THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH

n The Church is of Divine Origin and

was built by Jesus.

Matthew 16:18,19

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I

will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not

overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of

heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in

heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be

loosed in heaven."

n The Church was not established in Jesus’ lifetime, it is first spoken of on a Jewish feast day called Pentecost, just 50 days after Christ’s resurrection.

Acts 2:47

“Praising God, and having favour with all the people.

And the Lord added to the church daily such as

should be saved.” (NKJV)

n The Gospel was preached for the

first time on this Pentecost.

(Acts 2:22-24; 36-47)

n The Church is not the SAVIOR but the SAVED.

Ephesians 5:23

“…Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he

is the Savior.

Acts 20:28

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which

the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds

of the church of God, which he bought with his own

blood. “

n The Church is God’s plan for the fulfillment of His purpose in the world.

Ephesians 3:10,11

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. “

n His primary desire and purpose was

the salvation of men.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and

only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not

perish but have eternal life.”

Mark 16:15,16

“ He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the

good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is

baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe

will be condemned.”

The Nature of the CHURCH is SPIRITUAL

-- It began with those who had a spiritual birth.

John 3:3,5

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one

can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can

enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water

and the Spirit.”

n Peter described the new birth as being Spiritual

1 Peter 1:23

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed,

but of imperishable, through the living and enduring

word of God.”

n The Church is also described as

THE KINGDOM

- Christ’s kingdom is not of this

world, it is Spiritual.

John 18:36

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it

were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest

by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another

place."

Colossians 1:12,13

“…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to

share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of

light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of

darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son

he loves,”

The Church is to be United

1 Corinthians 1:10

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another

so that there may be no divisions among you and that

you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

Colossians 1:18

“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the

beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so

that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

Ephesians 4:3-6

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit

through the bond of peace. There is one body and one

Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you

were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one

God and Father of all, who is over all and through all

and in all.”

The Church is
Un-Denominational

- To ‘Denominate’ is to divide into sectarian groups

- The New Testament record envisions no such arrangement.

n The fundamental issue in the question of Denominationalism deals with the nature of the church.

- The simple truth is, the Church as it began in the first century…

…DID NOT HAVE

DENOMINATIONAL DIVISIONS.

n When divisions began to arise, Paul

immediately opposed them.

1 Corinthians 1:10

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another

so that there may be no divisions among you and that

you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”

vs 13

“ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were

you baptized into the name of Paul?”

n Christ fervently prayed to the Father, for the unity of all who would become Christians.

John 17:20,21

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those

who will believe in me through their message, that all

of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I

am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may

believe that you have sent me.”

n To be Christ’s Church…

… undenominational in a denominational world; we must have and maintain an absolute loyalty to CHRIST and His WORD.

Matthew 28:18

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in

heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

2 Timothy 4: 1-3

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the

living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his

kingdom, I give you this charge: PREACH THE WORD; be

prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and

encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For

the time will come when men will not put up with SOUND

DOCTRINE. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather

around them a great number of teachers to say what their

itching ears want to hear. “