The local church of Christ

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THE CHURCH THAT JESUS THE CHURCH THAT JESUS BUILTBUILT

• I will build My church– Acts 20:28 – Bought with His blood– 1 Tim 3:15 – The church of the living God– 1 Cor 12:27 – The body of Christ– Eph 4:4-5 – There is one body– Eph 5:23 – He is the Savior of the body– Eph 1:22-23 – Which is the church– Eph 3:10-11 – The manifold wisdom of God

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– I will build My church– Acts 2:41 & 47 – Lord added to the church

` the same day – present tense.

– Col 1:13 – they were translated into the kingdom – notice verse 18

– Rev 1:9 – John was in the kingdom– John 18:36 – My kingdom is not of this

world:…..

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• Note that the Lord’s church/kingdom is spiritual, not of this world. He built only one. It was established on Pentecost about AD 33 per Acts 2. It is not a denomination.

• Note that He adds those who obey Him to His church/kingdom. He controls who is added, no one else does.

• Note that His church/kingdom will last forever.

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THE LOCAL CHURCHTHE LOCAL CHURCH

• Sometimes in the NT, references to the church identify localities and are in the plural form as in the following passage in Rom 16:16. So, we must conclude that Christians under the guidance of the inspired apostles formed local churches or assemblies in order to worship God in Spirit and in truth , and to do His work which included teaching the lost.

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• Rom 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. KJV

• Rom 16:16 Salute one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ salute you. ASV

• Rom 16:16 salute one another in a holy kiss; the assemblies of Christ do salute you.YLT

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• 1 Cor 4:6 …not to go beyond what is written,. ESV

• Acts 7:44 ..according to the pattern he had seen… ESV

• Heb 8:5 …make everything according to the pattern…ESV

• Rom 6:17…, you, obeyed from your heart the pattern of teaching …. CJB

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THE LOCAL CHURCHTHE LOCAL CHURCH• Local churches of Christ following the

pattern established by the inspired apostles which is recorded in the NT are not denominations.

• Denominations have been established by uninspired men and represent divisions which are forbidden per 1 Cor 1:10.

• Notice the pattern in the following slides.

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THE LOCAL CHURCH• Phil 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the

servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

• Titus 1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: KJV

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When fully set in order each local church is as described by Philippians 1:1.

• Elders/Bishops/Pastors – always a plurality in each local church– 1 Tim 3:1-7 qualifications– Titus 1:5-9 qualifications– 1 Pet 5:1-3 feed the flock of God– Acts 20:17, 28-30 feed the church…take

heed

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• Deacons/Servants (see meaning of deacon in Koine Greek)– 1 Tim 3:8-13 likewise must the deacons

• Saints or Christians– Acts 2:41-42, 47 what those did to be

added– Acts 11:26 called Christians first at

Antioch– Rom 1:7 called saints

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THE LOCAL CHURCHTHE LOCAL CHURCH• Each local church is complete within itself,

able to do the work God gave it to do, independent of all other local assemblies

• Their work– 1 Thess 1:1-8 spread the gospel– Col 1:1-8 brought forth much fruit– Phil 4:14-15 sent directly to Paul– 1 Col 16:1-2 collected for their needy– Acts 11:27-30 sent money to needy saints– 2 Cor 8:1-4, 9:1-2 sent to other needy saints

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THE LOCAL CHURCHTHE LOCAL CHURCH• Their behavior– 1 Cor 1:10-11 no division and contention – Eph 4:31-32 no bitterness or envy– Gal 3:28 no segregation– 1 Cor 12:12-27 each member important– Eph 5:1-6 must be followers of God– Acts 8:1-4 members preached the word– Gal 6:1-6 to bear one another’s burdens– 2 Thess 3:6-15 discipline unruly

members

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THE LOCAL CHURCH

• Same teaching in every church– 1 Cor 14:37 ..the commands of the Lord– 1 Cor 4:17 ….teach …in every church– 1 Cor 7:17 …so ordain I in every church– 1 Cor 16:1-2 ..ordered same in Corinth and

Galatia– Gal 1:6-12 … must follow the gospel as

taught by the apostles

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THE LOCAL CHURCH• The Lord extinguishes the light of those

churches not following His words– Rev 2:1-5 Ephesus to repent or lights out– Rev 2:12-16 Pergamos.. repent or else….– Rev 2:18-25 Thyatira ..space to repent ..not– Rev 3:1-3 Sardis …hold fast and repent– Rev 3:14-19 Laodicea …be zealous &

repent– Rev 3:7-13 Philadelphia .. small but

faithful– Rev 2:8-11 Smyrna …poor but rich

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THE LOCAL CHURCH• The NT pattern shows that those individuals

who obey the gospel are to form local assemblies or churches. Those Christians in the first century preached the gospel to the whole world through this simple arrangement. God’s NT pattern has not changed and He expects us to do His work today through the same arrangement just as surely as He expected Noah to follow the pattern He gave him to build the ark.

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THE LOCAL CHURCH• The fact that each Christian is expected to

work within a local body of Christ is illustrated in the case of Paul per Acts 9:26-27 26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.

• 27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

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THE LOCAL CHURCH

• TO BE ADDED TO HIS CHURCH–MARK 16:16 BELIEVE– ACTS 17:30 REPENT– ROM 10:9-10 CONFESS– 1 Pet 3:21 BAPTIZED– Rev 2:10 BE FAITHFUL

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The local church of Christ

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