WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

The Church…
 is a building that is used for Christian worship.
 consists of God’s people
 community as a whole.
 The Greek word for church, ecclesia, means “an assembly of called-out ones.”
 also applies to the whole body of Christians in one place (Acts 1:22; 13:1); a whole
congregation (1 Corinthians 14:19; Romans 16:5); and the whole body of believers in this
world (Ephesians 5:32).
The Nature and Mission of the Church
▹ The Church is recognized as a society of fellowship with God, the sacrament of salvation, the
people of God established as the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit. (Le Guillou,
1965.)
▹ The Church is somehow an organization, but on the bigger picture, it is an organism. a living
fellowship of believers where the Spirit of God is present and actively working.
▹ God-created organism that must throb with life, growth, and vitality.
▹ The church is the new covenant people of God.
▹ The mission of the church is the task given by God for the people of God to accomplish in the
world.
▹ We believe that the church is called to proclaim and to be a sign of the kingdom of God.
▹ The church is called to witness to the reign of Christ by embodying Jesus’ way in its own life
and patterning itself after the reign of God. Thus it shows the world a sample of life under the
lordship of Christ.
▹ The church is also to give witness by proclaiming the reign of God in word and deed. The church
is to seek the lost, call for repentance, announce salvation from sin, proclaim the gospel of peace,
set free the oppressed, pray for righteousness and justice, serve as Jesus did, and without
coercion urge all people to become part of the people of God.
▹ The nature of the Church is dependent on and defined by its relationship with God.
▹ It is “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” only as it shares in the qualities of the light. Its unity
depends on it turning to the Light; its holiness on the submission of its whole life to the
sanctifying power of the Light; its catholicity on the recognition of the Light wherever it may be
found; its apostolicity on its response to the same Spirit and Light known by the apostles.
▹ The church is also a community under the direction of the Holy Spirit which guides, leads,
directs, inspires and empowers individual members and the gathered meeting.
▹ The purpose of the visible church is to witness to the life of the kingdom of God.
▹ The Church finds the coming of Christ, within time, in our present experience.
▹ The Church is thus the creature of God’s Word and of the Holy Spirit. It belongs to God, is
God’s gift and cannot exist by and for itself.
▹ Of its very nature it is missionary, called and sent to serve, as an instrument of the Word and the
Spirit, as a witness to the Kingdom of God.
 ▹ The Church is not merely the sum of individual believers in communion with God, nor primarily
the mutual communion of individual believers among themselves. It is their common partaking
in the life of God (2 Pet 1:4), who as Trinity is the source and focus of all communion. Thus the
Church is both a divine and a human reality.

Jesus Christ

Ancient Jews usually had only one name, and, when greater specificity was needed, it was customary to
add the father’s name or the place of origin. Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth
because Joseph and Mary were from Nazareth. Thus, in his lifetime Jesus was called Jesus son of Joseph
(Luke 4:22; John 1:45, 6:42), Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 10:38), or Jesus the Nazarene (Mark 1:24; Luke
24:19). After his death he came to be called Jesus Christ. Christ was not originally a name but a title
derived from the Greek word christos, which translates the Hebrew term meshiah (Messiah), meaning
“the anointed one.” This title indicates that Jesus’ followers believed him to be the anointed son of King
David, whom some Jews expected to restore the fortunes of Israel. Passages such as Acts of the Apostles
2:36 show that some early Christian writers knew that the Christ was properly a title, but in many
passages of the New Testament, including those in the letters of the Apostle Paul, the name and title are
combined and used together as Jesus’ name: Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus (Romans 1:1; 3:24). Paul
sometimes simply used Christ as Jesus’ name (e.g., Romans 5:6).
 The following things Jesus teach

Among many teachings, Jesus said there are two great commandments in Mark 12:30-31. The greatest
commandment is Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no
commandment greater than these.”

12 Apostles of Christ
1. Simon (Peter)
2. Andrew (Peter’s brother)
3. James son of Zebedee
4. John (James’ brother)
5. Philip
6. Bartholomew
7. Thomas
8. Matthew the tax collector
9. James son of Alphaeus
10. Thaddeus
11. Simon the Zealot
12. Judas Iscariot

Catholic
Catholic comes from the Greek katholikos, the combination of two words, kata
(concerning), and holos (whole). According to the Oxford Dictionary of English
Etymology, the word catholic comes from a Greek word meaning “regarding the
whole,” or, more simply, “universal” or “general.”
Apostolic
 apostolic (adj.) "pertaining to, related to, or descended from the apostles," early 15c
 relating to the Pope, especially when he is regarded as the successor to St. Peter

Protestant
 a member or follower of any of the Western Christian churches that are separate from the Roman
Catholic Church and follow the principles of the Reformation, including the Baptist,
Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches.

Evangelization

In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of
sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are in their home
communities or living as missionaries in the field, although some Christian traditions refer to such
people as missionaries in either case. Some Christian traditions consider evangelists to be in a leadership
position; they may be found preaching to large meetings or in governance roles. In addition, Christian
groups who encourage evangelism are sometimes known as evangelistic or evangelist.
 St. Paul
Paul (previously called Saul of Tarsus 64/65 AD), commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul,
was a Christian apostle who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. Generally regarded
as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age, he founded several Christian communities in
Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-40s to the mid-50s AD.
According to the New Testament book Acts of the Apostles, Paul was a Pharisee. He participated in the
persecution of early disciples of Jesus, possibly Hellenised diaspora Jews converted to Christianity, in
the area of Jerusalem, prior to his conversion. Sometime after having approved of the execution of
Stephen, Paul was traveling on the road to Damascus so that he might find any Christians there and
bring them "bound to Jerusalem". At midday, a light brighter than the sun shone around both him and
those with him, causing all to fall to the ground, with the risen Christ verbally addressing Paul regarding
his persecution. Having been made blind, along with being commanded to enter the city, his sight was
restored three days later by Ananias of Damascus. After these events, Paul was baptized, beginning
immediately to proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish messiah and the Son of God.
Approximately half of the content in the book of Acts details the life and works of Paul.

Constantine

also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, and the first to convert
to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea (now Niš, Serbia), he was the son of Flavius
Constantius, a Roman army officer of Illyrian origin who had been one of the four rulers of the
Tetrarchy. His mother, Helena, was a Greek and a Christian, and of low birth.
Torah books- the law of God as revealed to Moses and recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew
scriptures (the Pentateuch). The Torah ( "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the
first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy.
1. Genesis-
 the first book of the Bible, which includes the stories of the creation of the world, Noah's
Ark, the Tower of Babel, and the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
2. Exodus-
 the second book of the Bible, which recounts the departure of the Israelites from slavery
in Egypt, their journey across the Red Sea and through the wilderness led by Moses, and
the giving of the Ten Commandments. The events have been variously dated by scholars
between about 1580 and 1200 bc.
3. Leviticus-
 third book in the Bible, the name of which designates its contents as a book (or manual)
primarily concerned with priests (members of the priestly tribe of Levi) and their duties
and about rules and regulations in the religious activities.
4. Numbers- tells the story of the Israelites during the nearly forty years from the time they left
Mount Sinai until they reached the eastern border of the land that God had promised to give
them. The name of the book refers to a prominent feature of the story, that is, the “CENSUS”( an
official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals) which
Moses took of the Israelites at Mount Sinai before their departure.
5. Deuteronomy-
 Moses reviews the Ten Commandments and emphasizes the meaning of the first
Commandment, calling the People to devotion to the Lord alone. Then he reviews the
various laws that are to govern Israelite’s life in the promised land.
a. The Ten Commandments
b. Laws, rules and warnings
Christianity

Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

Monotheistic
The monotheistic religions include the world's largest religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The
word "monotheism" comes from the Greek monos, which means "one," and theos, which means "god."

Judaism

Judaism is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural,
and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the
Middle East during the Bronze Age. Modern Judaism evolved from Yahwism, the religion of ancient
Israel and Judah, by the late 6th century BCE, and is thus considered to be one of the oldest
monotheistic religions. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenant that
God established with the Israelites, their ancestors. It encompasses a wide body of texts, practices,
theological positions, and forms of organization.

Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, also called Paraclete or Holy Ghost, in Christian belief, the third person of the Trinity.
Numerous outpourings of the Holy Spirit are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles , in which healing,
prophecy, the expelling of demons ( exorcism ), and speaking in tongues ( glossolalia ) are particularly
associated with the activity of the Spirit.
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are:
 wisdom
 understanding
 counsel
 fortitude
 knowledge
 piety
 fear of the Lord/Reverence

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit