Posted on 06/20/2017 4:12:13 PM PDT by ealgeone
Question: "What is the church?"
Answer: Many people today understand the church as a building. This is not a biblical understanding of the church. The word “church” comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones.” The root meaning of “church” is not that of a building, but of people. It is ironic that when you ask people what church they attend, they usually identify a building. Romans 16:5 says “… greet the church that is in their house.” Paul refers to the church in their house—not a church building, but a body of believers.
The church is the body of Christ, of which He is the head. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The body of Christ is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2) until Christ’s return. The body of Christ is comprised of two aspects:
1) The universal church consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). This verse says that anyone who believes is part of the body of Christ and has received the Spirit of Christ as evidence. The universal church of God is all those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
2) The local church is described in Galatians 1:1-2: “Paul, an apostle … and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia.” Here we see that in the province of Galatia there were many churches—what we call local churches. A Baptist church, Lutheran church, Catholic church, etc., is not the church, as in the universal church—but rather is a local church, a local body of believers. The universal church is comprised of those who belong to Christ and who have trusted Him for salvation. These members of the universal church should seek fellowship and edification in a local church.
In summary, the church is not a building or a denomination. According to the Bible, the church is the body of Christ—all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Local churches are gatherings of members of the universal church. The local church is where the members of the universal church can fully apply the “body” principles of 1 Corinthians chapter 12: encouraging, teaching, and building one another up in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul also wrote Ephesians. What do you suppose he/the Holy Spirit meant there?
Jesus told His disciples that the world would know His disciples by their what?
Their LOVE for each other.
The pharisees had all the works you could want and Jesus was pretty harsh with them in Matthew 23.
Paul said this about works.....
Philippians 3:2-15 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Then you'd not make a very normal human; whose tendancy is to do EXACTLY what they are told NOT to do!
Romans 7:7-8 For I would not have been aware of coveting if the Law had not said, “Do not covet.”
But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire.
Revelation 21:19-20
The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
There you go again!
Thinkin' when you ain't used to it!
We have been told; countless times; that ALL churches were CATHOLIC until that DAMNED!!! Luther came along; by our FR Catholics.
However; they remain strangely SILENT when these 7 are brought up in polite conversation.
These guys are CATHOLIC; to; but they just won't admit it.
--Poorly_Catechized_Catholic_Dude(Hail Mary!!)
Other Catholics were probably told not to read the Bible. I was not told not to read the Bible. I was told I could not read it, without a priest to interpret it for me. Guess what I did? I read the Bible, and interpreted it for myself. That's how I became my own pope. I am glad it worked out this way. 😀😆😄🇵🇭
Well, that's me all over.
Except that I really don't consider myself very *normal*.
After all...
1 Peter 2:9 King James Version (KJV)In context:9 But ye are a chosen generation... a peculiar people...
1 Peter 2:9 King James Version (KJV)9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light...
Man is not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for the man. Worship of God is not a once-a-week enterprise, eh?
I agree with the words but we may have different viewpoints on the meanings.
Worship is not a moment-by-moment acknowledgement of the Lordship of Christ, with the assembly meetings of the saints only a part of it?
Worship is the part of the relationship between a person and God. It varies from individual as to how they do this. Praise and meditation as well as meeting in a congregation are important. God commanded us to work six days (be thankful to Him) and rest on the seventh day (the Sabbath). Do you do this?
The first day, of course, was the day of assembly for the Israelites, not a day of worship. The seventh day Sabbath was the day they were to stay at home and not work.
Regarding the rest of the days, at 80 I don't work as hard. The Sabbath is and always was The last day of the week, but it is no longer the day of rest for Christians.
God will be sad to hear people forgot the Commandment He told them not to forget. They've even rationalized it with the same reasoning as the serpent in the Garden of Eden. "Did God really say to keep the Sabbath holy?" Who made this change of Gods immutable Law? Name the person who can over rule our Creator. Chapter and verse? Is there not a copy of the Ten Commandments in Heaven? yea or nay. Was it not wrote in stone by God?
But the fact remains, God said NOT to forget. And the people forgot anyways.
Have a good day.
O.K.....good grief....
Because He is, it is fit to honor Him in the coincidence of His resurrection and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and to make that the day of rest. The first day of the week since the coming of the Holy Spirit has been "The Lord's Day."
The Law was not given to nor observed by Gentiles. It was for the Israelites alone, and the Covenant of Law is over with, finished, dead, and to try to resurrect that would be denying the Law of Grace, in my estimate.
By the MSM anyway!
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