Phil Benedict

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

United Indian Mission

Greeley, Colorado

These guides are designed to help you to study, to learn, to understand, and to live what God teaches us in his Word, the Bible. God gave us the Bible to teach us how to know and to walk with Him. We can enjoy God’s blessings forever, rather than experiencing his judgement. His Word is eternally true. Take time to carefully read and think about the Scriptures used in this guide. Meditate on them and the truths they teach. Learn to love God and his Word. Regularly ask God for a right understanding of Scriptural truths and then make them part of you. Absorb them. If you go over the material too quickly without much thought, it will have little or no lasting impact on your life. Commit yourself to making Biblical truths the foundation of your life and to putting them into practice every day of your life.

God planned for his people to care for each other and to function together as a unified group, or "body". That body He called the "church". He himself set the example. In Ephesians 5:25 we find that our Lord Jesus Christ loved the church so much that He died for it so that we could be clean and holy, radiant, without spot, wrinkle, blemish, or any other blame. Jesus loved his church so much that He even identified it as his own future bride.

We normally identify the church as a building where people meet together. However, the church is not a building, but a group of people. All those people, worldwide, who have put their faith in Jesus Christ are the church. In other words, the church is made up of God’s people, rather than being a building where people meet. Only genuinely saved people are part of the church. Others may attend meetings and even "join the church", but joining a church does not make one part of the "body of Christ" or the true "church". Again, only genuine believers are part of the family of God or the church.

When the word "church" is used of all believers, it is sometimes referred to as the "universal" church. When the word "church" is used to refer to a group of believers who live fairly close to each other and regularly meet together, it is sometimes referred to as a "local" church. The "universal" church is made up of many "local" churches. Most of the references to the church in Scripture refer to a local church or group of believers.

In the rest of this lesson when the word "church" is used it will refer to the local group of believers who make up a "local church".

The Greek word "ekklesia", which is most often translated "church" in the Bible, is used 115 times in the New Testament. Most of the New Testament is made up of letters which are written

to churches. God identifies the church as his own body. In Revelation 1:20-21, our Lord Jesus Christ is seen holding the churches in His right hand. The church is extremely important to God.

Since church is so very important to God, then it should be very important to us. To choose to live apart from Christ’s body (the church) is to rebel against God. Essentially, an individual who does that is saying that he knows better than God. This sin of rebellion gives Satan a foothold in our lives and leads to unproductivity and defeat in our walk with God.

How much does Jesus love the church?

What is the church?

Does becoming a member of a local church make a person saved or part of the body of Christ?

How is a person saved?

What is meant by the "universal" church?

What is meant by the "local" church?

From the paragraphs above, what are three things that tell us that the church is important to God?

Since the church is so important to God, how important should it be to us?

To illustrate how the church functions, God used the human body. (Romans 12 and

I Corinthians 12) Each part of our body has a function and when one part does not function properly, the whole body suffers. God gives each person certain abilities and talents (spiritual gifts), and He expects us to use those abilities to serve Him and each other within the body (the church). When we each do our part, the whole body is built up and blessed. If we do not do our part, the whole body suffers. This is a fundamental Biblical truth.

In Hebrews 10:25 God states, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another..." This is a clear statement telling us that God expects us to meet together to encourage one another and also to be encouraged ourselves. We need each other.

What does God use to illustrate how important the church is?

What part of the human body has no value to the functioning of the body?

How many of us have no role in the body of Christ?

Who suffers when we do not do our part?

What does God command us to do in Hebrews 10:25?

Even from a strictly human viewpoint, getting involved in a good church should be a very positive experience. Many very solid friendships are made in your church family. There are activities that are enjoyable and wholesome. A good church will provide activities for youth that are well supervised and healthy. Overall, a good church can be a very life enriching experience.

Determine that you will help build up and encourage people in your church rather than being a source of trouble, disunity, and discouragement. One sin that is a stench to God is being a source of disunity or sowing discord among Christian people. Determine that you will never be that kind of a person. Determine that you will help build up and encourage people in your church rather than being a source of trouble, disunity, and discouragement.

There is a major difference between "attending" church and serving as God designed us to do. Thousands attend church but never become an active servant as God expects. You can attend church and never grow. You can attend church and never serve. You can attend church and still be an unsaved person. God expects us to actively serve in the ministry of the church. New Christians need to emphasize initial growth and gaining some maturity. However, very soon they need to begin taking part and serving, not just attending.

1. The first reason is that God commands it. (Hebrews 10:25 ) To ignore this command is to be in rebellion against God.

2. Throughout Scripture God’s people regularly met together for worship, praise, instruction, fellowship, and service. This is a pattern that God gave and it is a pattern for us to follow.

3. To hear the Word of God accurately read, preached and taught. As we grow in our knowledge of the Word, we learn more about God and how He expects us to live. (2 Timothy 3:15-17,

2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 2:42)

4. To encourage and build up others and to be encouraged and built up ourselves.

(Hebrews 10:24-25)

5. To enjoy fellowship with Christian brothers and sisters. (Acts 4:2)

6. To observe the Lord’s Supper. (Acts 2:42, I Corinthians 11:17-33)

7. To join in prayer with fellow believers. (Acts 2:42)

9. To learn to serve, using the abilities and talents (spiritual gifts) that He gave us, to serve God and our fellow Christians. (Ephesians 4:11, 2 Timothy 3:17)

10. To be unified and effective in our service to God. (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12:3-8)

Matthew 28:18-20)

12. To be held accountable, both to the church leaders and to other members. (Colossians 3:16,

I Thessalonians 5:12-14)

The church is very important in God’s plan for his people; however, often many professing Christians, in ignorance or rebellion, do not put much value in it. They value many other things more highly than the church. They show this by their sporadic attendance and participation. Or they attend only the more fun church activities. They may not say the church is unimportant, but their actions show how they think. Some have wondered if there really is a need to be part of a church. They say something like, " I can live a good life, and be a good person without going to church." Others will make statements like, "I will worship God at home" or "I can worship God in nature better than I can at church". All of these things imply that they really don’t need church.

The questions people raise about church and the excuses given for not participating are many. "Do I really need to sit through long dull sermons"? "I’m really tired on Sundays". "It’s my only day off". "Sunday is the only day I have to go to the lake". "I have to work on Sunday". "I think the kids ought to go to Sunday School, but I need to stay home and clean the garage". "There are too many hypocrites in church". "All they want is money". "I don’t have anything to wear." And the list of excuses goes on and on and on and on....

For a person to say or think that he can do God’s will or purpose without being involved with the rest of God’s body is like a human hand saying, "I don’t need the rest of this body. Why do I need the heart or the legs? I think I will leave this body. I can do better on my own." We all know that if you separate a hand from the rest of the body, it is helpless and quickly dies. And so it is with the church. God designed us to be part of his body (the church) and we are to work together to accomplish his own will and purpose. He did not design us to be spiritual hermits.

Can a person be obedient to God and ignore church?

Do you regularly attend and participate in church activities?

Do you just attend church or do you find ways to serve the Lord at church?

What excuses do you give for not attending or getting involved?

Would God accept your excuses?

Choosing a church to join is one of the most important choices you will ever make. Do you want to be spiritually alive and vibrant, or do you want to be led down a path of false teaching and false hope? The church you attend and serve in will have a major impact on the quality of teaching you receive, your spiritual growth, and service to the Lord.

First lets look at some poor reasons for choosing a church. A few of the following things may play a part in your selection of a church, but none of them stand alone as reasons for choosing a church to fellowship with and to serve in.

It is our family church.

It is the church my parents and/or grandparents attended.

My grandmother started the church.

My uncle preaches there.

It is the "right" denomination.

It has an entertaining music program.

It is the closest church to where I live.

It is a church where I can exercise control or "be somebody".

It will enhance my social standing.

It is a place to show off my fancy new outfit.

It has a big, fancy, or beautiful building

Influential or well-to-do people go there.

There are good business contacts there.

Etc., etc., etc.

1. Do they teach and preach the solid Word of God, or does it seem to be mixed up with questionable teachings or diluted with the world’s thinking? Do they consider the Word of God to be totally sufficient, or do they mix it up with human tradition, psychology, science, politics, or any number of a hundred other things that dilute the Word of God?

2. Does the church as a whole practice what they preach? Remember, the church is made up of saved sinners. No church has achieved perfection. However, you should be able to see spiritual life and growth in the leadership and in most members of the church.

3. Does the church seem to have some life to it, or does it appear "dead"? Are individuals getting saved and are there any programs to help new Christians to begin growing? Do members encourage each other in their walk with the Lord? In a healthy church there should be new Christians who have recently accepted the Lord as well as more mature Christians who are setting good examples and teaching the newer Christians how to walk with the Lord.

4. The church should never vary from its goal to accurately teach and live the Word of God. However, it can and should be flexible and visionary in the methods and programs it uses to accomplish the ministries God has given it.

5. If you are not familiar with a certain denomination or "church", then get some advice from several individuals whose advice you can trust. Read their doctrinal statement, their covenant, and their statement of purpose. Go to a Christian bookstore and ask for literature about that particular group. There are many many groups that do not accurately teach the Word of God, and you must clearly avoid them. It would be better to not associate with a church than to join one that teaches false doctrine.

6. If you have children or youth in your family, then find a church that has a solid Sunday School and youth program. This is extremely important. Your children’s life-long attitudes about church will begin forming as soon as they start church going to church. It would be better to move your home to a place with a solid youth work than to raise them in a church that does not feel youth are important.

7. Before you settle into a church, attend one of their business meetings and just observe. Is it unified? Is it following a Scriptural pattern of leadership? God’s pattern of leadership is for the Godly mature Christian men to lead the church. If you see arguing, disunity, or a few individuals who are not spiritually mature trying to dominate or run the church, then you can be sure there are major problems in the church.

8. Pick out a church where you can actively serve the Lord and each other. God expects us to serve, not just sit. Some churches will welcome your service, while others do not seem to want you.

9. Pick a church where everybody helps. Some will try to get you to do it all.

After you have made your choice of a church to attend, then stick with that church through its ups and downs. Don’t be a "church hopper". Stay there unless you find out there are some major problems that develop or there are problems that you did not see at first. If there are some major problems, by all means consider finding another church where you can settle in for the long haul and begin a life-long pattern of growth and service to the Lord Jesus Christ.

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October, 2002