The word church means many different things to many different people. Due to common and frequent misunderstandings, it is wise to examine how the Bible uses the word church.
- When Jesus promised, “On this rock I will build my church” (Mat 16:18), what did he have in mind?
- Paul warned the elders of Ephesus to “pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). But what did he mean?
- When Timothy read, “If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15), what would have resonated within him?
God is not silent concerning the origin, nature and purpose of the church. If the church is God’s, we need to make sure that our modern understanding conforms to his ancient revelation. That’s what this sermon is all about.