Make sure you have a notebook and pen on hand for writing down your thoughts as you study this lesson. Remember you can double-click any word for a quick definition and pronunciation.

Objective

In this lesson, we’ll discover how Christ established the church to continue and complete His work on earth through ordinary believers like you and me.

Key Verse

Colossians 1:18: And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Introduction

Here’s something amazing about how God works: He could accomplish everything in this world by Himself. He could speak every person into salvation. He could defeat Satan with a single word. He could establish His kingdom without any human help at all. But that’s not how our God chooses to work.

Instead, God always calls ordinary people out of the world to partner with Him in His great work. He called out Abraham from a pagan city to become the father of faith. He called out the nation of Israel from among all the peoples of the earth to be His chosen people. The Lord called out twelve ordinary fishermen and tax collectors to be His disciples. And today, He calls us to be His church.

This pattern shows us something wonderful about God’s heart. He doesn’t need us, but He wants us. He delights in working through people like you and me to accomplish His purposes in the world. When we understand this truth, it changes everything about how we see ourselves and our role in God’s kingdom.

The church is not an afterthought in God’s plan—it is central to everything He wants to accomplish on earth. Through the church, God continues the work that Jesus began during His earthly ministry. Through the church, God spreads the good news of salvation to every nation. Through the church, God shows His love and mercy to a broken world.

In this lesson, we’ll explore three important truths about the church that will help you understand your place in God’s great plan:

• The nature of the church—what the church actually is
• The origin of the church—how Christ founded His church
• The purpose of the church—why God established the church

The Nature of the Church

When we talk about the church, we need to understand that the Bible uses this word in two different but related ways. The word “church” comes from a Greek word that means “called out ones”—people who have been called out from the world to belong to God.

The Bible speaks of the church as an assembly of believers who have been called out from the world and given a mission within the world. These believers exist in two ways that work together perfectly.

➤ The Local Church

First, the church exists in every local place where believers gather together in Christ’s name. Jesus promised us something wonderful about these local gatherings:

Matthew 18:20: For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

Throughout the New Testament, we see many examples of local churches. Many of these early churches met in people’s homes rather than in special buildings. Paul wrote to believers in Rome and mentioned a church that met in the home of Priscilla and Aquila:

Romans 16:3-5: Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house.

Paul also wrote to the church in Thessalonica and to the church in the home of Philemon. In the book of Revelation, Jesus spoke directly to seven local churches in Asia, describing them as lampstands and walking among them as their living Lord.

➤ The Universal Church

But the church is much more than just local congregations of believers. The church is also made up of all true believers from every nation and every age. This is called the universal church, and it includes every person who has ever put their faith in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:13: For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

The universal church includes both Jews and Gentiles, people from every race and background. Paul calls this unity a mystery—a truth that was not fully revealed in the Old Testament but is now clearly shown to us in the New Testament:

Ephesians 3:4-6: In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

In heaven, we will see the universal church gathered around God’s throne—men and women from every nation, tribe, people, and language, all worshiping together. (Notebook Moment: How does it encourage you to know that you are part of a worldwide family of believers that transcends all human barriers and divisions?)

➤ Pictures of the Universal Church

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gives us the fullest description of the universal church. He helps us understand what the church is by painting three beautiful pictures.

First, the church is pictured as a building that rests on a firm foundation:

Ephesians 2:19-22: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Second, the church is pictured as a body in which all the members work together:

Ephesians 4:15-16: Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Just as your physical body has many different parts that all work together for the health of the whole body, the church has many different members with different gifts and abilities. But every part must function together for the church to be healthy and effective.

Third, the church is pictured as a bride who is precious to the Lord:

Ephesians 5:25-27: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

At the end of the Bible, we see this beautiful picture fulfilled when the church appears as a bride prepared for her husband:

Revelation 19:7-8: Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.

Peter adds another important picture by calling the church a priesthood. Through Christ, every believer now has direct access to God and the privilege of serving Him:

1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

The Origin of the Church

During His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke about the future founding of the church. One of the most important conversations about this took place when Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was:

Matthew 16:15-18: “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

This passage teaches us several important truths about how the church was founded.

First, the church is built on the confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This is the foundational truth that every true church must proclaim:

1 John 4:2-3: This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

Second, the church is a supernatural work of God. Peter’s understanding of who Jesus was didn’t come from human wisdom but from God’s revelation. The church cannot be built by human effort alone—it requires God’s power and presence.

Third, Peter was given a special role in the founding of the church. We see this fulfilled at Pentecost when Peter preached the first gospel sermon and the church was officially born:

Acts 2:14: Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd…

Fourth, the church will advance against the enemies of God. We are engaged in spiritual warfare against Satan and his kingdom, but we are victorious through Christ:

John 16:33: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Romans 8:37: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Fifth, God gives spiritual power and authority to the church to do His work in the world. Before Jesus returned to heaven, He promised His followers that they would receive this power:

Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers and the church was officially founded:

Acts 2:1-4, 41: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them… Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The Purpose of the Church

The church exists to accomplish God’s work in the world. Jesus made this purpose clear when He gave His followers what we call the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

To accomplish this great purpose, the church has four specific responsibilities that work together:

• Equipping believers for ministry
• Providing fellowship and love
• Encouraging godly living
• Witnessing to the world

First, the church must equip believers for ministry and service. Every Christian has been called to serve God, and the church exists to help prepare people for this calling:

Ephesians 4:11-12: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

The church is not meant to be a place where a few people do all the work while everyone else watches. Instead, it should be a place where every believer discovers their gifts and learns how to use them for God’s glory.

Second, the church exists as a place for believers to experience fellowship and grow deeper in God’s love:

1 John 1:3, 7: We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ… But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Jesus prayed that this fellowship among believers would be a powerful testimony to the world:

John 17:21: That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Third, the church exists as a place where believers encourage one another and promote godly living:

(Notebook Moment: Who in your life has encouraged you to grow in your faith? How can you be that kind of encourager to others in your church family?)

Hebrews 10:25: Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Titus 2:1-2: You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Fourth, the church must be a witness to the world about the gospel of Jesus Christ:

Mark 16:15: He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Philippians 2:15: So that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

Matthew 5:14-16: You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The church accomplishes this witness both through the words we speak and the lives we live. When the world sees believers loving one another, serving their communities, and living with integrity, it creates opportunities to share the reason for our hope.

Conclusion

As we conclude this lesson, I want you to understand something crucial about the church: it is both completely spiritual and thoroughly earthly at the same time. This might seem like a contradiction, but it’s actually one of the most beautiful aspects of God’s design.

The church is spiritual because it is founded by Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and guided by God’s Word. Its ultimate purpose is eternal, its power is supernatural, and its destiny is heavenly. (Notebook Moment: How does knowing that the church has both spiritual power and eternal purpose change the way you think about your role in it?)

But the church is also thoroughly earthly because it is made up of human beings like you and me. We are people with weaknesses, struggles, and imperfections. The church exists in buildings made of brick and stone, led by imperfect pastors, and filled with ordinary people trying to follow Jesus.

This combination of the spiritual and the earthly is not a flaw in God’s design—it’s exactly what He intended. God chooses to work through imperfect people to accomplish His perfect purposes. He uses weak vessels to display His strength.

The church is God’s plan for reaching the world with His love. Whether you’re part of a small church meeting in someone’s home or a large congregation with thousands of members, you are part of something that began in the heart of God and will continue until Jesus returns. This is the amazing truth: the church is both of God and made up of human beings, both spiritual and earthly, both perfect in its purpose and imperfect in its people.

Check Your Understanding

Take this 5-question quiz to check your understanding of this lesson.

Congratulations on completing this lesson! Click on the “Next Lesson” button below when you are ready to continue.