What is the Church?, Part 2

Eph 2:10 "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (NLT)

Eph 2:19-22 "So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit." (NLT)

• 19 - Individually, as well as corporately, we all are members of God's family.
• 20 - Together, we comprise His house, built upon the foundation of the apostles (1st century witnesses) and prophets (Old Testament glimpses of Christ's incarnation).
• Jesus is the cornerstone.  (The cornerstone was the first piece of a building to be set into place, often marked by ceremony and by inscription, and was a joining piece of two walls -- in this case, the Jews and the Gentiles)
• 21 - As components of His work, we are carefully joined together to be His holy temple.
• 22 - God within His church, His masterpiece, by His Spirit.

Eph 4:1 "Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift[a] through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,

   “When he ascended to the heights,
      he led a crowd of captives
      and gave gifts to his people.”[b]

9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.[c] 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."

• 1 - We each have been called by God
• 2-3 The church is called to love, unity, and peace
• 4-6 The "One" Statement of Faith (one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father)
• 7-13 The offices of apostle, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are Christ's gifts to His church.  Their job is to equip God's people to do His work.
• EQUIP = katartismos = "make fit, prepare, train, perfect, make fully qualified for service", also referring to the process of setting a bone during surgery.  Implies preparing or repairing the body for fully function.
• 14-16 Speaking the truth in love... Knowing the Word, and delivering it with a proper heart and motivation.  We will grow into the Head, becoming more like Christ in every way.  The whole body, God's masterpiece, is "fit together perfectly".  Each part has a specific function, part of which is to help the other parts grow.
• The whole body of Christ is to be healthy, growing, and full of love.

The Three Primary Functions of the Church

1. Exaltation - Worshiping and honoring God, individually and corporately.
2. Edification - Encouraging and serving one another in love.
3. Evangelism - Being His hands and feet to the world, preaching the gospel not just in words, but in our lifestyles, being ready to give an answer for the hope we have, also being willing to put our faith into practice as God leads.