What is the Church?

• Some think of a building• Some think of a denomination

• Some think of a building• Some think of a denomination• Some think of a hierarchy or

government

Roman Catholic Church

Protestant Denomination

God God

The Saved People The Saved People



God God




God God




God God

The Church is the Saved People

The Church – A look at two uses in the Bible

• THE UNIVERSAL ASSEMBLY (church)

• THE LOCAL ASSEMBLY (church)

If we don’t learn to make the proper distinction between these two uses for the people of God – we will tend to think in a denominational sense

• In last week’s lesson – we looked at how the UNIVERSAL and LOCAL church are different.

• This week – we will try to look at some important lessons we can learn.

The Church: Universal and Local

• The Universal Church

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. (Matthew 16:18 NIV)

ALL PEOPLE SAVED BY JESUS



• The Local Church

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-- their Lord and ours: (1 Corinthians 1:2 NIV)

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: (Philippians 1:1 NIV)



• The Local Church

Christians who meet at 9498 Anhawa in Longmont

Distinction between Universal and Local Church

• Distinction in Fellowship• Distinction in Manner of Entry• Distinction in Enrollment• Distinction in Effect of Death• Distinction in Beginning• Distinction in Number• Distinction in Earthly Organization• Distinction in Shepherds• Distinction in Composition• Distinction in Necessity of Belonging• Distinction in Assembling• Distinction in Founder

What is your view of the Universal Church?

The most popular view in recent times is that the universal church is made up of all the denominations

Christ

Church of Christ

Lutheran Presbyterian

Catholic

Methodist

Baptist7th Day Adventist

Jehovah Witness

Universal Church

This divided state is against the will of God

"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. (John 17:20-21 NIV)

A prayer of Jesus Christ:

Presbyterian

Catholic

Baptist

Church of Christ

Methodist

7th Day Adventist

Lutheran

Jehovah Witness

CH

IR

TS

“I am the Vine and you are the Branches” (John 15:5)

According to this view

A Branch is a DENOMINATION

Presbyterian

Catholic

Baptist

Church of Christ

Methodist

7th Day Adventist

Lutheran

Jehovah Witness

CH

I

R

TS


Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:4-6 NIV)

A branch is not a denomination, but individual Christians

Peter

Tom

Ben

Laura

Paul

Harry

Mary

June

CH

I

R

TS



A branch is not a denomination, but individual Christians


Another View is that the UNIVERSAL CHURCH is made up of all “faithful or sound” local congregations

Christ

Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon

Main StreetBoulder County

North Street

Universal Church

A Comparison of Local churches with the Saved

The Universal Church

Contains all the Saved

Some in Local Churches are lost

So Local Churches are not the building blocks for the universal church (the saved)

Paul

Diotrephes

The Units of the Universal Church

• The members of Christ’s body are people• Christ’s sheepfold is made up of sheep• God’s army is made up of Christian soldiers• God’s church (assembly) is composed of individuals• God’s kingdom is made up of citizens• God’s temple is made up of living stones

you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5 NIV)


Another View is that the UNIVERSAL CHURCH is made up of all “faithful” local congregations

Christ

Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon


North Street

Universal Church

This view sees the universal church is made up of many local churches

Main Street

LimonBoulder County

Huffman

College

Central

Eastside

CH

IR

TS


According to this view

A Branch is a LOCAL CHURCH

North Street

Main Street

Boulder County

Huffman

Central

College

Main Street

Eastside

Limon

CH

I

R

TS



A branch is not a local church, but individual Christians

Alexander CampbellA leader of what is known in religious history as the

Restoration Movement (1800-1860)

The church is not one congregation or assembly, but the congregation of Christ, composed of all the individual congregations on earth. (Millenial Harbenger, July 1834)

Every individual church on earth stands to the whole church of Christ as one individual man to one particular church (Millenial Harbinger, June, 1853)

Robert MilliganA leader of what is known in religious history as the

Restoration Movement (1868)

For the sake of Order, convenience, and efficiency, this one body may be divided into as many churches or congregations as may be thought necessary; each one of which, when fully organized should have its own corps of elders, and deacons (Scheme of Redemption, Nashville, Gospel Advocate Co., p 509)

The Basic Issue is This ---

• A Church of Churches?

Or

• A Church of individuals?



The Body of Christ

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with 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 12:12-13 NIV)

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV)

The Body is not composed of Denominations or

congregations

Christ

ALL PEOPLE SAVED BY

JESUS

The Danger of thinking that the Church is made up of churches

Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon


North Street Universal

Church

A Collection of Congregations = A Denomination



Main Street

EastSide

BoulderCounty North

Street

Central

What ties these groups together

NationalHeadquarters



Main Street

EastSide

BoulderCounty North

Street

Central


National or StateConvention



Main Street

EastSide

BoulderCounty North

Street

Central


Publishing House



Main Street

EastSide

BoulderCounty North

Street

Central


Seminary – CollegeTraining of Preachers



Main Street

EastSide

BoulderCounty North

Street

Central


Charities They JointlyFund Raise for



Main Street

EastSide

BoulderCounty North

Street

Central


Staff Writersof a Magazine



Main Street

EastSide

BoulderCounty North

Street

Central


A Few DistinctDoctrines They Share



Main Street

EastSide

BoulderCounty North

Street

Central


“Soundness” on a particular divisive issue


Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon



Church


To denominate means “to name” so………

-


Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon



Church

Each Collection of Congregations Takes a “name”

LutheranSouthern Bap.American Bap.Church of God

This last designation makes a good “scriptural name” but God never intended for his people to wear an exclusive name that “denominates” it from others.

Church of Christ


The Universal Church Does not have one name or description


• church of God

• church of the firstborn

• body of Christ

• church of Christ

• kingdom of God


Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon



Church

Group of Congregations takes the name

Church of Christ

Church of God Are you a member of the “Church of God”?

Some say

“NO”

Jule Miller Film Strip - 1970

Does not have one name or description

• church of God


• body of Christ


• kingdom of God

“God’s names for his church and her members were selected by God Himself. Most people are surprised to learn that God never chose one exclusive name for His church. However, when the scriptures refer to the church, God has chosen descriptive phrases which set forth some of the most distinctive characteristics of the Church.” (Lesson Three, page 18)

Jule Miller Film Strip - 1970

Does not have one name or description

• church of God


• body of Christ


• kingdom of God

“God’s names for his church and her members were selected by God Himself. Most people are surprised to learn that God never chose one exclusive name for His church. However, when the scriptures refer to the church, God has chosen descriptive phrases which set forth some of the most distinctive characteristics of the Church.” (Lesson Three, page 18)

Big question at age 19:Why did every

congregation that used these booklets use only one

exclusive name?

Why did they all wear the SAME exclusive name?

-

Why did these congregations all use the same exclusive name to the neglect of other scriptural descriptions

Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon



Church

Each Collection of Congregations Takes a “name”

The answer is not difficult to find – but hard to accept

Church of Christ

They wanted denominational conformity for a collection of congregations

These congregations associated the name with doctrines and forms that made them distinct from others

The undenominational denomination

• Started with an appeal for unity among all believers

• Unity based on dropping all denominational names, creeds, and organizations

• Individual disciples used the name Christian, disciples of Christ

• Going by the Bible local churches went by Christians, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, Church of Christ

• However, after doctrinal differences … collections of congregations began to wear distinctive names to emphasize these differences

Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon


North Street


Church of Christ

Christian Church

Disciples of Christ


• A Church of Denominations?

Or • A Church of individuals?


Church of Christ

Lutheran Presbyterian

Catholic

Methodist

Baptist7th Day Adventist

Jehovah Witness I am not a

member of this

I want to belong only to

CHRIST

Darrell

I am a Christian

Central

Huffman College

Eastside

Limon


North Street


• A Church of congregations?

Or • A Church of individuals?

The Universal Church I want to belong only to

CHRIST

DarrellI am not a member of

this

I am a Christian

Dangers of being a member of a collection of congregations

• The tendency to conform in order to be accepted by the collection of churches

• Pressure to conform to a uniform name• A tendency to reject all others not in this

collection of congregations• The one or two doctrinal issues that make you

want to be a part of such a group – force you to overlook the many things you have in common with other believers

• Keeps you busy deciding “which congregations” belongs in your “sound” collection of churches

Documents

What is the Church?