Doctrine of the Universal Church

Doctrine of the Universal Church

The Doctrine of the universal church acclaims that all genuine believers are members of the body of Christ, irrespective of the differences based on the elementary principles and practices that they follow. Though the truth never changes and God's ways are always right, men are usually composed of different backgrounds and brought up, which leads to a variety of thoughts, prepositions, and dispositions. God accepts the limitations of man, as individuals and groups that don’t overrule the foundational values and principles. So, an individual or a group needs to be careful to say that something has to be in a particular way they follow or know, as it may be just one of the ways according to the purpose behind that.

1.0.Etymology and Synonyms:

The term ‘Church (ἐκκλησία- Ekklesia) (Act 5: 11) is primarily used in the New Testament.

Some of the synonyms for Church in the New Testament are Assembly/ multitude (ἐκκλησία/ πλήθος – Ekklesia/ Plethos) (Acts 15:12), House of God (οίκος θεός- Oikos Theos) (Heb 10: 21), House of prayer (οίκος προσευχή- Oikos Proseuche) (Luke 19: 46), Synagogue (συναγωγή- sunagoge) (Matt 12:9), Temple (ναός/ Ἵερος- naos/ heiros) (John 2: 21/ Matt 12: 6), etc.

Some of the words associated with Church in the Old Testament are Assembly/ Gathering (עדת קהל– Qahal Edah) (Exo 12: 6), House of God (אוצר בית אלהים- Otsar Bayith Elohiym) (1 Chro 9:26), The Lord’s house/ House of the Lord (יהוה בית אוצר- Otsar Bayith Yehovah (Joshua 6: 24), Temple of the Lord (היכל יהוה – Heykal Yehovah) (2 Chro 26:16), etc.

 

2.0. House of God (The Old Testament Church):

The house of God existed as a small infrastructure to a very great monument from a long time immemorial and also people worshiped and heard the word of God as they gathered together as a multitude or congregation.

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and laid down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold the Lord stood above it and told that He is the Lord, the God of Abraham, his father and the God of Isaac. The land on which he lie, the Lord would give to him and to his offspring. The Lord also said that his offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and he shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north, and to the south, and in him and his offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed, behold the Lord is with him and will keep him wherever he goes, and will bring him back to that land, because He will not leave him until He had done what He had promised him. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and told that surely the Lord was in that place, and he did not know it. And he was afraid and told how awesome is that place and that is none other than the house of God, and that is the gate of heaven. So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying that if God will be with him and will keep him in that way that he goes, and will give him bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that he comes again to his father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be his God, and that stone which he had set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that God gives him, he would give a full tenth to Him (Gen 28: 10- 22).

The Lord told Moses that the best of the first fruits of their ground they shall bring into the house of the Lord their God (Exo 23: 19).

Moses’ sons and Danites set up Micah’s carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh (Judges 18: 31).

As often as Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, Peninnah used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband called her Hannah and asked why do they weep, why she doesn’t eat, why is her heart sad and further asked whether he is not more to her than ten sons. After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Then Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord (1 Sam 1: 7-9).

After the death of Child through Bathsheba, David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate (2 Sam 12: 20).

Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem (1 Kings 3: 1).

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the mouth of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord. The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house. And he made for the house windows with recessed frames. He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around. The lowest story was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house. When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built. The entrance for the lowest story was on the south side of the house, and one went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third. So, he built the house and finished it, and he made the ceiling of the house of beams and planks of cedar. Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, concerning the house that he is building, if he will walk in his statutes and obey his rules and keep all his commandments and walk in them, then he will establish his word with him, which he spoke to David his father. And he will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake his people Israel. So Solomon built the house and finished it. He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house of the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cedar from the floor of the walls, and he build that within as an inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls, and he built that within as an inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. The cedar within the house was carved in the form of gourds and open flowers. All was cedar, no stone was seen. The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid an altar of cedar. And Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, and he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. Also the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold. In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high. Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the length of the other wing of the cherub, it was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. The other cherub also measured ten cubits, both cherubim had the same measure and the same form. The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house. And the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one touched the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub touched the other wall, their other wings touched each other in the middle of the house. And he overlaid the cherubim with gold. Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms. The floor of the house he overlaid with gold in the inner and outer rooms. For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood, the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided. He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. So also he made for the entrance of the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square, and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work. He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams. In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the mouth of Ziv. And in the eleventh year, in the month of bull, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it (1 Kings 6: 1-38).

And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work. He cast two pillars of bronze. Eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same. He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital. Likewise he made pomegranates in two rows around the one lattice work to cover the capital that was on the top of the pillar, and he did the same with the other capital. Then the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits. The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection which was beside the latticework. There were two hundred pomegranates in two rows all around, and so with the other capital. He set up the pillars at eh vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished. Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. Under its brim were gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. Its thickness was a handbreadth, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths. He also made the ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. That was the construction of the stands, they had panels, and the panels were set in the frames, and on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were cast with wreaths at the side of each. Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit. Its opening was round, as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. At its opening there were carvings, and its panels were square, not round. And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with the strands, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. The wheels were made like a chariot wheel, their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. There were four supports at the four corners of each stand. The supports were of one piece with the stands. And on the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its panels were of one piece with it. And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around. After that manner he made the ten stands. All of them were cast alike, of the same measure and the same form. And he made ten basins of bronze. Each basin held forty baths, each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the ten stands. And he set the stands, five on the south side of the house, and five on the north side of the house. And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house. Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord, the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, and the two lattice works to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, and the four hundred pomegranates for the two lattice works, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars, the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands, and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea. Then the posts, the shovels, and the basins, all those vessels in the house of the Lord, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze. In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them, the weight of the bronze was not ascertained. So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord, the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the presence, the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary, the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple. Thus all the work that Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord (1 Kings 7: 13-51).

And when the priests came out of the Holy Place after placing the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord (1 Kings 8: 10, 11).

After building the house of the Lord, Solomon prayed that but will God indeed dwell on the earth. Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Him, and how much less that house that he had built. Yet He shall have regard to the prayer of his servant and to his plea, O Lord his God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that His servant prays before them that day, that His eyes may be open night and day toward that house, the place of which He had said that his name shall be there, that His servant offers toward that place (1 Kings 8: 27-29).

Then the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord. Solomon offered as peace offerings to the Lord 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the house of the Lord. The same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small to receive the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat pieces of the peace offerings (1 Kings 8: 62-64). 

And Joash remained with Jehosheba for six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land (2 Kings 11: 3).

Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and told them to hear him, Levites, to then consecrate themselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For their fathers had been unfaithful and had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord their God. They had forsaken Him and had turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and had not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and He had made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as they see with their own eyes. For behold, their fathers had fallen by the sword, and their sons and their daughters and their wives are in captivity for that. Then it is in his heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that His fierce anger may turn away from them. He called them his sons, and told that they shall not then be negligent, for the Lord had chosen them to stand in His presence, to minister to Him and to be His ministers and made offerings to Him. Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joe the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel, and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; and of the sons of the Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; and of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. They gathered their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, by the wards of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord. The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. Then they went into Hezekiah the king and told that they had cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, they had made ready and consecrated, and behold they were before the altar of the Lord (2 Chro 29: 1-19).

Then in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, when he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God. They came to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they gave it to the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord. And the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house. They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone, and timber for binders and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to have oversight. The Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music, were over the burden-bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service, and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers. While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses. Then Hilkiah answered and told Shaphan the secretary, that he had found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king all that was committed to his servants and they were doing. They had emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and had given it to the hand of the overseers and the workmen. Then Shaphan the secretary told the king that Hilkiah the priest had given him a book. And Shaphan read from it before the king. And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying to go, inquire of the Lord for him and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that had been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on them, because their fathers had not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in that book (2 Chro 34: 8-21).

Then after that, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest, went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants. And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good of his God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach His statutes and rules in Israel. That is a copy of letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the Lord and His statutes for Israel: Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, Peace shall be. And then he made a decree that anyone of the people of Israel on their priests or Levites in his kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with him. For he was sent by the king and his seven counsellors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of his God, which is in his hand, and also to carry the silver and gold that the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, With that money, then, he shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and he shall offer them on the altar of the house of his God that is in Jerusalem. Whatever seems good to him and his brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, he may do, according to the will of his God. The vessels that had been given him for the service of the house of his God, he shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. And whatever else is required for the house of his God, which it falls to him to provide, he may provide it out of the king’s treasury. And he, Artaxerxes the king, made a decree to all the treasures in the province beyond the river that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of him, it shall be done with all diligence, up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, it shall be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest His wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. They also notify him that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, or other servants of that house of God. And he, Ezra, according to the wisdom of his God that is in his hand, shall appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province beyond the river, all such as know the laws of his God. And those who do not know them, he shall teach. Whoever will not obey the law of his God and the law of the king, judgment shall be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment. The Lord, the God of their fathers, shall be blessed, who put such a thing as that into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to him His steadfast love before the king and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. He took courage, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him, and he gathered leading men from Israel to go up with him (Ezra 7: 1-28).

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. After entering Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple. In the temple He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, Jesus drove out all who sold and bought in the temple and He overturned the tables of the money- changers to pour out the coins and the seats of those who sold pigeons. Jesus told those who sold the pigeons to take those things away, not to make His Father’s house a house of trade. And He did not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. Jesus told them that it is written that His house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations and the disciples remembered that (John 2: 13-18).

Jesus asked the Pharisees whether they had not read what David and those who were with him did when they were hungry. Jesus also asked aren’t they aware of how David entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence which is not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for priests. (Matt 12: 3, 4; Mark 2: 25, 26; Luke 6: 3, 4).

The author of Hebrews writes that since brothers have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for them through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since they have a great priest over the house of God, they should draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with their hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and their bodies washed with pure water (Heb 10: 19-22).

 

3.0. People are considered to be Church:

People are preliminarily considered to be the church from the ancient times. Building the church ideally means to build individuals or groups. Jesus mentioned Himself as a church. Also, Jesus mentioned to Peter that on him He will build His church.

Jesus answered and said to the Jews to destroy that temple, and in three days He will raise it up. The Jews therefore said that it had taken Forty and six years to build that temple, and asked whether He will raise it up in three days? But He spoke of the temple of His body (John 2: 19-21).

When Jesus was praying alone and then came along with His disciples into the district and villages of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples who the people say that the son of man, He is. The disciples told that some of them say as John the Baptist, others say as Elijah and others say as Jeremiah or one of the Prophets. Jesus asked them who they say that He is. Simon Peter replied that He is the Christ, the son of living God. Jesus answered him that he is blessed, Simon-Bar Jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed that to him but His Father who is in heaven. Jesus told him that he is Peter and on that rock, He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Jesus also said that He would give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever he binds on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever he loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven too. Then Jesus strictly charged the disciples not to tell anyone that He is Christ (Matt 16: 13-20; Mark 8: 27-30; Luke 9: 18-20).

Paul writes to Corinthians whether they do not know that they are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in them. If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and they are that temple (1 Cor 3: 16, 17).

 

4.0. Church and Faith in God:

When people in the church group were selfless there was a great impact on others, and when people in the church were selfish by hiding and trying to betray God and others, there were serious negative consequences.

A man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter Ananias asking why Satan had filled their heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for themselves part of the proceeds of the land. He asked that while it remained unsold, did it not remain their own, and after it was sold, was it not at their disposal. He asked further why is that he had contrived that deed in their heart. He had not lied to man but to God. When Ananias heard those words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter told her to tell him whether they sold the land for so much. And she told yes and for so much. But Peter asked her how is it that she had agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord. Behold the feet of those who had buried her husband are at the door, and they would carry her out. Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of those things. (Act 5: 1-11).

 

5.0. Church and Persecution:

There was a lot of persecution against the Church because of the difference in the beliefs and hardness of the heart of the people, before the lack of belief and unacceptance of Christ. Also, there were political reasons to please the people who were Jews, especially those who accused Jesus.

And Saul approved of Stephen’s execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Then those who were scattered went about preaching the word (Act 8: 1-4).

About the time, Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. That was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So, Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church (Act 12: 1-5).

Paul writes to Corinthians that he is the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because he persecuted the church of God (1 Cor 15: 9).

Paul writes to Philippians that If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, Paul have more, as he is circumcised on the eight day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law, a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law, blameless (Phil 3: 4-6).

Paul writes that five times he received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times he was beaten with rods. Once he was stoned. Three times he was shipwrecked, a night and a day he was adrift at sea, on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from their own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on him of his anxiety for all the churches. (2 Cor 11: 24-28).

 

6.0. Witnesses of the Church:

The reason for the being of the Church is not to be Christians, but the reason for being Christians is the Church who meets together to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose. The term ‘Christians’ is given to the disciples not because they belong to a religion but because they witness the acceptance and reflection of Christ in their lives. Many disciples shared the good news that the Lord had done to them generally and personally, for others also to know the Lord and grow in the Lord.

Then those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen, travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of that came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were called Christians (Act 11: 19- 26).

And when Paul and Barnabas arrived from Antioch and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples (Act 14: 27, 28).  

Paul writes to the brothers that for he would have them know that the gospel that was preached by him is not man’s gospel. For he did not receive it from any man, nor was he taught it, but he received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For they have heard of his former life in Judaism, how he persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And he was advancing in Judaism beyond many of his own age among his people, so extremely zealous was he for the traditions of his fathers. But when He who had set him apart before he was born, and who called him by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to him, in order that he might preach Him among the Gentiles, he did not immediately consult with anyone, nor did he go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before him, but he went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years he went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But he saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. In what he is writing to them, before God, he does not lie. Then he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And he was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They were only hearing it, saying that he who used to persecute them is then preaching the faith he once tried to destroy. And they glorified God because of him (Gal 1: 11-24).

 

7.0. Supporting One Another in Church:

The Church is a group of people with diverse thoughts. When there was prior experience of betrayal and suffering because of someone, they tend to terminate and dissociate a person or group responsible for that. But the Godly way of looking at it would be to support the person or group and help them to realize their mistakes / accept them when they realize their mistakes.

Jesus told His disciples that if their brother sinned against them, they needed to go and tell him his fault, between them. But if he does not listen they need to take one or two others along with them, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. Jesus also said that if he refused to listen to the two witnesses, they needed to tell it to the church and if he refused to listen even to the church, he could be viewed as a Gentile and tax collector (Matt 18: 15-17).

And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So, he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Helenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned that they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. So, the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied (Act 9: 26-31).

Paul went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches (Act 15: 41).

As Paul and Timothy went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and Elders who were in Jerusalem. So, the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily (Act 16: 1-5).

Paul stayed many days longer in Corinth and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said that He will return to them if God wills, and he set sail from Ephesus. When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples (Act 18: 18-23).

Paul writes to Corinthians then concerning the collection for the saints, as he directed the churches of Galatia, So, they also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of them is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when he comes. And when he arrives, he will send those whom they accredit by letter to carry their gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that he should go also, they will accompany him (1 Cor 16: 1-4).

Paul calls the Corinthians as brothers and writes that they want to know about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as he can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging them earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints, and that, not as they expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to them. Accordingly, they urged Titus that as he had started, So, he should complete among them that act of grace. But as they excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in their love for them, to see that they excel in that act of grace also. He says not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that their love also is genuine. For they know the grace of their Lord Jesus Christ, that though He is rich, yet for their sake He became poor, so that they by His poverty might become rich. And in that matter, He give His judgment that benefits them, who a year ago started not only to do that work but also to desire to do it. So, then they ought to finish doing it as well, so that their readiness in desiring it may be matched by their completing it out of what they have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For he does not mean that others should be eased and they burdened, but that as a matter of fairness their abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply their need, that there may be fairness. As it is written that whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack (2 Cor 8: 1-15).

Paul writes to Corinthians that he robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve them (2 Cor 11: 8).

 

8.0. Right Teachings in the Church:

The Church should give importance to the truth and the truth should be based on the prescriptions of the complete Word of God and not just based on the perceptions to prove something by taking only certain aspects. Also, whenever disputes arise based on some traditions or practices, more importance should be given to the people and not to the tradition or practice, as Christ did. Also, the Church should ensure that the right teachings reach everyone.  

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers that unless they are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, they cannot be saved. And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the Elders about that question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the Elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said that it was necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the Law of Moses. The apostles and the Elders were gathered together to consider that matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and called them brothers, saying that they knew that in the early days God made a choice among them, that by His mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to them, and He made no distinction between them and they, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Then they asked, therefore, why they were putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither their fathers nor they had been able to bear. But they believe that they would be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied to brothers to listen to him. Simeon had related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for His name. And with that the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written. After that He would return, and He would rebuild the tent of David that had fallen, He would rebuild its ruins, and He would restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who were called by His name, says the Lord, who makes those things known from of old. Therefore His judgment is that they should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what had been strangled and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues (Act 15: 1-21).

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the Elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter that the brothers, both the apostles and the Elders wrote to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, starting with greetings. Since they had heard that some persons have gone out from them and troubled them with words, unsettling their minds, although they gave them no instructions, it had seemed good to them, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to them with their beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who had risked their lives for the name of their Lord Jesus Christ. They had therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves would tell them the same things by word of mouth. For it had seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to them to lay on them no greater burden than those requirements that they abstain from what had been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what had been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If they keep themselves from those, they would do well. Farewell. So, when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also (Act 15: 22-35).

 

9.0. False Teachers & False Prophets:

A well-reputed preacher or a teacher who does great wonders and miracles, need not be the one who is always perfect and preaches or teaches based on the truth. There were always people who were praised by others who had similar ideologies and interests, and they exist even today. So, it is necessary to analyse every teaching and ensure that it is right; at least when it affects the self or someone without a valuable reason.

Many false teachers and false prophets existed and exist even today for their interests or gain. There are some false teachings or prophecies sometimes even with the groups or individuals we are commonly associated with, mostly on elementary principles. Christian cults are new religious movements that have a Christian background but are considered to be theologically deviant because of false teachings in foundational principles. Some of the common Christian Cults are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism), the Unification Church, Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, New Apostolic Reformation, etc.  

Jesus said that woe to them when all people speak well of them, for so their fathers did to the false prophets (Luke 6: 26).

Jesus said to be aware of the false prophets who come to them in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves and they would be recognized by their fruits, grapes couldn’t be gathered from thorn bushes neither figs gathered from the thistles (Matt 7:15, 16).

Jesus told that many false prophets will arise and lead many astray and because of increased lawlessness, love of many will grow cold (Matt 24: 11, 12).

Jesus said that then if anyone says to them to look here is the Christ, or there He is, they should not believe it, because false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible even the elect. The disciples need to see that Jesus had told them beforehand (Matt 24: 23-25; Mark 13: 21-23).

When Barnabas and Saul had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit looked intently at him and asked calling him son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, whether he will not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord. And Paul said that then behold, the hand of the Lord is upon him, and he would be blind and unable to see the sun for a time. Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord (Act 13: 1-12). 

False teachings to be avoided:

When Paul went to Macedonia, he asked Timothy to stay in Ephesus. Some people there are teaching things that are not true and he want him to tell them to stop. He shall tell them not to give their time to meaningless stories and to long lists of names to prove their family histories. Such things only cause arguments. They don’t help God’s work, which is done only by faith. His purpose in telling them to do that is to promote love shown by those whose thoughts are pure, who do what they know is right, and whose faith in God is real. But some have missed that key point in their teaching and have gone off in another direction. Then they talk about things that help no one. They want to be teachers of the law, but they don’t know what they are talking about. They don’t even understand the things they say they are sure of. They know that the law is good if someone uses it right. They also know that the law is not made for those who do what is right. It is made for those who are against the law and refuse to follow it. The law is for sinners who are against God and all that is pleasing to him. It is for those who have no interest in spiritual things and for those who will kill their fathers or mothers or anyone else. It is for those who commit sexual sins, homosexuals, those who sell slaves, those who tell lies, those who don’t tell the truth under oath, and those who are against the true teaching of God. That teaching is part of the Good News that their blessed God gave him to tell. In it they see His glory (1 Tim 1: 3-11).

Peter writes that but false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among them, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master, who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit them with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep (2 Peter 2: 1-3).

John writes that the beloved, should not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By that they know the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. That is the spirit of the antichrist, which they heard was coming and then is in the world already. John calls them little children, and tells that they are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in them is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world, therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. They are from God. Whoever knows God listens to Him, whoever is not from God does not listen to Him. By that they know the Spirit of truth and spirit of error (1 John 4: 1-6).  

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And John saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty (Rev 16: 12-14).

Then John saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, to come and gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men both free and slave, both small and great. And he saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against Him who was sitting on the horse and against His army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. Those two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. And the rest were slain by the sword of Him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh (Rev 19: 11-21).    

And when the thousand years were ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle, their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev 20: 7-10).

 

10.0. Significance of the Church

The Church played a vital role for a person to know and grow in the Lord through the teachings and learnings from one another. Also, it provides a space for utilizing the gifts of the Spirit for the common good.

Paul writes to Corinthians that but thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care he had for them. For he not only accepted their appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to them of his own accord. With him they are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with them as they carry out that act of grace that is being ministered by them, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show their good will. They take that course so that no one should blame them about that generous gift that is being administered by them, for they aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. And with them they are sending their brother whom they have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is then more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in them. As for Titus, he is his partner and fellow worker for their benefit. And as for their brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. So, they ought to give proof before the churches of their love and of their boasting about them to those men (2 Cor 8: 16-24).

Paul writes that the signs of a true apostle were performed among the Corinthians with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. And he says they were not less favoured than the rest of the churches, except that he himself did not burden them. He says to forgive him that wrong (2 Cor 12: 11-21).

Paul writes that he hope to come to them soon, but he is writing those things to them so that, if he delays, they may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, they confess is the mystery of godliness. He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory (1 Tim 3: 14-16).

 

11.0. Role of the Church and People:

The Church and the different people in it have different roles and thereby they have different responsibilities based on that. Each role is significant and contributes to one another.

Then there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit told to set apart for Him Barnabas and Saul for the work to which He had called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off (Act 13: 1-3). 

When Paul and Barnabas had appointed Elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed (Act 14: 23).

Then from Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus and called the Elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he told them that they themselves knew how he lived among them the whole time from the first day that he set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to him through the plots of the Jews, how he did not shrink from declaring to them anything that was profitable, and teaching them in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in their Lord Jesus Christ. And then behold, he is going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what would happen to him there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to him in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await him. But he did not account his life of any value nor as precious to himself, if only he may finish his course and the ministry that he received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And then, behold, he knows that more of them among whom he had gone about proclaiming the kingdom would see his face again. Therefore he testified to them that day that he is innocent of the blood of all, for he did not shrink from declaring to them the whole counsel of God. They ought to pay careful attention to themselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood. He knows that after his departure fierce wolves would come in among them, not sparing the flock, and from among their own selves would arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore they ought to be alert, remembering that for three years, he did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. And then he commend them to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build them up and to give them the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. He coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. They themselves know that those hands ministered to his necessities and to those who were with him. In all things he had shown them that by working hard in that way, they must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He himself told that it is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had told those things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all, they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship (Act 20: 17-38).

Paul writes that though he is the very least of all the saints, that grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might then be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. That was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus their Lord, in whom they have boldness and access with confidence through their faith in Him. So, he asks them not to lose heart over what he is suffering for them, which is their glory (Eph 3: 8-13).

Paul writes to the Ephesians that then to Father who is able to do far more abundantly than all that they ask or think, according to the power at work within them, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Eph 3: 20, 21).   

Paul writes that they Philippians themselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when he left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with him in giving and receiving, except them only (Phil 4: 15).

The saying is trustworthy that if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church. He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil (1 Tim 3: 1-7).

Paul instructs Timothy that if any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. The church shall not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows (1 Tim 5: 16). 

James asks whether anyone among them suffering, and says that he shall pray. And he asks whether anyone cheerful, and says that he shall sing praise. And he asks whether anyone among them sick, and says that he shall call for the Elders of the church, and they shall pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5: 13, 14).

John calls them beloved that it is a faithful thing they do in all their efforts for those brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to his love before the church. He will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. John writes that therefore they ought to support people like those, that they may be fellow workers for the truth. He had written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge their authority. So, if he comes, he will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against them. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. John calls them beloved again and says they shall not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God, whoever does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. They also add their testimony, and they know their testimony is true (3 John 1: 5-12).

 

12.0. Christ and the Church:

The Church is considered to be the Body of Christ for which the head is Christ. So, Christ is the soul controller of every believer in the church, as the brain controls the parts of the body which has different functions, according to its Nature and purpose. It is deeper and experiential to know the relation between Christ and the Church and if it is understood rightly, the differences will be completely wiped out and everyone will be respectable to one another without discrimination (Romans 12: 3-8; 1 Corin 12: 12-31).

And God put all things under Jesus’ feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Eph 1: 22, 23).

Paul writes that wives should submit to their own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Then as the church submits to Christ, So also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands shall love their wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because they are members of his body. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. That mystery is profound, and he is saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However they shall let each one of them love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband (Eph 5: 22-33).

Paul writes to Corinthians that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth on in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. And they, who once were alienated with a hostile attitude, doing evil deeds. He has then reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present them holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed they continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that they heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which he, Paul became a minister (Col 1: 15-23).

Paul writes to Corinthians that then he rejoice in his sufferings for their sake, and in his flesh he is filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which he became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to him for them, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but then revealed to His saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of that mystery, which is Christ in them, the hope of glory. Him they proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that they may present everyone mature in Christ. For that he toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within him (Col 1: 24-29).

For they, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For they suffered the same things from their own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove them out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering them from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last (1 Thess 2: 1-16).

And He told John, those words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place. And behold He is coming soon, blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of that book. He, John is the one who heard and saw those things. And when he heard and saw them, he fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to him, but he told him that he must not do that. He is a fellow servant with him and his brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of the book. He shall worship God. And he told to him not to seal up the words of the prophecy of that book, for the time is near. The evildoer shall still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy. Behold, He is coming soon, bringing His recompense with Him, to repay each one for what he had done. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. He, Jesus has sent His angel to testify to him about those things for the churches. He is the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. The Spirit and the Bride say to come. And the one who hears shall say to come. And the one who is thirsty shall come and the one who desires shall take the water of life without price. He warns everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of that book, that if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in the book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of the prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in the book. He who testifies to those things says surely He is coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen (Rev 22: 6-21).

 

13.0. Addressing Different Issues of the Church:

The apostles and the leaders were addressing various issues of the churches in different circumstances by giving clear teachings, guidance and support. Also, they conveyed specific messages and encouraged or appreciated the church for some of their unique qualities.

John writes to the seven churches that are in Asia that grace to them and peace from Him who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To Him who loves them and has freed them from their sins by His blood and made them a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen. He is the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Rev 1: 4-8).

John calls himself brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, and writes that he was on the island called Patmos on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. He was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and he heard behind him a loud voice like a trumpet saying to write what he see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. Then he turned to saw the voice that was speaking to him, and on turning he saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a Son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest. The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand He held seven stars, from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full strength. When he saw Him, he fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on him saying not to fear, He is the first and the last, and the living one. He died, and behold He is alive forevermore, and He has the keys of Death and Hades. John writes that therefore the things that they have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after that. As for the mystery of the seven stars that they saw is His right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches (Rev 1: 9-20).

John writes to the angel of the church in Ephesus, words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. He knows their works, their toil and their patient endurance, and how they cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. He knows that they are enduring patiently and bearing up for His name’s sake, and they have not grown weary. But He had that against them that they have abandoned the love they had at first. They shall remember therefore from where they have fallen, repent, and do the works they did at first. If not, He will come to them and remove their lampstand from its place unless they repent. Yet that they have, they hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which He also hates. He who has an ear, they shall hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers He will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Rev 2: 1-7).

John writes to the angel of the church in Smyrna that the words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. He knows their tribulation and their poverty but they are rich, and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. They shall not fear what they are about to suffer. Behold the devil is about to throw some of them into prison, that they may be tested, and for ten days they will have tribulation. They shall be faithful unto death, and He will give them the crown of life. He who has an ear, he shall hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one conquers will not be hurt by the second death (Rev 2: 8-11).

John writes to the angel of the church in Pergamum, the words of Him who has the sharp two-edged sword. He knows where they dwell where Satan’s throne is. Yet they hold fast to His name, and they did not deny faith even in the days of Antipas His faithful witness who was killed among them, where Satan dwells. But He has a few things against them, they have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also, they have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore they shall repent if not He will come to them soon and war against them with the sword of His mouth. He who has an ear, they shall hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers he will give some of the hidden manna, and He will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it (Rev 2: 12-17).

John writes to the angel of the church in Thyatira that those are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. He knows their works, their love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that their latter works exceed the first. But He had that against them, that they tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing His servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. He gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, He will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her He will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and He will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that He is He who searches mind and heart, and He will give to each of them according to their works. But to the rest of them in Thyatira, who do not hold that teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to them He says, He does not lay on them any other burden. Only hold fast to what they have until He comes. The one who conquers and who keeps His works until the end, to Him He will give authority over the nations, and He will rule them with the rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as He Himself have received authority from His Father. And He will give Him the morning star. He who has an ear, they shall hear Him what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev 2: 18-29).          

John writes to the angel of the church in Sardis, the words of Him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. He knows their works. They have the reputation of being alive but they are dead. They need to wake, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for He had not found their works complete in the sight of God. They shall remember then, what they received and heard. They shall keep it, and repent if they will not wake up, He will come like a thief, and they will not know at what hour He will come against them. Yet they have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with Him in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and He will never blot his name out of the book of life. He will confess His name before His Father and before the angels. He who has an ear, he shall hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev 3: 1-6).

John writes to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. He knows their works. Behold, He has set before them an open door, which no one is able to shut. He knows that they have but little power, and yet they have kept His word and have not denied His name. Behold, He will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie behold, He will make them come and bow down before their feet, and they will learn that He loved them.  Because they have kept His word about patient endurance, He will keep them from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. He is coming soon. They shall hold fast what they have, so that no one may seize their crown. The one who conquers, He will make Him a pillar in the temple of his God. He shall never go out of it, and He will write on him the name of his God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down from his God out of heaven, and His own new name. He who has an ear, he shall hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev 3: 7-13).

John writes to the angel of the church in Laodicea, the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. He knows their works, they are neither cold nor hot. So, because they are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, He will spit them out of His mouth. For they say, He is rich, He has prospered, and He need nothing, not realizing that He is wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. He counsels them to buy from Him so that they may be rich, and white garments so that they may clothe themselves and the shame of their nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint their eyes, so that they may see. Those whom He loves, He reprove, and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, He stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears His voice and opens the door, He will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Him. The one who conquers, He will grant him to sit with Him on His throne, as He also conquered and sat down with His Father on His throne. He who has an ear, He shall hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Rev 3: 14-22).

 

14.0. Recognition of Churches and the People:

Churches were recognized as a contact center for the source of spreading the Gospel and discipling, for equipping everyone to do the good works of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Church as a whole was recognized and honored by the apostles and disciples, and also the prominent individuals who were sincere, trustworthy, and resourceful in the churches were remembered and honored.  

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and their brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of their Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and theirs. Grace to them and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1: 1-3).

When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch (Act 18: 22).

Paul commends to the Romans about their sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that they may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from them, for she has been a patron of many and of himself as well. Paul tells to greet Prisca and Aquila, his fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for his life, to whom not only he give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. He also tells to greet the church in their house and greet his beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. They ought to greet Mary who has worked hard for them. They shall greet Andronicus and Junia, his kinsmen and his fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before him. They shall greet Ampliatus, his beloved in the Lord. They shall greet Urbanus, their fellow worker in Christ, and his beloved Stachys. They shall greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. They shall greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. They shall greet his kinsman Herodion. They shall greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. They shall greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. They shall greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. They shall greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, also his mother, who has been a mother to him as well. They shall greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. They shall greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. They shall greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet them (Rom 16: 1-16).

Paul appeals to the Romans that Gaius, who is host to him and to the whole church, greets them. Erastus, the city treasurer, and their brother Quartus, greet them (Rom 16: 23).

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus and their brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of their Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and theirs. Grace to them and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1: 1-3).

Paul writes to the Corinthians that the churches of Asia send them greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send them hearty Greetings in the Lord. All the brothers send them greetings. They should greet one another with a holy kiss. He, Paul writes that greeting with his own hand. If anyone has no love for the Lord, they should let him be accused. Their Lord, Come. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with them. His love be with them all in Christ Jesus. Amen (1 Cor 16: 19-24).

Paul writes to Corinthians that, he was an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy their brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia. Grace to them and peace from God their Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor 1: 1, 2).

Paul, an apostle, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead, and all the brothers who are with him, to the churches of Galatia. He says grace to them and peace from God their Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for their sins to deliver them from the present evil age, according to the will of the God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen (Gal 1: 1-5).

Paul writes to Corinthians that Tychicus will tell them all about his activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. He had sent him to them for that very purpose that they may know how they are and that he may encourage their hearts, and with him Onesimus, their faithful and beloved brother, who is one of them. They will tell them of everything that has taken place there. Aristarchus his fellow prisoner greets them, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom they have received instructions, if he comes to them they shall welcome him, and Jesus who is called Justus. Those are the only men of the circumcision among his fellow workers for the kingdom of God and they have been a comfort to him. Epaphras, who is one of them, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets them, always struggling on their behalf in his prayers, that they may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For he bears Him witness that he had worked hard for them and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets them, as does Demas. They shall give them greetings, to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when that letter has been read among them, they shall have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and see that they also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus to see that they fulfil the ministry that they have received in the Lord. He, Paul write the greeting with his own hand to remember his chains. Grace shall be with them (Col 4: 7-18).

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, saying Grace to them and peace (1 Thess 1: 1).

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy write to the church of Thessalonians in God their Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to them from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. They thank God for them always. And that’s what they should do, because they give them a good reason to be thankful, their faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of them has for each other is growing. So, they tell the other churches of God how proud they are of them. They tell them how they patiently continue to be strong and have faith, even though they are being persecuted and are suffering many troubles (2 Thess 1: 1-4).

Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy their brother, to Philemon their beloved fellow worker and Apphia their sister and Archippus their fellow soldier, and the church in their house. Grace to him and peace from God their Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Philemon 1: 1-3).

 

15.0. Misconceptions of Church:

Misconceptions about the Church among believers and also among unbelievers had led many of them to deviate from the truths about God and even made many people mistreat the other people. The Church is a group of people who has Christ at their centre, to have fellowship with one another to know about the Lord, to grow in the Lord, and to glow for the Lord. The infrastructure and the monuments are just the contact centres for the people to gather together. Different roles and responsibilities in the Churches along with the practices and sacraments as established Christian institutions are meant to build and guide the people in the truth. Some of the major misconceptions about the church are as follows:

1.     Church is a place and or program (service) where God’s presence exists.

2.     Church is not necessary to know about the Lord, grow in the Lord and be fruitful to others. 

3.     A good Church has a big place, big revenue, and a big number of people.

4.     Being associated with a particular Church alone brings salvation and eternal life.

5.     Anointing by a Church pastor and change of name is necessary for the unbeliever to become a believer. And a special calling and provision is required to be a Church pastor.

6.     Church is a comfortable place and a place where the needs of an individual or group are met.  

7.     A believer should not change his Church group and should be associated with a person who helped them to know the Lord/ Grow in the Lord.

8.     A person should preach the gospel and teach God’s word only through the Church (s) he belongs, and shouldn’t be associated with any other groups.

9.     Church is a perfect place for the perfect people and the those who sin shouldn’t be part of the Church and should be condemned.

10.  Church makes a believer to stop sinning or a person needs to be without any sin for being a part of a Church group.

11.  The particular Church denomination that a person belongs is the supreme authority for the person.

12.  The people in the Church are hypocrites and the people especially those who are new will be judged.

 

Conclusion:

A believer can say, ‘I am the Church’. A believer or group of believers could be called as ‘You are the Church’. A group of believers can say, ‘We are the Church’. Sometimes we tend to restrict ourselves to any one or two aspects of the Church and we are incomplete. A person who has the attitude as that of Christ, does realize the need for personal edification and growth as well as the need of fellowship with one another for being beneficial to one another. Church as an established centre of public worship has its own advantages and limitations and should be constantly reviewed as individuals and as groups for the principles and procedures to be Biblically valuable and for not affecting faith towards God and love towards people. Church as a group of believers joined together for proclaiming Christ to even the most cruel sinner by their word and action in truth and love, should be always exalted.  

 

For Further Learning:

https://carm.org/minor-groups-issues/list-of-cults-and-non-christian-groups/