MEMBER

Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

We are going to examine each of the seven marks of a fully trained follower of Jesus.

1. Member
2. Magnifier
3. Maturer
4. Manager
5. Minister
6. Messenger
7. Multiplier

 

In This Lesson – Focusing on being members of the local church.

1. Understanding the Church
2. The 1st Century Church
3. Through the Ages
4. The Local Church

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Section 1 – Understanding the Church

QUESTION: What is the purpose of the church?

 

To understand the church, it is necessary to define a couple of key terms.

 

Christian: a follower of Jesus Christ (Acts 11:26) and a member of the church (also known as the “bride of Christ”).

1. A Christian believes Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind from their sins.
2. A Christian puts his/her faith into action by obeying the Word of God, experiencing the plan of salvation, and living a holy life.
3. A Christian often refers to fellow believers as brother and sister (Matt. 12:50, Rom. 16:1), acknowledging their rolein the family of God.

Church: an assembly; a gathering of believers. We can establish the exact meaning by examining the context in which theword is used.

1. Christians associated together in worship and observing the gospel (Rom. 16:5, Co . 4:15).
2. All the Christians in a particular city or region, whether they assembled together in one place or in several places (Acts 13:1, I Cor. 1:2, Rev. 2:1).
3. The whole body of Christians throughout the world (I Cor. 15:9, Gal. 1:13, Matt. 16:18).
4. The body of Christians throughout history (Eph. 5:23, 25).

God has commanded His people to organize themselves into assemblies for the following purpose:

1. To give visibility to His kingdom
2. To make known the gospel
3. To gather His followers for fellowship & worship.

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Section 2 – The 1^st Century Church

QUESTION: Where did the church originate? What did the original church look like?

 

I Corinthians 3:11 “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”

Matthew 16:18 “…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

If we want to know what the church is meant to be today, then we must examine the church as described in God’s Word. The divine pattern for the church remains the same today as it was in its infancy.

1. God had the church in mind before creation (Eph. 1:4-5). God created man to live in relationship with Him. He chose us as His bride!
2. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He commissioned His disciples with power and sent them to preach the gospel(Mark 16:15) and help build the church (Matt. 16:18). The book of Acts is the record of how they fulfilled that command.
3. The exact time of the founding of the church was chosen – the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

Ephesians 2:19‐20 “Ye are no more strangers…but fellow citizens…of the household of God: and are built upon the foundation of the apostles…”

The 1st century Christians grasped the true significance of their salvation experience. They were passionate about the gospel and described their spiritual experience as being “born again” and “transformed”.

Not only did they obey the gospel message of repentance and baptism, they also shared the truth wherever they went. Energized by the Holy Ghost, believers were white hot in their fervency and faith.

 

From the Day of Pentecost, the church exploded in growth (Acts 2:46- 47). Signs and wonders accompanied the apostles as theypreached the word (Acts 19:10-11), and they turned their world upside down with the glorious revelation that the Messiah had come (Acts 17:6).

With the preaching of the gospel came intense resistance by many non- believers. They began to persecute Christians, but this caused Christians to scatter throughout the region (Acts 8:4), carrying the gospel message with them!

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Section 3 – Through the Ages

QUESTION: What happened to that 1st century church? Is the 1st century church still thriving today?

Worldwide Apostolic Growth (50 – 200 AD)

1. The 1st century church was magnificent in its birth and mighty in its early existence. As we read in the book of Acts,great signs, miracles and wonders repeatedly confirmed the preaching of the gospel.
2. For the next 150 years, the church overcame intense persecution and grew rapidly. The Roman Empire used all its power to destroy the Christian movement, and multitudes of Christians were tortured and executed for their faith inJesus Christ, but it did not crush their resolve.
3. The Christians of this age closely followed Biblical language and thought, upholding the belief in one all-powerful God, the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, and the salvation message.

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The Falling Away (200 – 1400 AD)

II Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first…”

1. Unfortunately, as time went by, false teachings such as a triune God infiltrated the church, diluting truth into something that increasingly resembled pagan religion.
2. By 381 AD, the doctrine of the trinity was fully established by Roman law, and an understanding of the nature andoneness of God (Isa. 44:8) was lost among mainstream Christianity.
3. The finishing blow originated in the 4th century AD. Roman Emperor Constantine ended Christian persecution anddecided to become a ‘Christian’ himself. Many heathens flocked to the church, carrying their pagan beliefs with them. The world couldn’t defeat the church, so the world joined the church, and the church lost its separation (II Cor. 6:14-17).
4. For the next 1,000 years, the world plunged into the Dark Ages, and most Christians no longer understood or followedthe truth of God’s Word. However, God has always had a people (Psalm 100:5). Even in this era of great apostasy, a remnant of believers walked with God.

The March Back to Truth (1500 – 1900 AD)

II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, forinstruction in righteousness.”

1. In the early years of the Renaissance, a rebirth of education and knowledge occurred. With the invention of the printing press, the Word of God soon became accessible to the common man.
2. In the 1500’s, a Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther became concerned with the deception occurring in theCatholic church. He wrote that men were saved by faith and not by works. This revelation of truth ignited the Protestant Reformation (a “Protestant” was one who protested the dominant influence of the Catholic church).
3. In the 1600’s, a Protestant group named Baptists began baptizing believers in water instead of sprinkling. In 1652, a group called Quakers preached a life of holiness and a personal experience with God. The march toward truth continued.
4. In the 1700’s, Jonathan Edwards began to preach that true repentance was more than a simple gesture or a “sinner’s prayer”, but a decision to forsake sin and live a transformed life.
5. In the 1800’s, the Methodists spoke in tongues and saw miraculous healings. The Holiness movement soonfollowed with a fervent search for God in holiness.

As people continued seeking truth, God continued revealing truth…

The Revival of the Apostolic Church (1900–present)

John 16:13 “He will guide you into all truth…”

1. The first day of the 20th century (Jan. 1st, 1901) marked the beginning of a new movement in Christianity that wouldsweep the world over the next hundred years.
2. At Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas, teacher Charles Parham asked his students to locate the Biblical evidence for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They overwhelmingly concluded that that the initial evidence was speaking in tongues as the Spirit of God gave utterance.
3. One of the students then asked Parham to lay hands on her that she might receive the Holy Ghost. When he did, the student began to speak in tongues! This was the first recorded time in modern church history when people received the Holy Ghost with the expectation of speaking in other tongues, leading to Pentecostalism as a distinct movement.
4. From Topeka, the revelation soon spread to Azusa Street in Los Angeles, where people from all over the world came to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). This re-ignited the fire of truth that quickly spread across the nations.
5. There was a strong desire to return to the original doctrine of the apostles. In describing this desire, the adjective “Pentecostal” became common. Further distinction of believers in a single, all-powerful deity led to the term “Oneness Pentecostalism”.

Today, more people identify with the Pentecostal movement than any other label in Christianity, except for the Roman Catholic Church. The Pentecostal movement is the fastest growing Christian denomination in the world.

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Section 4 – The Local Church

QUESTION: How can I become a member of the church? How can I connect to the assembly and be used in the kingdom of God?

As discussed in Section 1, the church exists on Earth to give visibility to His kingdom, to make known the gospel, and to gatherHis followers for fellowship & worship.

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Level of Commitment

Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Church”, provides an excellent analysis of a local church assembly using the fivecircles of commitment. It is important to recognize where you fall and to develop processes to move to the next level:

Community

• –No involvement in local church
• –No commitment

Crowd

• –Visit the local church on occasion
• –Committed to come occasionally

Congregation

• –Regularly attends at local church
• –Committed to coming regularly

Committed

• –Serves in local church
• –Experienced the plan of salvation

Core

• –High-capacity volunteer or staff
• –Committed to leading in ministry

 

Progression from level to level opens new opportunities and rewards:

1. Community >>> Crowd (leads to worship experience).
2. Crowd >>> Congregation (leads to fellowship).
3. Congregation >>> Committed (leads to discipleship).
4. Committed >>> Core (leads to leadership).
5. Core >>> Community (for evangelism).

 

At which level does one become a part of the Biblical church?

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Local Church Ministries

Each local assembly – based on constituency – may have the following ministries (and many others) functioning to some degree:

1. Children: operates Sunday school, children’s church, children’s choir, children’s revivals and other programs for children.
2. Discipleship: orients and trains new believers and offers specialized instruction for every interested person.
3. Ladies: provides spiritual and social events for women, coordinates work projects, conducts ladies’ Bible studies and prayer meetings, etc.
4. Men: provides spiritual and social events for men, and coordinates work projects for the church and for people in need.
5. Music: oversees and operates musicians, praise singers, etc.
6. Outreach: makes calls and visits, canvasses neighborhoods, conducts Home Bible studies, community outreach endeavors, prison ministry, bus ministry and visitor follow-up.
7. Church Planting: plants new churches, or services are conducted in other facilities and/or languages to reach different locations and/or cultures in the area.
8. Youth: conducts weekly Sunday school for youth; organizes spiritual and social events; plans and takes trips to district and sectional youth events; raises funds for Move The Missions, etc.

 

These are some of the ministries that the local church incorporates to meet the needs of the body of believers. Equally important, the diversity of activities, ministries and fellowship groups provide each believer with the opportunity to contribute in a purposeful way.

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Connecting in the Church

Each member of the church should strive to connect in three areas.

1. Connect to God – prayer, fasting, church attendance, etc.
2. Connect to Others – fellowship groups, etc.
3. Connect to Purpose – discipleship, evangelism, teaching, etc.

 

By connecting to God, we establish a personal relationship and fulfill the original purpose of our creation. In connecting to others, we find emotional and spiritual strength to navigate through life successfully. When we connect to our purpose, webecome a vein in which the Spirit of God can flow freely to minister to others.

This lesson covered over 2,000 years of church history, but the greatest days of the church are just ahead. Jesus is coming backfor a church that has made itself ready. Let’s be a part of the church!

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For Deeper Study

Understanding the Church

• Itis vital that we understand the value and necessity of the  Study the following Scriptures to discover the value of assembling together:

Matthew 16:18 “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Acts 12:5 “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”

I Cor. 12:28 “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after thatmiracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”

James 5:14 “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

Heb. 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together…but let us encourage one another….”

The 1st Century Church

• With thousands of Christian denominations in the modern era, one might conclude that they mustall be wrong.Fortunately, God has given us His Word to set the record  Because it is our standard, we must carefully study the methods and doctrine of the original church. Read the account of the birth of the church in Acts chapter two.Continue reading this chapter until you become familiar with the events of the Day of Pentecost.

Through the Ages

• DavidBernard has written a three volume series entitled “A History of Christian Doctrine”. These are invaluable resources for understanding the historical march from apostasy to apostolic truth.

The Local Church

• Examinethe circles of commitment chart in Section  Which level are you at? How can you move to the next level?