BUILDING THE BODY OF CHRIST

Project Jerusalem: Church Planting

02 April 2010

What is the Church?• Called out ones. (Root words: ek-out

of; klesis-called)• Three aspects: (Matt. 9:13)

oSino ang tumawag?oSino ang tinatawag?oAno ang pagkakatawag?

Depart from sin/evil (repentance, metanoia- a change of mind with regard to sin occurs before deliverance from judgment; cf. Lk. 24:47)

Devote your all to JesusDo all the Lord is commanding you

What is the Church? The church is not a building. It is made up of people who have voluntarily and spiritually totally, absolutely, exclusively and irrevocably committed themselves in faith, hope and love to the Lord Jesus Christ .

Critical Point Complying with or obeying the calling

of the Lord Jesus Christ.oThe Father calling us to the fellowship (1

Cor. 1:9)oThe Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear

his voice harden not your hearts. (Heb. 3:7-8)

oThe Son’s summon, Matt. 11:28; Jn. 6:37

Lord Who Calls– “I Am”• From creation of man to the Rapture, the Lord

Jesus is the One calling everyone to depart from sin and evil and to submit, commit, subject their all to the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Old Testament Ekklesia. Adam & Eve, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, till the time of the prophet Malachi.( Act 7:38 mentions the church or congregation in the wilderness, ie, Israel called out from Egypt) There was an ekklesia already in the OT vs. claim of R. Catholic church as oldest church.

Lord Who Calls– “I Am” New Testament Ekklesia. It started with the call of

Jesus to His disciples in the seashore of the sea of Galilee. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. Later on, the rest of the twelve, including Matthew or Levi. The call, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew chapter 4)

What is the Lord Jesus to the Church?

• The Head of the body, the church, (Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; Eph.1:9-23; Col.1:18-29) whom they will submit themselves to and follow;

• The Foundation of the building, (Heb.3:1-6) who is the Rock of their salvation (Psalm 62) and the believers are the living stones (1Pe 2:5) being built up into Jesus who is the chief cornerstone of the building. (Isa 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.)

What is the Lord Jesus to the Church?

• The spiritual Husband (Matt.25:1-12; Rev. chpts.1-3; 22:17-20; Rom.7:1-4; 14:1-9; Eph.5:21-33) of the church that is espoused as the bride of Christ. Whosoever is not totally devoted to Jesus is committing spiritual adultery.

• The Shepherd (Jn.10:14-17,25-28; 17:20) who protects the Chruch and guides them away from dangers as we follow Him because His sheep hear His voice and they follow Him,

What is the Lord Jesus to the Church?

• The Olive tree (Rom.11:17-24) to whom the believers as wild olive branches have been grafted into the good olive tree; and,• The true Vine (Jn.15:1-6) from whom

they as branches are attached and from whom they draw life that the purged branches may bear fruit and much fruit so that they will be known as the disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ Over His Church

Three linked up reasons for the Lord’s headship:oHe is the head of all things (Ephe. 1:22-23);oHe is the head of humankind (1 Cor. 15:21-

23; 45-48; Rom. 5:17);oHead of the church (Col 1:18 And he is the

head of the body, the church; Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.)

The Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ Over His Church

• Everyone called by the Lord Jesus and renounces all sins and commits, subjects, submits his/her all to Jesus, Jesus becomes his/her head and he/she becomes the body of Christ.• As the body has a living

communication with the head, all that the head commands, the body obeys. (Col. 3:17; 23-25)

Foundation/Builder of the Church

On occasion of the declaration of Peter, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus said unto Peter, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I (the Christ, the Son of the living God) will build (Jesus is the builder) my (Redeemer; Savior; Purchaser-Owner) church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Mat 16:18)

The Holy Ghost • The disciples need the power of the Holy Ghost

to be effective witnesses of Christ.• Lord Jesus told His disciples “And, behold, I send

the promise of my Father upon you: “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high, .” (Lk. 24:49) And so in Act 1:8 the Lord Jesus said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

What will the church use in building?

• Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (not the keys of heaven).• For anybody to enter the kingdom of the Lord Jesus

Christ (Heb. 1:8) that one should submit and be subject to the King of the kingdom. • Therefore, the key to enter the kingdom is to preach

the good news of the Kingdom so that everyone who should submit, subject and commit his/her all to the Lord Jesus. Luk 24:46-47-Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

“Keys of the kingdom of heaven” is not the key to heaven

• The apostle Peter nor anybody holds the keys to heaven. What was entrusted to the apostles was “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” and not heaven or the heavens. The gospel is being referred to as “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

• We are just pilgrims/travellers on earth and our destination is not a place as in the heavens but our destination is the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ps. 90:1) The Gospel brings us to a total, absolute, exclusive and irrevocable commitment of our all to the Lord Jesus Christ.

• And so Jesus, said, “If you believe in God, believe also into me…I will come again and receive you unto myself, so that where I am, there may you be also.” In a way, the Lord Jesus is the key to heaven because it is the Lord Jesus who will bring us to heaven. To enter the kingdom of God, one must submit to, subject to, commit your all to Jesus Christ, the King of the eternal kingdom of God (Heb. 1:8; Jn. 1:12; 3:3-5)

How is the Body of Christ Built?

• Eph 4:11-12 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

• The Lord Jesus has given ministerial gifts to His church for the purpose of perfecting the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the church.

Some Terms Perfect - katartismos, complete furnishing,

equipping The word implies full development, growth into maturity of godliness, not sinless perfection. (Eph_4:12-13). This refers to sanctification or the process of becoming a matured Christian. The Lord wills that those who have heeded the call of the Lord should match his/her lifestyle to being Christ-like. An infantile Christian (babes in Christ, 1 Cor . 3:1) is a great tragedy.

Perfecting of the Saints• The saints are to be perfected. We are perfected by

the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Gal. 3:3 says, "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit are you now made perfect by the flesh?" 2 Cor. 3:18 says, "As you gaze on the glory of the Lord, you will be changed into His image even as by the Spirit of the Lord.“

• Ultimately, the end of perfection is Christ-likeness. To grow perfected, matured and Christ-like, we need to be led by the Spirit of truth. (Jn. 16:13-15) When we are yielded, surrendered, submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ through the leading of the Holy Spirit, then there is growth towards maturity and being perfect.

Some Terms• Edify - oikodome, (figuratively) building up

an edifice-building.• No other foundation but Christ. (1 Cor. 3:11

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ) and the builder and owner of the spiritual house which is the church is Jesus Christ. (Heb. 3:1-6; Ephe. 2:10-we are His workmanship)

• We are the Lord’s witnesses to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom.

How is the Body of Christ Built?• First, there is the exercise of various gifts that

Christ has given us which results to the perfecting of the saints’ growing into maturity.

• The whole idea of developing, maturing, perfecting, building the saints, is to build or edify the church. You can build the body of Christ or edify the church when you have mature Christians.

• What about evangelism? Eph 4:12 says, the saints will do the work of the ministry. When the saints become mature, they begin to witness the truth. Speaking the truth in love, they begin to evangelize out their faith in Jesus. (v. 15)

The Lord’s Gifts To The Church

• How are we perfected?• After descending to the lower parts of the

earth, the Lord Jesus ascended far above all heavens that He might fill all things… “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors-teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-12 )

The Lord’s Gifts To The Church• First, the apostles. They were foundational to

the church. Eph. 2:20, the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building fitly framed together grows to a holy temple in the Lord.”

• Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

• They received direct revelation from God. They did not study the New Testament. They wrote it. The apostles were actually appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord’s Gifts To The Church• The prophets. The Lord was not referring to the Old

Testament prophets but these are the New Testament preachers (propheme, to speak before, to stand and speak). (Heb. 1:1-2; Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. Cf. Matt. 17:5)

• The New Testament prophets continued to preach to the churches organized by the apostles. They preached the apostolic doctrine and teach practical life in the church. (Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.)

The Lord’s Gifts To The Church• The evangelist-preacher of the Gospel, heralds of salvation

through Christ . The apostle Paul says to Timothy, "Timothy do the work of an evangelist." (2Ti 4:5) Act 21:8 And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

• Gospel comes from the Greek word “evanggelion” meaning “a good message or “the good news.” The word “Gospel” in the New Testament is “the good news” of Jesus Christ who is the world’s salvation from sin and eternal life of whosoever commits his/her all to Jesus as Lord. Derivation of “evangel” and evangelist.

• Evangelism is the proclamation of the good news in Christ to build the church, the body of Christ. They go to places where Christ is not named to establish a church or they go to win more to Christ to add to a church. Or if a church already exists, the evangelist wins people to Jesus Christ, integrates them into the church and they become part of the maturing process.

The Lord’s Gifts To The Church The teaching-shepherds (pastors) lead

and feed. Leadership involves two things: principle and pattern. If you're going to lead, know the principles that lead you to the Lord Jesus and your life is patterned after them. (1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ; Php 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do.)

Maturity In Christ• Ultimate maturity is to be Christ-like. To

be Christ-like is to obey your Head and you as a body follows the Head. (Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:21) Therefore, you are devoted to the Lord Jesus.

• Anecdote: Napoleon Bonaparte and his soldier. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)

• Think on this things as you pray for what line of service you are going to render the Lord Jesus for the building of His church.

Project Jerusalem And ye shall be witnesses unto me both

in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

My Prayer: You shall all be committed, bold and effective witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit proclaiming the gospel of Christ’s kingdom. May the Lord Jesus bless you and empower you richly.