. Jac
Müller (professor
in New Testament Exegesis at the Theological Faculty of the University of
Stellenbosch, South Africa for 30 years) on page 74 of his The New
International Commentary on the New Testament – The Epistles of Paul to the
Philippians and to Philemon states that the one accord/mind/purpose of Phil.
2:2 means “driven by the same urge and desire, and directing their thoughts and
endeavour, on that one thing – the cause of Christ and its furtherance through
unanimity and concord amongst the believers. ” From the context (Phil.
Dr. William Hendriksen (former professor of New Testament
literature at Calvin Seminary, and a pastor for many years) on page 87 of
his New Testament Commentary – Philippians states that “striving side by
side for the gospel-truth” (Phil. 1:27)
is “mainly in spreading God’s glorious redemptive truth which centers in Jesus
Christ and salvation in Him.”
So the church’s (every Christian’s) purpose (Phil. 2:2) is the spreading of the
gospel (
Alan Stibbs
(Vice-principal of
The conversion of
individuals (obtaining salvation;
becoming a child of God or a chosen person) is a gracious and merciful
dealing of God’s. And when we Christians/the Church proclaim the gospel (evangelism), we are proclaiming God’s excellencies (His
grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, etc.). So, the Church is chosen for the
purpose of proclaiming the gospel (Acts
26:18), which tells of and exhibits God’s excellencies.
Since all the Christians
in Corinth were to imitate Paul (1 Cor.
11:1) as Paul imitated Christ (e.g.,
in seeking and saving the lost – evangelism – as one’s purpose in life – 1 Cor.
10:33; 9:16, 17, 22, 23; Lk. 19:10; Mk. 1:14, 38), therefore, all
Christians are to evangelize as their life’s purpose.
Since the apostles were
commanded by Jesus to preach the gospel (Acts
Finally, we see the
purpose of the Church described in Ephesians 4:11-13. Dr. Wuest on page 101 of
his Wuest’s Word Studies of the Greek NT, vol. 1, “Ephesians” states
that Christ gave gifted men to the Church for the purpose of equipping the
saints/Christians for (or in order to do)
the work of service/ministry (Christian
service) “in order that the body of Christ, the Church, might be built up,
by additions to its membership in lost souls being saved, and by the building
up of individual saints” (which is best
done through teaching-training).
Matthew Henry (a Presbyterian minister in
Dr. W. Hendriksen (former seminary professor and pastor)
on page 198 of his New Testament Commentary – Ephesians states that the
work of ministry/service which all Christians are to be engaged in should
include evangelism.
So,
we see that the purpose of the Church is to equip all Christians to evangelize
the lost (which is building up the Church
numerically) and to help believers grow to maturity (which is building up the Church spiritually to Christ-like character
and is best done through discipleship/Christian training). Since
evangelists, travelling missionaries both in home and foreign lands who engage
in spreading the gospel (Wuest,
vol. 1, “Ephesians”, p. 100; Drs. Walvoord and Zuck, The Bible Knowledge
Commentary, NT, p. 635), were to equip all Christians/the Church to do
the work of service to build up the body of Christ, then all Christians are to
employ their training by evangelizing and thus build up the body of Christ
numerically.
Eph.
4:11-13 God’s purpose for all Christians (the Church) is to equip Christians (in knowledge, skills, and godly character) for the work of service
(evangelizing and teaching-training)
to the building up of the body of Christ (both
numerically and spiritually) until we all attain to the unity of the faith
(doctrinally/beliefs) and of the
knowledge of the Son of God (complete,
correct, experiential knowledge of Christ as Lord), to a mature man, to the
measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness
of Christ (as Lord and Savior so we
should be Christ-like in godly character and in the mission of seeking and
saving the lost/unbeliever).
Phil.
2 Tim. 2:2; 4:5 Paul commands Timothy, pastor of the church in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3), to once again fulfill the God-given purpose of building believers (2 Tim. 2:2) and evangelizing (2 Tim. 4:5) that Timothy had once done (2 Tim. 3:10 “followed” Paul’s “purpose” of evangelizing – 1 Cor. 9:16, 17; Acts 13:47 and building believers – 1 Cor. 11:1; 4:16, 17; Phil. 3:14-17; 4:9) but apparently was now failing to do (2 Tim. 3:10 “followed” is in the aorist active indicative tense meaning once did in the past).
1 Pet. 2:9-12 Peter agrees that the
believer’s purpose is to evangelize (2:9)
and live godly (2:1).
Matt. 28:19, 20 Jesus Himself tells His followers in one of His final instructions to them that their mission/purpose in life was to make disciples/converts of all the nations, and that they were to teach their disciples/converts, in turn, to obey all that He had commanded His disciples (one of which things is to make disciples/converts). Christ further amplifies on this in Acts 1:8, where He tells them to be witnesses in all the world (evangelize).