The church is made up of the baptized followers of Jesus Christ who are gathered by Him and are commanded by elders to worship God, observe the Lord’s Supper, and hear from God’s Word.
The members of the church are devotees of Jesus. “Christian” is more than just a moniker. As a follower of Jesus, you acknowledge that He has forgiven your sins (Matthew 26:28) and you submit to his teachings (Luke 6:46). A church will chastise its members when they demonstrate a lack of faith or an unwillingness to obey the Lord (Matthew 18:17).
Baptized individuals make up the church: “For we were all baptized into one body in one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Thus, baptism serves as the church’s doorway.
Jesus calls the church to gather. The church is God’s idea, not man’s. God is the one who is the initiator, not man. God, not man, is the builder of His church. As a result, according to 1 Corinthians 1:2, church members are referred to as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.”
The elders oversee the church. According to Titus 1:5, a church without elders is still a church, but it is an incomplete church.
The congregation gathers. Church meetings are required by Scripture; in fact, the Bible specifically tells us to attend to one another (Hebrews 10:25).
Through singing (1 Corinthians 14:26) and prayer (Acts 2:42), the church worships God.
The Lord’s Supper is celebrated in the church. One of the main components of our church gatherings is remembering Christ’s death on the cross for our sins (Acts 2:42).
The Word of God is heard in the church. Acts 2:42 states that the apostles’ teachings are crucial. Reading God’s Word, explaining its meaning, and applying it to the listeners’ life are the ways to accomplish this (1 Timothy 4:13).
When the Bible refers to the church, it usually means the local church (Romans 16:1). The church is getting together and working on projects as a group. It is a particular set of individuals that God has called to be His church. However, the Bible also uses the term “church” in a broader sense, alluding to the global church that is made up of all individuals who have trusted in Jesus from all time and all locations (e.g. Matthew 16:18).
Joining the church gives us a relationship with Christ, who is our head (Ephesians 4:11–16), as well as with other members of His body, the brothers and sisters (Romans 12:5). That is both an enormous honor and an enormous duty!
