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What Is Church

The document provides an overview of the Christian church. It discusses the etymology of the word "church" and its use in the Bible to refer to an assembly of believers. There are different views on when the church began - some see it starting with Abraham, others with the Day of Pentecost. The purposes of the church are to preach the gospel, edify believers, glorify God, observe ordinances like baptism and communion, teach God's word, and provide fellowship. The church exists universally among all believers and locally in gathered communities. As God's people, the church belongs to Him and carries out its mission to make disciples of all nations until Christ's return.

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2K views

What Is Church

The document provides an overview of the Christian church. It discusses the etymology of the word "church" and its use in the Bible to refer to an assembly of believers. There are different views on when the church began - some see it starting with Abraham, others with the Day of Pentecost. The purposes of the church are to preach the gospel, edify believers, glorify God, observe ordinances like baptism and communion, teach God's word, and provide fellowship. The church exists universally among all believers and locally in gathered communities. As God's people, the church belongs to Him and carries out its mission to make disciples of all nations until Christ's return.

Uploaded by

Ankam Manideep
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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General Introduction to Christian Ministry

What is Church?

Etymology of the Church

The English word “church” comes from the Old English circeor cyrcewhich is related to the
Dutch kerkand German kirche. All these words derive from the Greek phrase kuriakondoma,
which means “Lord’s house” from kuriosmeaning “Lord or master.”

Bible

The Bible uses the Greek ekklesia, which means “an assembly”, chiefly of an assembly of
self-governing citizens. It is used in the Septuagint of the assembly of Israel, i.e., the people
of the covenant contradistinguished from foreigners. It is first used in a Christian sense in
Acts 5:11. Paul explained this understanding of church in 1 Corinthians 1:2 when he wrote,
“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 our Lord Jesus Christ, both
their Lord and ours.” The word “church” in this verse in the original Greek is ekklesia, and
Paul emphasized that his letter was meant for all people who submit to Christ Jesus as their
Lord.

Definition of Church

In general, the church means an assembly of people, congregation or any group of people
gather together to worship God. The Encyclopedia Britannica says, “The Christian view of
the church was influenced by the Old Testament concept of the tahalwhich means the elected
people of God of the end time, and by the expectation of the coming of Messiah in Judaism.
The Greek secular word ekklesia, the term used for the church, means an assembly of people
coming together for a meeting.”

When Did the Church begin?

There are different explanation on how the Church begins. Some define the Church as
comprising all believers from Adam on. Accordingly, they feel the freedom to include some
of the Old Testament material in their understanding of the church. It is believed that from
the beginning the Church was part of God’s plan for sharing His divine life with all people.
There was a gradual formation of God’s family through a series of events described in the
Old Testament: God’s covenant with Abraham as the father of a great people, the liberation
of ancient Israel from slavery in Egypt and their establishment in the Promised Land, and
their solidification as a nation through the kinship of David.
Others define the churchwas birthed in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost over 2,000 years
ago. The New Testament books of Acts 2 describes this beginning as well as the
characteristics of this young ekklesia. Therefore, they see the church as a distinct program

This material is compiled and edited for the purpose of class discussion and for reference
and therefore does not have any acknowledgement. Do not reproduce it for any presentation.
– Joel Zoramthansanga
General Introduction to Christian Ministry

from Israel. Those who believe the church began on the day of Pentecost justify their idea
from Scripture following way:
i) The church is Christ’ body. (Col. 1:18)
ii) The baptism by the Holy Spirit is the means by which believers in Christ are
incorporated into his body. (1 Cor. 12:13)
iii) The baptism by the Holy Spirit began on the day of Pentecost after Christ’s
resurrection. (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 11:15-17)

Purpose of Church
To Preach the Gospel and Make Disciples of All Nations
God wants us to evangelise the world with the message of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
(Mat. 28:18-20)

To Edify Believers
Edify means to build up believers in their spiritual life. Most of the New Testament was
written for the edification of believers. Letter were sent to churches to be read and studied for
their spiritual growth and development. (1 Cor. 14:26; 1 Thesso. 5:11; 2 Peter 3:18)

To Glorify God
As Paul wrote to the church in Thessolonica, His prayer for them was:
“That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him...’ (II
Thessolonians 1:12)

To Obey the Ordinances that God has given- Baptism of Believers and the Lord’s Supper.
“Baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” (Mat.
28:19)
God gave us the two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, as memorials.

To teach Believers God’s way – feed the flock


“Take heed therefore unto yourself, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own
blood.” (Acts 20:28)
God wants us to pass our Bible knowledge on to others. We meet in the church to be taught
the truths of God’s word-sound doctrine.

To Provide Fellowship for Believers.


God designed people for fellowship, not for isolation. This is best achieved in a local church.
The responsibilities of Christian fellowship are to bear one another’s burden, gently restore
one another (Gal. 6:1), comfort one another, pray for one another, forgive one another,
rebuke sin in each other (Ephe. 5:11).

This material is compiled and edited for the purpose of class discussion and for reference
and therefore does not have any acknowledgement. Do not reproduce it for any presentation.
– Joel Zoramthansanga
General Introduction to Christian Ministry

Nature of Church
Universal Church and Local Church
Sometimes “church” is used to depict what some may call the universal church, which speaks
of the unity of all believers everywhere, both living and dead (Eph. 1:22; 3:20-22; 5:27). The
church in this sense is not identical with any one local church, denomination, or association.
It is not entirely visible to human beings and refers to the total of all believers from all places
and all times.
Most of the time in the NT the “church” refers to the local church, the gathered community of
God’s people who are covenanted together to worship the triune God, love one another, and
witness to the world (Acts 14:23; 16:5). This designation is the main usage of the term
“church”; the Bible emphasizes the church as a local group of identifiable believers
committed to Christ and each other, working together to glorify God and to serve His
mission. The local church is primary center of fellowship and worship, and the chief means
God uses for evangelism, disciple-making, and ministry.

Church as the People of God


The church as God’s people is clarified through the images of the church. The church as
God’s people are also the body of Christ (Col. 1:18), people united in Christ. The church is
the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25-32), people who are increasingly holy in Christ. The church is
the temple of the Spirit (1Co. 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19-22), people who are saints and
indwelt by the Spirit. As the people of God, the church belongs to Him, and amazingly, he
belongs to the Church.

The Church and Its Mission


In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus gives the Great Commission to His disciples, which becomes the
marching orders for the church. He begins by asserting that He is the exalted Son who is Lord
over all, both in heaven and on earth, and over all nations (28:18; see also Dan. 7:14). The
universality of the commission is striking; Jesus has all authority, directs the disciples to
make disciples of all nations, instructs them to teach all that he has commanded them, and
charges them to do so “all the days,” until the end of the age.
The church not only has its origin in the eternal purposes of God with its roots in Israel, its
basis in the saving work of Christ, its inauguration by the Holy Spirit, its life from union with
Christ, and its end as the glory of God. The church is also God’s showcase for his eternal plan
of bringing forth cosmic reconciliation and highlighting Christ as the focal point of all
history. The church is to showcase not only God’s purposes but even God himself. In and
through the church, God shows his grace, wisdom, love, unity, and holiness (the letter to the
Ephesians emphasizes this). Moreover, as God displays himself, he glorifies himself. It is no
wonder Paul proclaims, “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or
think according to the power that works in us—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ
Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20–21).

This material is compiled and edited for the purpose of class discussion and for reference
and therefore does not have any acknowledgement. Do not reproduce it for any presentation.
– Joel Zoramthansanga

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