Be The Church - Week 1

INTRODUCTION :

As we begin a new year and anticipate all the new things He will do in our midst, we wanted to take a look at what it means to Be The Church

As humans, our identity is important to us, we have an innate desire to understand who we are. When we identify ourselves as the Church, the people of God, we want to have confidence in what that means. Looking at a dictionary definition of church is enough to reveal that it is a religious concept. Common definitions refer to a building where Christians gather or to the worldwide body of Christians, but those definitions do not even scratch the surface of what it means to be the Church.

The Apostle Paul used multiple images throughout his letters to help the first Christians better understand who they were as believers in Jesus Christ and what it meant for them to be the Church. Throughout his letters, Paul describes the Church as a bride, a body, a family, a house, and a living temple. Each of these images helps us better understand and unpack the complexity of our identity.

By studying Paul’s images and descriptions of the Church, we continue to gain wisdom about our purpose, our role, how we should behave, and what our relationship is to each other and to God.

Today, we will begin our study and look at the imagery of both The Body of Christ and The Bride of Christ

We Are The Body of Christ - Read 1Cor 12:12-27

The term “Body of Christ” is used in the New Testament to refer to the church.

Body of Christ: This term signifies that the church is like a body, and Christ is its head. Just as a body has many parts that perform different functions, the church is made up of believers with different skills, purposes, and spiritual gifts. All believers are equally important to the full functioning, mission, and efficacy of the church.

Unity and Diversity: The metaphor of the body emphasizes the unity and diversity within the church. It acknowledges that the church needs many parts—many gifts, talents, and skills—to function. Each believer contributes what God has called them to do and be

Following Christ: As the head of the church, Jesus guides the steps of the believers, just as the head of the body does. Believers follow Christ and listen to his teachings

Value of Each Believer: Each believer is valuable to the church and is a needed part of the body of Christ. This diversity is celebrated and recognized as part of God’s great design for the church.

Additional Scriptures: Eph 4:15-16 and Rom 12:3-8

We Are The Bride of Christ - Read Eph 5:25-27 and 2 Cor 11:12

The truth of the Church as the bride of Christ is used in the Bible to illustrate the relationship

between Christ and the Church. Here’s how it works:

Love: Just as a groom loves his bride, Christ loves the Church. This is demonstrated by His sacrifice on the cross.

Union: The relationship between a husband and wife is intimate and personal. Similarly, believers are united with Christ in a deep, personal relationship.

Purity: A bride is presented pure and spotless to her groom. Similarly, Christ presents the Church to Himself as holy and blameless, cleansed by His sacrifice.

Service: In a marriage, both partners serve each other. Similarly, Christ serves the Church, and the Church serves Christ.

Faithfulness: Just as a bride and groom vow to be faithful to each other, the Church is called to be faithful to Christ.

CONCLUSION:

The church is called the body of Christ because it is made up of many members (believers), each with their own role, but all working together under Christ, the head of the church. The church is also called the Bride of Christ because it signifies a covenant relationship of love, faithfulness, forgiveness, and eternal union between Christ and the believers. These are two important parts of our identity as the church. Paul continues the imagery throughout his letters and next week we will take a look at “building” metaphors as related to Christ as the Cornerstone.

DISCUSSION:

Each week, our goal is to bring biblical truth to you guys and help illuminate what it means. The Word is always the foundation. Our short discussion time is really just an opportunity to start thinking about how to apply the truths to our lives.

When you think about being a member of the Body of Christ, what stands out to you? How do you apply that truth to your life currently?

When you think about being the Bride of Christ, what stands out to you? How do you apply that truth to your life currently?