The Creed - I Believe In The Church

I BELIEVE in Godthe Father Almighty, Maker

The Creed
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
I BELIEVE in the CHURCH
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

I BELIEVE in Godthe Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

Key Question…
―What is the Church?‖

The Creed – I Believe in the Church

Is it the Roman Catholic Church…?


Is it a building…?

―Ekklēsia‖
Lit. ―Called Out Ones‖
―a regularly summoned legislative body, assembly‖
―people with shared belief, community, congregation‖

 Christ‘s Bride (Ephesians 5:22-29)
 Branches on a vine (John 15:1-10)
 A Flock (John 10)
 A Household (Galatians 6:10)
 A Building/temple with Christ the foundation (Eph. 2:20-22)
 A Body (1 Cor. 12:12-27)


The Promise of the Church
quot;Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave
Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ―Which,‖
He said, ―you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but
you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.‖
So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying,
―Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?‖
He said to them, ―It is not for you to know times or epochs which
the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be
My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and even to the remotest part of the earth.‖quot;
(Acts 1:4-8)


The Birth of the Church
quot; When the day of Pentecost had
come, they were all together in one
place. And suddenly there came from
heaven a noise like a violent rushing
wind, and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting. And there
appeared to them tongues as of fire
distributing themselves, and they
rested on each one of them. And they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak with other tongues, as
the Spirit was giving them
utterance.quot;(Acts 2:1-4)



Three feasts that help define the birth of the Church
1. The feast of Passover
2. The feast of First Fruits
3. The feast of Pentecost

 Came ten days after Christ‘s
ascension
 ―Pentecost‖ means ‗fiftieth day‘
 The Jews had a feast called the feast
of Pentecost because it took place
fifty days after the feast of first fruits,
which followed the Passover. It was
also called the feast of harvest and
feast of weeks
 Pentecost also commemorated the
giving of the Mosaic law because the
Jewish people believe the law was
given to them about fifty days after the
beginning of their journey to the
Promised Land


The first feast mentioned is the Passover (Lev. 23:4-5). To escape the plague
of the firstborn in Egypt, the Israelites had to kill a lamb and put its blood on
the doorposts and lintel. The angel of death then passed over that house.
Christ's blood fulfills the typical prophecy of the passover lamb, for His death
is what protects us from God's wrath. And according to God's plan, Christ
died during the time of Passover.


This first fruits feast was on the day after the Sabbath following the Passover--the
Sunday after Passover (Lev. 23:9-14). The first fruits were taken from barley crops. A
farmer who wanted to determine if he would have a good crop that year would go to
different sections of the barley field and pull out some samples. If they all looked good,
he could say that the whole crop was guaranteed to be good based on the first fruits. By
doing this they would be reminded to praise God for the upcoming harvest. It was a good
reminder to trust in God. Christ was resurrected on the day of first fruits.


Fifty days after the feast of first fruits came the feast of harvest (Lev. 23:15-16), also
known as Pentecost. The wheat was not ready to be harvested at the time of this feast;
nevertheless, two loaves were made from what was there. The idea of the feast was to
celebrate the completion of harvest in advance. The feast of harvest predicts what
happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Christ died during the Passover, rose on
the feast of first fruits, and signaled His coming harvest on Pentecost.


The ―Suddenness‖ of the Church

Born Instantly Leaves Instantly


The Body of Christ
Christ the Head

Ends at Rapture
Began at Pentecost Church Age

Two Dimensions of ―Church‖

Church

Universal Local


Two Dimensions of ―Church‖
Universal Church Local church
Invisible Visible
One Church Many churches
An organism An organization
Saved members Saved and lost members
Living and dead members Living members
Whole body of Christ Part of the body of Christ
Christ is visible Head in heaven Christ is invisible Head on earth
No elders in deacons Elders and deacons
No ordinances Two ordinances
No denomination Many denominations
Indestructible Destructible

The Universal Church
quot;Simon Peter answered, ―You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.‖ And
Jesus said to him, ―Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood
did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ―I also say to you
that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of
Hades will not overpower it.quot;(Matthew 16:16-18)

quot;But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging
off men and women, he would put them in prison.quot;(Acts 8:3)

quot;And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over
all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in
all.quot;(Ephesians 1:22-23)

quot;He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in
everything.quot;(Colossians 1:18)

The Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12)

 An organic unity as one body (vv. 12-13)
 A diversity of many members (14-20)
 A universality because all believers are in it (13)
 A mutuality because the members mutually edify one another
(21-27)
 A visibility through its visible members
 A spiritual animation through the Holy Spirit



 The Bride of Christ (Rev. 21:9)
 The wife of Christ (Eph. 5:24-25)
 The Firstborn of Christ (Heb. 12:23)
 The Building of Christ (Eph. 2:20)
 A Spiritual House (1 Pet. 2:5)
 A Holy Priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5)
 A Royal Priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9)
 A Chosen People (1 Pet. 2:9)
 The People of God (1 Pet. 2:10)
 A Flock of Christ (John 21:15-17)


Chosen From Eternity
quot;just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would
be holy and blameless before Him. In lovequot;(Ephesians 1:4)

Invisible
quot;But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and
church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all,
and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,quot;(Hebrews 12:22-23)

Increasable
―And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being
saved.quot;(Acts 2:47)


Indivisible
quot;being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.‖
(Ephesians 4:3)

Invincible
quot;―I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.quot;(Matthew 16:18)

Apostolic
quot;So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with
the saints, and are of God‘s household, having been built on the foundation of
the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner
stone,quot;(Ephesians 2:19-20)



Ethnically Neutral
quot;There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.quot;(Galatians 3:28)

Regenerate
quot; Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, ―The kingdom of heaven
may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.quot;(Matthew 13:24)

Spiritually Equal
quot;to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the
body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the
gospel,quot;(Ephesians 3:6)


The Local Church
Christ is the Head of all Local Churches

 He holds the messengers in His right hand (Rev. 1:20)
 He rebukes the churches for their sin (2:9)
 He commands them to repent (v. 5)
 He will judge and reward them for their deeds (vv. 5, 10, 26,
3:12)
 He takes away their lampstand (church) if they are not faithful
(v. 5)
 He searches all of their minds and hearts (v. 23)
 He convicts them by His Spirit (3:22)


Government of the Local Church

 Episcopal – episocpos: ―bishop‖ and overseer. Has authority over elders and
congregation. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Methodist, Anglican, and some
Lutheran.
 Presbyterian – presbuteros: ―order‖, ―wiser‖. A board of elders hold final authority
in church affairs. Presbyterian, some Baptist, and Reformed churches
 Congregational – congregation has final authority. Baptist, many independent


Elders
A position of authority (Acts 22:5)
A position of dignity (Prov. 31:23)
A position of maturity (1 Tim. 5:1)
A position of wisdom
An overseer (1 Pet. 2:25)
A ruler (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
An under-shepherd (1 Pet. 5:1-4)
A teacher (1 Tim 3:2)
An apologist (Titus 1:9)
An arbiter of disputes (1 Cor. 6:1-4)
A watchman (Heb. 13:17)
Elders are to be men ( 1 Tim 3:2)
Should be obeyed, submitted to, honored, entreated (not rebuked)


Deacons
Originated with the complaint of widows being overlooked for food (Acts
6).
Deacons were to assist the elders in church service
Relieve the elders of menial tasks so they (elders) could concentrate on
prayer and ministry of Word of God
In charge of social and physical ministries
Took care of widows and orphans
1 Timothy 3:1-18 lays down the qualifications:
Men worthy of respect
Not addicted to wine
Keep hold of the deep truths with clear conscience
First must be tested
Must manage his household and children well
Husband of one wife

Congregation

The congregation screen their own membership (Jude: unbelievers crept
in)
Chose the leadership (Acts 6)
Exercised church discipline (1 Cor. 5).
Made final decisions in case of offense (Matt 18).
Commissioned missionaries (Acts 13).
Involved itself with doctrinal decisions (Acts 15).
Ultimately ruled with elder guidance


Ordinances of the Local Church
Catholic – seven sacraments:
Baptism, Eucharist,
Penance, Extreme Unction,
Holy Order, Matrimony
No ordinances – only
produce endless supply of
conflict that take away from
real work.
Berean – one ordinance: the
Lord‘s Supper
Protestant – two ordinances:
baptism and the Lord‘s
Supper.

Baptism
quot;―Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,quot;(Matthew 28:19)

The Lord‘s Supper
quot; While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and
gave it to the disciples, and said, ―Take, eat; this is My body.‖ And when He had taken
a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ―Drink from it, all of you;quot;(Matthew
26:26-27)

quot; For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in
the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He
broke it and said, ―This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.‖ In
the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, ―This cup is the new covenant
in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.‖ For as often as
you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord‘s death until He comes.quot;(1
Corinthians 11:23-26)

Q: What is the basic difference in the view of the ordinances?
A: Catholics consider them to be a cause of grace in one‘s life; Anglicans and
Lutherans believe they are a means of grace; the rest view them as a symbol of
grace.

Q: What are common truths regarding baptism?
A: Belief is a condition for being baptized; it is a external sign of an inward
reality; it is performed by full immersion; it is the first act of obedience after
salvation; it is not necessary for salvation.

Q: What are common truths regarding the Lord‘s Supper?
A: It is symbolic in nature; the elements do not become the actual body and
blood of Christ; it is an act of remembrance, communion, covenantal
acknowledgement; fellowship, thanksgiving, proclamation, and anticipation.


Relationship of Church and State
Secularism – the state dominates
the church and ends up imposing
irreligion
Theocracy – the state is
dominated by the church and ends
up imposing its religion on all
Jeffersonianism – acknowledges
there is a divine, natural law, but
denies that any revelation from
God has been given as the
prescribed basis for government


First Coming Was Not Political
― ―My kingdom is not of this world. If My
kingdom were of this world, then My
servants would be fighting so that I would
not be handed over to the Jews; but as it
is, My kingdom is not of this realm.‖
quot;(John 18:36)

Although His disciples wanted Him to
overthrow the Romans and the Jews were
looking for a political Messiah, Christ‘s
first coming was not political in nature.


Secularism Jeffersonianism Theocracy

Nature of state Secular Just Religious

Church/State Separation Cooperation Union

Nature of religious Freedom from all Freedom for all Freedom for a
freedom religions religions particular religion
Extent of religious For none For all For a preferred
freedom religion
Belief in God Discouraged Encouraged Demanded

Basis of civil law Human Natural law (gen. Divine law (special
experience Revelation) revelation)
Example Marxist China Early America Iran


Jefferson believed unalienable
rights are rooted in the ―Laws of
Nature‖ that derive from
―Nature‘s God‖.
 Natural law is not a humanly
descriptive ―is‖ but a divinely
prescriptive ―ought‖
 Natural law is the first principle
governing human action just the
laws of logic are the first
principles governing human
thought

―Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or
of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the Government for a redress of grievances.‖ – First Amendment

The phrase separation of church and state is generally traced to the letter
written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists, in which he
referred to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as
creating a quot;wall of separationquot; between church and state.

Any ―wall of separation‖ was spoken of to protect the church from the
government not the government from the church.


The Church and Replacement Theology

The Church is not Israel
quot;Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of
God;quot;(1 Corinthians 10:32)

Israel Church
Headship Moses Christ
Origin Abraham Pentecost
Nature Earthly (political body) Heavenly (spiritual body)
Governing principle Law of Moses Grace of Christ
Holy Land Divine inheritance None
Davidic Covenant Promised to Israel No promise to Church

Constituents Jews only Jews/Gentiles
Membership Physical birth Spiritual birth
Function Channel of blessing to world Glorify God; Bride of
Christ; Provoke Israel


The unconditional covenant and land promises made to Israel
has never been fulfilled
 A literal, physical Kingdom was offered to Israel but was
rejected, and still must come
Jesus foretold a literal reign over Israel at His second coming
 The promised Messianic Kingdom was not yet fulfilled at
Christ‘s ascension
Jesus specifically stated in Acts 1 that the Kingdom would
be restored to Israel at some point in the future
Biblical prophecy stated that Israel would physically be re-
gathered prior to Christ‘ return (happened in May, 1948)


―If the Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional in nature (not
dependent upon Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their physical
descendants, the people of Israel, meeting conditions for the
fulfillment of its promises), then every promise of that covenant
must be fulfilled—including the promises that Israel would be
given forever the land described in Genesis15:18, and that the
Abrahamic Covenant would be an everlasting covenant for
Israel. This would mean that Israel would last forever as a
people and that God has a future for that nation and its land. It
would also mean that the biblical prophecies concerning the
future of Israel and its land are to be interpreted literally and
that the Dispensational-Premillennial view of those prophecies
is correct.‖ – Renald Showers

Our (the Church‘s) Mission Now

 Glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31)
 Visible manifestation of Christ‘s body (Eph 4:3-6)
 Edify Christ‘s body (Eph. 4:11-13)
 Evangelize the lost (1 Cor. 11:26)
 Exhibit God‘s wisdom and grace (Eph. 3:9-11)

The Creed - I Believe In The Church

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