TwinAnjule Wondefful blog may I add
CHURCH CHURCH PROFILE
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
BIBLE READING: Acts 17:22-34
KEY BIBLE VERSE: He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples. (Acts 17:24)
THE CHURCH IS NOT A BUILDING.
Paul’s address is a good example of how to communicate the gospel. Paul did not begin by reciting Jewish history, as he usually did, for this would have been meaningless to his Greek audience. He began by building a case for the one true God, using examples they understood (17:22-23). Then he established common ground by emphasizing what they agreed on about God (17:24-29). Finally he moved his message to the person of Christ, centering on the resurrection (17:30-31). When you witness to others, you can use Paul’s approach: use examples, establish common ground, and then move people toward a decision about Jesus Christ.
BIBLE READING: Ephesians 2:14-22
KEY BIBLE VERSE: We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. (Ephesians 2:21)
THE CHURCH IS PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE.
A church building is sometimes called God’s house. In reality, God’s household is not a building but a group of people. He lives in us and shows himself to a watching world through us. People can see that God is love and that Christ is Lord as we live in harmony with each other and with what God says in his Word. We are citizens of God’s kingdom and members of his household.
BIBLE READING: 1 Corinthians 3:10-17
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
THE CHURCH IS A LIVING BUILDING.
Just as our bodies are the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19), the local church or Christian community is God’s temple. Just as the Jews’ temple in Jerusalem was not to be defiled, the church is not to be spoiled and ruined by divisions, controversy, or other sins as members come together to worship God.
Two ways to destroy a building are to tamper with the foundation or to build with inferior materials. The church must be built on Christ, not on any other person or principle. Christ will evaluate each person’s contribution to the life of the church, and the Day of judgment will reveal the sincerity of each one’s work. God will determine whether or not he has been faithful to Jesus’ instructions. Good work will be rewarded; unfaithful or inferior work will be discounted. The builder “will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames” means that unfaithful workers will be saved, but like people escaping from a burning building. All their possessions (accomplishments) will be lost.
BIBLE READING: Revelation 2:1-7
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)
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