Our Young Adult group had a great discussion about What is Church. See the full notes below.

What is the Church?

The church is the community of all true believers for all time. Those who have been, are now, and will be true believers in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:25

Invisible yet visible church
Invisible church: God is the only one who knows the condition of people’s hearts in relation to His Son. If God is the only one who can see our hearts or know our hearts, then He is the only one who can really know who is in the church – so to us it’s invisible.
2 Timothy 2:19

The visible church will contain people who are truly followers of Jesus and some who are not really followers of his. They will do some things followers do, but they don’t truly KNOW Jesus in a salvific relationship.

What is the church in our sense of the word?
The NT shows a few different types of “churches”
A small house church: Romans 16:5, 1 Cor 16:19
An entire city church: 1 Cor 1:2, 2 Cor 1:1, 1 Thess 1:1
A church in a region: Acts 9:31
The entire world: Ephesians 5:25, 1 Cor 12:28
In this sense the church is a community of God’s people at any level or size.

How is the church described in scripture?
A Family: 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Eph 5:32, 2 Cor 11:2
A body: 1 Cor 12, Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:15-16
A new temple & a holy priesthood: 1 Peter 2:4-8
Branches on a vine: John 15:5
An Olive tree: Romans 11:17-24
A field of crops: 1 Cor 3:6-9
What do each of these metaphors tell you about the church?

What distinguishes a church from a gathering of believers meeting in a coffee shop?
2 main things that most scholars agree must be present to make a group of people a “church”.
First – correct preaching of the Bible – salvation in Christ alone through faith alone by someone who’s called specifically to serve that role in that place at that time.
Second – The correct administration of the sacraments – baptism and the Lord’s Supper – these two things serve as membership controls – people enter the church through baptism and show a continual growth through the Lord’s supper

Another mark of a church is that the “church” should be attempting to function as a church – example – a college ministry on a campus will say at some point, we want our students to find a local church to attend – that means they are not a church and don’t intend to be a church

Another distinction can also be made based on the NT – a church should be striving for:  Unity and Purity
Purity – Ephesians 5:26-27
Unity – John 17:21
What do these look like in our church or other churches in our area – state – country – world

What are churches supposed to do?
Minister to God – Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 1:12
Minister to its members – Colossians 1:28 – build them up and nurturing them Ephesians 4:12-13
Ministry to the World – Matthew 28:19, Acts 1:8

Other things we can do:
Ministry to poor and oppressed: Galatians 2:10, James 1:27
Physical needs – Acts 11:29, 2 Corinthians 8:4, 1 John 3:17
Do good to everyone – Galatians 6:10

What power do we have to fulfill the church’s mission?
The Holy Spirit – John 14:26, Acts 1:8
Spiritual gifts – Paul doesn’t seem to place one group as more important than the other – Rom 12:6-8, 1 Cor 7:7, 12:8-10, Eph 4:11
All gifts are to be used for the common good and building up the church – they come from the same place

What are some things you like about Glen Haven or your church?
What are some things you don’t like?
How can we do a better job?

This was a great couple week discussion on some central concepts to Christianity. Thanks for letting me share.

1. What is Salvation, Justification and Adoption into God’s Family
   
   The call to come to faith in Jesus Christ
   1 Peter 2:9
   1 Corinthians 1:9
   1 Thessalonians 2:12
   1 Peter 5:10
   Romans 1:6-7
   Galatians 5:13
   
   The simple elements of a gospel call
   All people have sinned – Romans 3:23
   The penalty for sin is death – Romans 6:23
   Jesus died to pay the penalty for my sin Romans 5:8
   
   Matthew 11:28-30
   
   Salvation requires knowledge, approval and trust
   
   Justification – the act of God declaring me righteous because of my faith in Him
   It is an instantaneous act in which he thinks of my sins as forgiven and declares me to be “just” or morally righteous in his sight.
   Romans 3:26
   Galatians 2:16
   2 Corinthians 5:21
   Justification through faith alone – Ephesians 2:8-9
   Romans 8:1
   
   Adoption
   Because we are justified – legal term – by God only because of the work of Jesus – NOW we can be counted as in His family
   John 1:12
   Ephesians 2:2-3
   Romans 8:15
   1 John 3:2
   
   
   
2. What are sanctification and perseverance?
   
   Sanctification is the progressive work of both God and man that makes Christians more and more free from sin and more and more like Christ in their actual lives.
   
   Romans 6:18 – set free from sin
   Romans 6:11, 14 – Dead to sin and alive to God – sin has no more dominion over us
   
   While we are on this journey, we will continue to sin
   1 John 1:8, Ecclesiastes 7:20
   Jesus told the disciples to pray about forgiveness of their sins Luke 11:4
   Once we die and are in God’s presence in heaven, we are freed from sinning – Hebrews 12:23
   But we are moving forward the whole time here on earth – 2 Corinthians 3:18, Philippians 3:13-14
   
   Sanctification is primarily the work of God – 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 13:20-21
   Our sanctification through the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23
   Our part – Romans 8:13, Philippians 2:12-13, Hebrews 12:14
   Becoming a Christian is something that requires our involvement – the same is true for sanctification.
   Several areas of our “working out our faith” that God honors:
   Bible Reading – Ps 1:2, Matt 4:4, John 17:17
   Prayer – Eph 6:18, Phil 4:6
   Worship – Eph 5:18-20
   Witnessing – Matt 28:19-20
   Acts of mercy – Matt 23:23, James 1:27
   Christian Fellowship – Heb 10:24-25
   Self Discipline or self-control – Gal 5:23, Titus 1:8
   
   What if someone says they’re a Christian but seems to “fall away” from their faith or at least not actively practicing it?
   The people who persevere to the end are truly Christians – John 6:38-40
   Jesus says in this passage that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life, He will raise up that person at the last day, and it is God’s will that He loses nothing that God has given to Him.
   John 10:27-29 – no one will snatch them out of my hand and they will never perish
   
   Ephesians 1:13-14 – the Holy Spirit is our “seal”
   
   An evidence of genuine faith is that we will continue to believe and obey what Jesus said and commanded to the end – persevere – John 8:31
   Colossians 1:22-23
   True Christians will fight against sin through faith and repentance their entire lives – not just give up and walk away from God and their faith in Jesus to live in sin all the time
   Hebrews 3:14 – hold my original confidence firm to the end.
   We not only have our salvation as a reference point for our true relationship with Christ – but we also have His ongoing work of sanctification in us as a mark we really belong to Him.
   1 John 4:13, 1 John 2:4-6, 2 Peter 1:5-8