Alpha | Session 16 | What About The Church?

What is the church?

• Popular misconceptions:
  • Church = services
  • Church = buildings

1. FRIENDS (John 15:15)

• Friends with Jesus
• Friends with one another(Hebrews10:25)
• Greek word koinonia = fellowship

2. FAMILY (1 John 5:1)

• God as our Father (John 1:12)
• Brothers and sisters to each other (1 John 4:19 – 5:1)
• Importance of unity
• Jesus prayed ‘… that they may be one’ (John 17:11)

Becoming a Christian involves:

• Something God does – he gives you the Holy Spirit
• Something you do – you repent and believe
• Something the church does – baptism

Baptism is the visible mark of being a member of the church.

Baptism signifies:

• Cleansing from sin (1 Corinthians 6:11)
• Dying and rising with Christ (Romans 6:3–5; Colossians 2:12)

3. HOME (Ephesians 2:19 –22)

• Old Testament – physical temple was God’s home
• New Testament – a building made up of people (Ephesians 2:21–22)
  • Jesus as the cornerstone (v.20)
  • Indwelt by God’s Spirit (v.21) ‘a holy temple’
  • A place where people are loved, accepted and welcomed home

4. JESUS (1 Corinthians 12:1–27)

• We are the body of Christ through whom the world will see Jesus (v.27)
• Universal church (Ephesians 3:10,21; 5:23,25) – Unity (John 17:20–21)
  • Diversity (Ephesians 4:7–11)
  • Mutual dependence (vv.14–26)

5. LOVE (Ephesians 5:25–27,32)

• Jesus loves the church; Jesus loves you (v.25)
• The church should be famous for its love

‘You can do what I cannot do, I can do what you cannot do; together we can do great things’ MOTHER TERESA

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Questions of Life

Nicky Gumbel