What is the church?

The church is not a building.  It is a body of people who have made a turning point by asking Jesus to forgive them of their sin, and who reflect Jesus and the teachings of scripture in their lives. 


The Church is the body or community of Jesus followers.  The church is realized in two spheres: (1) The local / visible realm and (2) the universal / global realm.  Think of a loaf of bread.  One slice of bread is bread in its own respect just as the whole loaf is bread.  Back to the church, the local church is like a slice of bread being bread on its own and yet belonging to a larger body of bread, the loaf.  The universal / global church is the whole loaf.


The universal / global church is body of all saved believers of Jesus Christ.  This is the population of all who will be in heaven including those who have lived and died and believed in Jesus, those who are still living and believe in Jesus, and those who haven’t been born yet and will someday believe in Jesus.  

 

Some specifics on the church:

  • The originator, head, or leader of the church is Jesus Christ. It was His idea and it is His work. (Colossians 1:18 ; Ephesians 5:23)
  • The church is empowered by the Holy Spirit and He, the Spirit, indwells every member of the church. (Acts 1:8 ; John 14:26)
  • The church exists to worship God, share the good news of the Jesus Christ with others, and equip the members of her. (Romans 10:9 ; Matthew 28:19-20)
  • The local church is physically and spiritually led by those servants whom Jesus has appointed to lead her- apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists. (Ephesians 4:10-12)
  • Each person of the church has been blessed with at least one spiritual gift to build up believers and to spread the good news of Jesus the savior. (Ephesians 4:12-13 ; 1 Corinthians 12:7)
  • The local church practices the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Water Baptism. (Matthew 28:19-20 ; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
  • The church consists of many different "denominational groups." However, it does not consist of groups who teach or believe a message about Jesus Christ that is not found in the Bible (e.g.: Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, or other religions).  (Galatians 1: 6-9 ; John 14:6)
  • The local church is an autonomous body - connected to the whole, yet self-governing as Jesus leads her through her servants. (Acts 13:3 ; 20:28 ; Hebrews 13:17)
  • The church is the victorious, shinning light of Jesus' manifested glory and power. She exists in victory and will always triumph, grow, and advance, no matter the odds and obstacles put before her! (Acts 8:1-4; Revelation 12:11)

 

The bottom line:
The church is the community of people who have been saved from their sin by Jesus Christ the Son of God.  The church exists to worship God and build up one another so that they can share the good news of Jesus, the only One who can save people from sin. The church, both locally and gloabally, is the answer and hope for the problems of the world! She is the Bride of Christ for whom Jesus died and for whom Jesus will return for!

 

Click here to go back to the FAQ's...

 

If you would like more information about this question or other real issues in life, please let us know by contacting us by phone (504-982-1406), e-mail (jeff@jeffpowell.org), or writing us at P.O. Box 1357. New Orleans, LA 70185. We would be honored to help you in any way that we can!