Church - October 28, 2012

Pastor Matt Stone spoke to the Confirmation class on Sunday about "Church".  This was the first lesson of two on how we define "church" and the history of the church. 

After having gone to the synagogue on Friday, Pastor Stone talked about what the difference between the Jewish faith and our faith.  The short answer is "Jesus".  The main difference between the Christian faith and the Jewish faith is "Jesus"- who he was, what he did, and what we believe about him. 
Pastor Stone talked about how the church was formed from Jews and Gentiles by doing a demonstration.  1/3 of the class represented the Jews and the rest of the class the Gentiles.  Then a few from the Jewish representation were separated out to demonstrate those who accepted Christ and became Christian and some from the Gentile group were pulled out to represent the Gentiles that became Christian.  This Christian group was the representation of who the early church was. 

What is Church?  Possible definitions might include:
~"A group of people who love God and come together to worship, learn about God, and serve God's people."
~"A congregation or body of people, united together in the service of God."
Paul describes the church as the body of Christ.  Each member of the church is a part of the body.

The Bible has a lot to say about what it means to be a church.  The Acts of the Apostles gives the history of the early church, from its beginnings in Jerusalem to its spread throughout the Roman Empire.  Paul's general letters (Romans through 2 Thessalonians) contain advice to specific churches about theology (salvation, who Christ is, and so forth) and how to live in communion with one another.  1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (Pastoral Epistles) give advice to specific church leaders about caring for their congregations.  Revelation 2 and 3 contain messages to seven specific churches in Asia Minor. 

One of the best descriptions of what it means to be the church appears in Acts 2: 43-47.  We also read in Matthew 28:19 what Christ describes as the mission of the church, "Go and make disciples."