Wed. Bible Study “Being a Healthy and Holy Church”

Jon Beck

First, let us consider Who we are as THE CHURCH

We are the People of God

1 Peter 2:9–10 – [9] But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (ESV)

We are the Body of Christ

Ephesians 1:22–23 – [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (ESV)

1 Cor. 12 – THE BODY, THE BODY. v. 13 – For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (ESV)

Ephesians 4:11–12 – [11] And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (ESV)

We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 – [16] Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? [17] If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (ESV)

Second, Let me share what Have I learned from this study

  1. Not all churches are the same. (Some are Good and Some are Bad…The Bible is the standard that determines which)
  2. God has not called me to worry about all churches.
  3. God has called me to worry about the church God has called me to shepherd..
  4. It is easy to get sidetracked on what God has called us to do as His church.

Third, what we do as a church really matters.

(What we should have learned from out study about being an healthy and holy church)

  1. Preaching. Praying, Personal Relationships, and Patience is a where we need to start.
  2. Getting the Gospel right is vital if true conversion is going to take place.
  3. Meaningful Membership sets the tone and is the mechanism for how we come together and function as His Church.
    • Church Discipline
    • God Centered Worship
    • The role of biblical leadership
    • The priority of our gatherings
    • The importance of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
    • The centrality of loving each other.

Leave a Reply