BIBLE STUDY COURSE LESSONS 9 12 L ESSON T WELVE

Transcription

1 BIBLE STUDY COURSE LESSONS 9 12 L ESSON T WELVE

2 WHERE IS THE CHURCH JESUS BUILT? Jesus Christ said, I will build my church (Matthew 16:18). Can you find in today s world the Church that Jesus Himself established nearly 2,000 years ago? This is vitally important, because Christ also said that many would come in His name yet deceive many people (Matthew 24:5). How can someone come preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, acknowledging Him as the Messiah, and yet deceiving people? The Apostle Paul explained that even in his day some were preaching another Jesus and a different gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). Writing in the mid-60s AD, the Apostle Jude, the brother of James and therefore the half-brother of Jesus, warned his readers to contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). In seeking to identify the Church that the Messiah established, we are really seeking to discover true Apostolic Christianity. Much of what passes as Christian in today s world did not actually originate with the teachings of Jesus and the first-century Apostles. As we have seen in previous lessons, many widely accepted customs and teachings come not from the Bible, but from pre-christian and non-christian ideas and practices. Historian Will Durant, writing in Caesar and Christ, stated that: Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it Christianity was the last great creation of the ancient pagan world (p. 595). His point was that Greek thought came to manifest itself in the liturgy and theology of the professing Christian church. Various pagan nations in the Mediterranean world contributed customs and ideas, particularly Egypt. It was in pagan Egypt that so-called Christian monasticism had its origin. Egypt also contributed the idea of the trinity and the immortality of the soul as well as the adoration of the mother and child. Many other historians have commented upon the same phenomenon. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut in his respected handbook on church history, The Story of the Christian Church, writes the following: For fifty years after St. Paul s life a curtain hangs over the church, through which we strive vainly to look; and when at last it rises, about 120AD with the writings of the earliest church fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul (p. 41). Durant also makes clear that the church which most of the world came to consider the continuation of the Apostolic church actually grew by the absorption of pagan faith and ritual (Durant, p. 575). Real Apostolic Christianity spread out from the Jerusalem church, first throughout Judea and then throughout the Jewish diaspora. When the Apostle Paul preached in the gentile cities, he began by preaching to the Jews as well as to the God-fearing gentiles who met with them in the synagogues (cf. Acts 13:16; 18:4). Even the earliest gentile converts were familiar with the Old Testament from their regular Sabbath attendance in the synagogue. Acts 10 describes the first gentile converts, Cornelius and his household, as devout and as God-fearers (a technical term indicating those gentiles who worshiped according to the Hebrew scriptures but remained uncircumcised). The Interpreter s Dictionary of the Bible explains that these near-proselytes were Gentiles, Greeks, Romans, Syrians, etc., who embraced or were inclined to the monotheistic faith and ethic of Judaism, who admired and even observed some of the Jewish customs such as the sabbath rest some of the food taboos, and who made contributions to charity. They visited the synagogues, and read and listened to the reading and expounding of the Scriptures in Greek (vol. 3, p. 929). In other words, the Church that Jesus established was built upon God s Old Testament revelation, and did not simply discard it in favor of the customs and practices of paganism. The members of the Jerusalem church, almost 30 years after Christ s crucifixion and resurrection, were described to Paul by James the Lord s brother as all being zealous for the law (Acts 21:20). The Apostle Paul himself praised his gentile converts for being imitators of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 2:14, KJV). Clearly, the Church that Jesus built, wherever it exists on earth today, will be a continuation of true Apostolic Christianity! 33

3 Bible Study Course Upon This Rock Lesson Twelve Jesus declared to His disciples, on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). What rock was He talking about? Does this declaration affect true Christians today? Notice the context of Christ s momentous statement. Upon visiting the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples who the people thought He was. Their answers included John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Matthew 16:13 14). However, Jesus wanted to know what His disciples thought. Peter immediately answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (v. 16). Jesus responded, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven (v. 17). Next, Jesus announced plans to build His Church. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). The Greek here contains a play on words that is not readily apparent in English. Peter s name in Greek was petros a masculine form of the English noun rock, which normally described a smaller, or moveable, rock. When Christ said on this rock I will build My church he used the Greek word petra a feminine form which always described a large, immovable rock. Before we look further at the implications of these words, we should consider several key points about this verse. From John 1:42, we know that Christ had given Simon Bar-Jonah the name rock when he first came to Jesus Christ as a disciple, many months before the Matthew 16 incident. He was called Cephas from the Aramaic word for rock not petros or Peter. Aramaic was the language Jesus and His disciples most commonly spoke, and contains just one word for rock. Aramaic does not allow for the little rock big rock wordplay of the Greek. Many Bible commentators assume that Christ would have spoken His Matthew 16 words in Aramaic, and that the rock referred to would have been Peter himself. Yet this explanation neither fits the context nor the rest of Scripture. Isaiah 28:16 clearly provides a prophetic backdrop of Christ s Matthew 16 words, stating Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. Later Christ quoted Psalm 118:22 23 to the Pharisees, reminding them that the stone rejected by the builders was to become the cornerstone (Matthew 21:42). This foundation cornerstone is a clear reference to the Messiah, who was rejected by the religious leadership. Years later, writing to the Church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul plainly identified Jesus Christ as the Rock (petra) of Israel (1 Corinthians 10:4). Christ, not a weak and fallible human being, is the real rock upon whom the Church is built. Christ s Matthew 16:18 statement is most likely explained correctly by some of the older commentators such as Lightfoot and Edersheim, who say that He actually used the Greek words petros and petra as wordplay on Simon s previously given name, Cephas. Aramaic-speaking Jews commonly used Greek expressions in Christ s day, and most Jews had both a Hebrew name and a Greek one. If Christ had meant to say that He would build the Church upon Peter, the simplest way would have been to say, You are Peter (a rock) and upon you I will build My church. This is not what He said and it is certainly not what He meant! While Peter had many hard, rock-like qualities, he was a very moveable rock, a petros. Christ Himself is the sure foundation, the real chief cornerstone. Not only that, but Christ went on to emphasize that not only would the Church be built upon Him, but that the gates of Hades, the grave, would never prevail against it. It would never die out, but would continue throughout the ages. The true Church is built upon the only sure foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11), upon the very one who is the Rock of our Salvation (Psalm 62:2). Jesus Christ is the One who will be with us always, even unto the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). 34

4 Lesson 12, part A The Origin of the Church Everyone knows what a church is or do we? What is the Bible s definition of church and when did the Church start? Examine the Bible answers to these vital questions. 1. Did Jesus Christ come with the intention of establishing a church? Matthew 16:18. Would the gates of the grave (note that the Greek word hades, the grave, is rendered hell in most English-language translations) ever close shut on that Church, or would it always continue to exist? 2. Was Christ s Church to be built upon a rock? Matthew 16:18. (Note: This verse contains a play on words. Christ gave Simon Bar-Jonah an additional name Peter derived from the Greek petros meaning little rock. The rock upon which Christ then said He would build His Church is petra, normally referring to a large rock or boulder.) 3. How does Paul describe the spiritual foundation upon which God s people are being built? Ephesians 2: Is Jesus Christ described as the chief cornerstone of God s spiritual building? 1 Peter 2:6 8. (Note: Peter was quoting from Isaiah 28:16. His use of the word cornerstone in the Greek is akrogoniaios, and speaks about a stone placed at an extreme corner of the foundation. All other building blocks are to line up with this carefully laid stone.) 5. In his inspired sermon recorded in Acts, what does Peter reveal about the role of Jesus Christ in the Church? Acts 4: Was Christ also described as the spiritual Rock that was with Israel in the wilderness? 1 Corinthians 10:4. 7. Did Christ stress to His followers the need to build upon a rock rather than upon sand? Matthew 7: In the Biblical illustrations about building, does the great rock and foundation upon which we must build always refer to Christ, rather than to Peter or some other human leader? 1 Corinthians 3: Did God consider ancient Israel to be His Church? Acts 7: Were they called the Congregation of Israel? Exodus 12:3. (Note: the words congregation and church are synonymous. In the Greek it is ekklesia and in the Hebrew it is edah, meaning a gathering or assembly, usually for religious purposes.) 11. Is the Church the spiritual body of Christ? Colossians 1:18. What makes us part of that Church? 1 Corinthians 12: Was the beginning of the New Testament Church marked by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to fill the true followers of Christ? Acts 1:4 5, 8; 2:

5 Bible Study Course The Great Commission to the Church Lesson Twelve Following Jesus Christ s resurrection, before He returned to heaven, He left parting instructions to His followers. Mark s account puts it succinctly. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (16:15). This commission was not simply limited to the immediate disciples of Christ, however. He explained, to those whom He initially commissioned, that they were to teach those who responded to their preaching to observe all of the things that He had commanded them (Matthew 28:20). This clearly indicated preaching His doctrines and the commission itself. Did Jesus Christ expect that most would respond to His disciples preaching? Of course not! Clearly, God has a time plan and many are simply blinded to the truth right now (Romans 11:25 26). Individuals cannot respond and come to Christ unless the Father calls them to understanding and repentance. (John 6:44). However, the Good News of God s coming kingdom must go into all of the world for a witness prior to the end (Matthew 24:14). God always sends a warning and a witness to people prior to His intervention. When Jesus Christ walked the earth, He looked upon the people and was moved with compassion. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He told His disciples to lift up their eyes and look, and see that the fields were white to harvest (John 4:35). He saw a great work to be done in sounding the message of the Kingdom of God. He had come with a message and that message contained good news the only real good news available for a sick and hurting world. The true Church of God is not going to convert the world right now. It is going to take the returning glorified Christ to subdue rebellious nations and establish the Kingdom of God! True Christians are to be a light to the world, radiating God s way of love and kindness in all of their dealings with everyone. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14 16). Yet Christians also realize that they are not going to reform the world prior to Christ s return. 36 However, those who are the true followers of Jesus Christ will not simply devolve into a social club. They will not be self-absorbed and concerned only about their own spiritual growth. Rather, they will have a broader vision, and will have love and concern for the whole world just as Jesus Himself had. They will have a fire in the belly to share Christ s wonderful message with all of mankind. Those who are part of the true Church of God have had a great responsibility placed upon them. The Apostle Paul explains in 1 Thessalonians 2:4 that we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel (KJV). The full significance of this expression has been lost on many, but it is a theme that Christ Himself developed elsewhere. A trust is a legal term that refers to someone having the property of another placed into his keeping. He is then under obligation to manage that property for the benefit of the owner. Jesus Christ came to this earth bringing the gospel message. He delivered that very message to His disciples and commissioned them to take it into all the world and to proclaim it to every creature (Mark 16:15). In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14 30) Jesus Christ likened Himself to a wealthy man leaving on a long journey. Before his departure the man delivered to his servants various sums of money to be held in trust for him. Upon his return he would require an accounting and reward them in accordance with how well they had performed in his absence. In the parable that Christ gave, the man who had done nothing productive with what he had been given, had merely held onto it, was severely penalized. By failing to actively manage what was delivered to him for the benefit of his master, he had in reality betrayed his trust! As the Apostle Paul explained in Romans 10: How can people believe in Him of whom they have not heard? How can they hear without a preacher? How can they preach unless they are sent? (cf. vv ). The true Church has a vital commission, which all who are truly yielded to God and in whom Christ is genuinely living His life (Galatians 2:20), will support with their wholehearted efforts.

6 Lesson 12, part B The Purpose of the Church Why did Jesus Christ build a Church? Did He have a specific purpose in mind? Many reason that the main purpose for the Church is to make this world a better place. Or perhaps the Church exists to save souls. What does the Bible reveal as the real purpose for the existence of the Church that Jesus built? 1. Was part of Christ s purpose for His followers that they be lights in a darkened world? Matthew 5: Would Christ s Church fit in with the world s customs and practices and be accepted by the surrounding world? John 17: What did God inspire James to write concerning God s people trying to blend in with the world? James 4:4. 4. Did Christ teach His disciples that the law of God was done away? Did He teach that obedience to God s law was simply unimportant? Matthew 5: What was the expanded form of those laws that Christ told them to teach? Matthew 5:21 22, (Note: Christ did not do away with the law, but made it more binding for those who would be His followers Christians.) 6. Did Christ give His followers a commission before He ascended to heaven? Matthew 28:19. Were His disciples supposed to teach their listeners to observe all of the things that Christ had taught them personally? v. 20; Mark 16: What would occur prior to the Second Coming regarding the fulfillment of this commission that Christ gave? Matthew 24: When the Apostles went forth to preach the gospel, what was one of the ways the Church supported them? Ephesians 6:18 20; Colossians 4:2 3. (Note: Paul told the Ephesians that they needed not only to pray, but to offer supplications to God in the Spirit. A supplication, deesis, is an earnest, entreating prayer in which individuals pour out their hearts to God.) 9. Did the Church s prayers and supplications supporting the Apostles make a difference? Acts 12:5, Does God want the Church to provide financial support and encouragement to all those actively involved in preaching the gospel? Philippians 4:14 17; 1 Corinthians 16:10 11; 3 John Is the Church supposed to firmly support the truth of God? 1 Timothy 3: Do God s true servants, supported by the Church, the spiritual body of Christ, have a duty to warn Israel of God s judgment? Isaiah 58:1. 37

7 Lesson 12, part C Is the Church Supposed To Be Organized? What is the role of organization in the Church? What does the Bible reveal about the human structure and organization of the Apostolic Church? Did organization and government play a part from the beginning, or did it only appear a century or more after the New Testament period? Notice the Bible answers to these important questions Who is the living Head of the true Church? Colossians 1: Is God ever the author of confusion? 1 Corinthians 14:33. If groups of people are going to exist together in peace, without confusion, there must be government. 3. Do the Father and Christ operate within an organizational structure? 1 Corinthians 11:3. 4. Does the Bible compare the Church as the spiritual body of Christ (cf. Colossians 1:18) to the human body, one organism consisting of many members? 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Romans 12: Did Christ establish various spiritual offices in the Church? Ephesians 4:11. What are the purposes of these offices? Ephesians 4: Does the Bible show a correlation between government in the home and government in the Church? 1 Timothy 3:4 5. Did Paul expect that a bishop would govern the Church in much the same way that he led his own family? (Note: The term bishop is translated from the Greek episkopos, which means overseer. Paul was instructing Timothy to ordain men to oversee the Church, just as a husband must oversee his family.) 7. Does God show that government in His Church is supposed to be by appointment from the top down beginning with Christ? Ephesians 1:22; Titus 1:5. 8. Did Paul appoint Titus to have administrative authority in the isle of Crete, to organize churches and to appoint and ordain other faithful men to lead local congregations? Titus 1:5. 9. What are three things that Peter told the elders that they were to do for God s people? 1 Peter 5: Did God desire there to be full-time ministers who receive their livelihood from the Church? 1 Timothy 5: Does God ever expect His ministry to correct His people? 2 Timothy 4: How should Christians respond to God s Church government? Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24.

8 Bible Study Course Offices in the New Testament Church Lesson Twelve The New Testament uses a variety of terms to describe the various offices that exist in the Church. Look at these terms and their meanings. Deacon: (diakonos) Literally a servant, one who waits upon tables. In Acts 6 there were seven men ordained by the Apostles to oversee the physical duties of service in the Church. Deaconess: (diakonon) The feminine form of deacon. Used in Romans 16:1 to describe Phoebe, who served the church in Corinth. The offices of deacon and deaconess have spiritual qualifications (1 Timothy 3:8 15), but are offices for serving the physical needs of the brethren. Minister: (diakonos) The same term as is rendered deacon, but used in certain contexts to describe an office of spiritual service. Just as there was a literal waiting on tables in serving the needs of the Jerusalem church, there is also spiritual service rendered by serving the spiritual food of God s word at the table of the Lord. Paul uses the term this way in such passages as 2 Corinthians 3:6; 6:4; Colossians 1:23 and 1 Thessalonians 3:2. It is a general term that emphasizes that all of the offices of preaching and teaching in the Church are, first and foremost, offices designed to serve God s people. Elder: (presbyteros) Literally means those who are older, and, in the context of the Church, describes those selected from among the brethren for their spiritual maturity. Old Testament elders were leaders counselors and judges. In the Church, in addition to their role of counseling and teaching those who are less experienced in applying the word of God, they are called upon to anoint the sick (James 5:14). This is an ordained office in the congregation (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5, KJV). In many cases this term refers to local men ordained to serve in their own congregations (Acts 20:17), but is also used as a general term referring to all ministers (1 Peter 5:1). Overseer: (episkopos) Literally one who looks over and is rendered bishop in many translations. It is a term for ministers in general, referring to their responsibility to govern the congregation over which they have been given oversight (cf. Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:7). In writing to Timothy, the Apostle Paul compares this spiritual office with the way a husband and father oversees his family (1 Timothy 3:2 5). Pastor: (poimen) Means shepherd in Greek, but refers in Ephesians 4:11 to an office in the Church. God often likens His people to sheep, and this term describes the spiritual office of visiting, protecting and feeding God s flock. Evangelist: (euangelistes) A teller of the good news. Comes from the same word translated as gospel. Listed as a specific office or rank of the ministry in Ephesians 4:11, one who holds this office, in addition to his role as elder, overseer and shepherd, would provide leadership in spreading the gospel message (cf. 2 Timothy 4:5). Prophet: (prophetes) Designation for the office of one through whom God directly speaks by special revelation. Though usually used in the New Testament to refer to the men whom God used to write the Old Testament, it can also refer to a New Testament office (cf. Acts 21:10). While the Church of God recognizes no one as currently holding this office, it will clearly be exercised again in a few years, when God raises up His final two witnesses (Revelation 11:3). Apostle: (apostolos) Means messenger or special emissary, and is used to describe the highest office in the New Testament Church. In the first century it not only described the original 12 men ordained and sent forth by Christ, but also such men as James the Lord s brother and Paul. This office involves a special commission and is characterized by notable fruits (2 Corinthians 12:12). 39

9 Lesson 12, part D Identifying the True Church If Jesus Christ built a Church, how can you be sure that you have really found that Church? Are there ways of clearly identifying the Church that is a direct continuation of original Apostolic Christianity? After all, just because a church calls itself Christian does not necessarily make it so. How can you know for sure? 1. Did Jesus Christ pray that the true Church be kept in the Father s name? John 17: By what name is the true Church called 12 different times in the New Testament? Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 1:2; 10:32; 11:16, 22; 15:9; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:5, What are two identifying signs of God s true Church as given in Revelation 12:17? 4. The true saints are identified by what two criteria? Revelation 14: Did Jesus say that we must obey God and keep His commandments if we are to enter into the Kingdom of God? Matthew 7:21 23; 19: Is obedience to the Sabbath commandment a sign that identifies the true people of God? Exodus 31: Some might say that this specifically applies to Israel, but does the Bible show that converted gentiles become spiritual Israelites? Galatians 3: What makes one a member of the true Church? 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9 11. (Note: Christ dwells lives His life in repentant, baptized individuals through the Holy Spirit of God. This is what makes them Christians.) 9. How does one go about receiving the Holy Spirit of God? Acts 2: We are to repent of sin, but what is sin? 1 John 3:4. (Note: The word lawlessness in the Greek is anomia which means contempt for, and violation of, the law.) 11. Does God give His Spirit only to those who have turned from disobedience to obedience? Acts 5: Was God s true Church to become large and popular in today s world, or was it to remain small and persecuted? John 15:18 20; 16:2, 33; 17:14; Luke 12: Look at some of the attributes that God wants His Church to display. What should the Church be doing in this end-time? Matthew 24: What attitude should exist among members of the Church? John 13: Will true spiritual power be in evidence as well? John 14:12. (Note: Jesus said His Church would be doing what He had been doing, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, but on a greater scale than He did.)

10 Bible Study Course Where Should You Attend Church? Does it make a difference which church you attend? Many simply believe there is no difference from church to church. The truth of the matter is, there is a big difference! Jesus Christ taught He would build His Church (Matthew 16:18) not hundreds of divided, disagreeing and competing organizations. Jesus is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). When the Bible uses the word church, do you know what it means? In reality, this word helps define the church to which you should belong! We need to understand the surprising answer! Church is derived from the Greek word ekklesia, literally meaning a calling out of (Vine s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, see Assembly, p. 42). The Greeks commonly used this term when referring to a body of citizens gathered together to discuss the affairs of state. For example, the entire city of Ephesus, in an excited uproar against the Apostle Paul, formed an ekklesia in the outdoor amphitheater (Acts 19:29, 38 41). The word, church, simply means an assembly or gathering of a group of people. However, this word profoundly changes when modified by God s name! The Church of God represents the group of called out followers of Jesus Christ. Yet what are God s people called out of? The Apostle Paul answers this question. Notice: Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God Therefore come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:14 18). How would one be able to identify the true Church of God, the one that is a continuation of the Church that Jesus built? No church hangs out signs identifying itself as the false church, yet, clearly, with so many different competing ideas and doctrines, the various churches cannot all be right! There are several keys from scripture that help identify the Lesson Twelve Church that Jesus Christ built, the one against whom the gates of the grave have never been able to prevail. Kept in the Father s name (John 17:11), it will be a commandment-keeping group. The commandment identified in scripture as the test commandment is observance of the seventh-day Sabbath (Exodus 31:12 17). The true Church also is one that has a profound sense of mission. Jesus Christ said My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work (John 4:34). The Church that He built will have that same priority. After all, true Christians are those who seek to imitate Jesus Christ by following His example. Members of the true Church are empowered and led by the Holy Spirit. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). They have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5, KJV) and will radiate that love both toward God and toward their fellow man. Finally, God s true assembly is metaphorically described as being closely joined and knit together as a body with Jesus Christ as the Head (Ephesians 4:15 16). God s people are called out to be perfectly joined together in the same mind all speaking and believing the same doctrines (1 Corinthians 1:10)! Today s churches that profess to be Christian display a sharp contrast to the true meaning of the words Church of God. Before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed that the Father would keep His Church one! (John 17:20 22). There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father of all (Ephesians 4:4 6). It is this modern-day continuation of the very Church that Jesus built to which you should belong! If you have proven from your own Bible that the things you have been learning with the aid of this Bible study course really are the truth of God, then you may wish to counsel with one of God s true ministers. The Living Church of God has congregations and ministers throughout the United States and Canada, and also in many countries around the world. If you would like to make personal contact with the congregation in your area, please contact us at one of the addresses listed on the inside front cover of this lesson. 41