The Church: God’s Present Work Pt. 1
Outline
God’s plan is to establish & strengthen churches, not save souls.
The church is about God and His purposes, not man and his potential.
You cannot live faithfully as a Christian disconnected from a local body of believers.
The strength and health of the church is vital to carrying out God’s purposes in the world.
Nothing is more precious to God on this earth that His churches.
Study Questions
What was the purpose of Paul and Barnabas’ missionary journey in Acts 13-14 (see 14:23)?
Why was the health and strength of local churches such a priority for Paul in his writings (see Eph 3:10)?
How would you explain to someone the importance of local church involvement (see 1 Cor 12:12-27; Rom 12:3-8)?
Why is it important to understand that church involvement has less to do with personal spiritual growth and more to do with corporate identity, purpose, and mission (see Matt 28:19-20; Eph 4:11-16; Rom 12:3-8)?
What is Jesus’ heart attitude towards His church (and by extension, towards us as individual believers)? How has He demonstrated that?(Rom 5:8)?
If part of following Jesus includes learning to love what He loves and hate what He hates, what should our attitude be towards His church? How should that impact the place the church has in our lives (see Eph 5:25-32)?