THEME:   UNDERSTANDING CHURCH LIFE 

LESSON: ONE 

TEXT:      Matthew 16:17-19 

INTRODUCTION 

By the leading of the Spirit of God through our Daddy, Pastor Emeka Egwuchukwu, we are starting a new Sunday school series on church life! We have treated this series before in years past, but the Servant of God, Our Daddy, deems it fit for us to revisit and study along this line again. Though a series we have treated before, it is going to come with the newness of the Spirit and the power of Everlasting Life. Remain blessed! 

DEFINING THE SCOPE OF THIS STUDY 

Our study in this series will focus majorly on church life. Here, we are not trying to set a pattern, a definition or invalidate what has been going on in assemblies of the saints anywhere. Rather, we are more concerned with the love and family life of the church which must be properly understood, placed in view and practiced for the edification of the church, and everyone that makes up the church. 

Eph 4:16 – ‘From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

What we basically want to understand is; 

  1. That which every joint supplieth: The flow of life within the body as an organism. The relationship and interdependency of each member for the common good of the whole assembly. The wisdom of the Lord in building His Church. 
  2. Effectual working in the measure of every part: Every part would mean everyone. Meaning that everyone has something to contribute by simply understanding their roles towards each other. 
  3. Edifying of itself in love: The word ‘edify’ means to ‘build up’. Ephesians 4 vs. 15 says, ‘Speaking the truth in love, may grow up….’ We want to understand how to walk in love within the common life in Christ. 

THE ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH 

For the purpose of emphasising, and leading to better understanding, it will be good to revisit these important details about the church. 

The church is not a product of any human ingenuity, wisdom or effort. No one can lay claim to the ownership of the church. The church belongs to the Lord, who has left her in the hands of the Holy Ghost to groom and raise to maturity. The church has no human origin, the Lord owns her (Jn 17:6). 

The church came into physical manifestation through the work, crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. We must understand that the church had being an issue in eternity past. It is not what just began a little over two thousand years ago. The church was only brought into the physical by our being brought in through the new birth of our spirit. In other words, without the works, crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Lord, the church would have remained in the world of God only, unmanifested. 

THE CHURCH BEING DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER INSTITUTION ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH 

  • No Racial or Earthly Identity: It is only Christ that is all and all in the church. The church is a place where people lose their racial or earthly identity to take up a new and true identity in Christ Jesus. 
  • Not a Social Gathering (Heb 12:22-25): The church is not a religious gathering as the world will regard it. It is a gathering to the living God. It is the only thing that can stand on Earth and loop into Heaven. It is not a village meeting or club of people of particular interest. 
  • Not a Political Platform (Jn 18:36): The church is not a tool for the pursuit of political ambition. It is not an expression of the earthly kingdom and does not seek to take over the human government. The church is an alien; an entity from another kingdom. 
  • Not an N.G.O (Jn 10:10): The Church is higher than any earthly institution. Non-governmental organizations seek to give aid, but the goal of the church is to give life; the very life of God. 

THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH ON THE EARTH 

  • For the full expression of God (Eph 1:22-23): One of the major purposes of the Church is to bring forth the full expression of God, not only in this time but also in the ages to come. There is an aspect of God which would not be fully expressed by the Head; the church is to God, what our body is to our head. 
  • A footstool of God (Matt 5:13-16, Matt 16:19): A footstool here does not connote what you trample upon. It is rather an expression, a place for establishment and demonstration of that which is unseen. The church, being the salt of the earth and light of the world, is to demonstrate the life of God to the heathen and be a light to bring them back to God. 
  • To show the wisdom of God to principalities and powers (Eph 3:10): Not only is the church to show forth the life of God on the earth as a footstool but God’s intention is also to show forth His many-sided wisdom to angels who are wisdom beings. 
  • The pillar and ground of truth (1 Tim 3:15): The duty of the church is to hold and keep the truth. It is a place where truth is spoken and not another thing. The truth is ordained for the church. Just as the world custodies vanity, the church is a custodian of the truth. 
  • A ground for souls to be saved (Acts 2:47): The church is a place for the salvation of souls. It is like the ark of Noah designed by God in His wisdom to bring souls into the state of salvation. 

CONCLUSION 

Understanding these little details about the church would make us view in the right perspective, the church life, staying within the boundaries of the word of God in expressing the church life. It also gives us a proper foundation for relating with one another.