Church, Is It Really That Important?
The Church of God is a collection of individuals. But it is not the “individuals” that make it a church. It is the “collection” that makes it a church.
It is a very common teaching today that Christ should be magnified but that the church itself is relatively unimportant. You can belong to the church of your choice, or you do not need to belong to any church.
Not going to talk about what is a church, or which church. Just the general concept of the importance of the Church of God as discussed in the Bible.
Word for church is “assembly”. If there is not an assembly, just individuals, there is not really a church. Individuals can be scattered and still be part of the assembly or collection. It is attitude more than physical.
Matt 16:18 Jesus said He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it
(1 Cor 10:4 That Rock is Jesus Christ)
Col 1:18, 21-29 Church is now the Body of Christ. That, in and of itself makes the church important
Eph 1:22-23 God puts all things under Jesus feet, made Jesus head of the church, which is His body
Must be important to the Father if made Jesus the head
Eph 2:12-19 Jesus died to reconcile both Israel, Gentiles via one body, fellow citizens of house(hold) of God
Eph 3:10-11 (LB) God’s purpose to use the church to display His wisdom to unseen rulers in heaven
Eph 4:11-16 Ministry to edify the body of Christ, help get it ready for wedding with Jesus
Gal 4:26 Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. Just as Sarah mother of all Israelites.
1 Tim 3:15 The House of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth
Acts 2:47 God added those being saved to the church
John 14:6 No one comes to the Father except through Me. How many people have come to know the real truth as found in the Bible without the help of a church? Few, if any. Some start new churches.
Acts 20:28 Ministers take heed to shepherd the church of the Lord God which He bought with His blood
1 Cor 11:18 (LB) … when you meet as a church,… when not together, in one sense not a church at that time
Heb 3:1-6 Jesus is our High Priest, He build a “house”, His church, which we are a part of if obey
Heb 10:21 Having a High Priest over the house of God
Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together
Heb 12:22-23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven
Isa 2:2-3 Many people shall come and say, come let us go up to the house (temple) of the God of Jacob
In the Millennium there will be both the Temple (“Ezekiel’s Temple”) in Jerusalem, the physical House of God and the Church of God, the spiritual House of God.
Matt 18:20 Where two or three are gathered. It is not about size.
Eph 5:23-32 Jesus is the Savior of the Body. Jesus loved the church, gave Himself for it to cleanse it, to present it to Himself as His wife. The price one pays for something shows its value!
Rev 19:7-9 Marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. Marriage feast
Rev 21:2 New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, as a bride adorned for her husband
Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, Come, let him who thirst drink of the water of life freely
1 Cor 10:16-17 When we partake of the bread of Passover, we who are many become one body
In Churches of God, people used to respect (worship) the church. Now, after the doctrinal changes (both can’t be right), exposure of sins of leaders, divisions, lack of love, etc. people have no respect for the church. Both extremes are wrong. There is an important spiritual middle ground.
There are many allegories in the Bible, but only two main ones when it comes to salvation: God is a family with Christians being His begotten children and Jesus Christ will marry the Church.
There are many church denominations today. It is not which denomination that is essential to or determines your salvation. It is whether or not you belong to the “Body of Christ”. That is important.
Let’s not take the church and the part it plays in our lives for granted. We had a series of sermons on not taking things for granted. This should be on that list.