Sunday School Week 7

What Is the Church?

Acts 1

4 And while staying with them he (Jesus) ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;

5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

Acts 1

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 2

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 

2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 

3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

We Need The Holy Spirit as Believers, But a

also as the church!

Acts 4

31 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they preached the word of God with boldness.

Acts 8

17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10

44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message.

Acts 19

6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.

“If God withdrew His Spirit from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.”  — A.W. Tozer

If the Holy Spirit was removed from my life, what would change/look different?

The Church Is A Community of Believers!

Acts 2

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 

43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 

45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

Ephesians 2

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

The word fellowship in Greek is KOINÓNIA. Which translates to “life in common”

Are we as believers obeying KOINÓNIA?

Ecclesiastes 4

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 

10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

God Gave The Church Ministers and Ministries

Ephesians 4

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 

12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

I need people to tell me the truth.

I need encouragement at times.

I need advice and guidance.

I need doctrinal and theological boundaries.

Colossians 2

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Galatians 1

6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 

7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

G.K. Chesterton — “We shall soon be in a world in which a man may be howled down for saying that two and two make four.”

The Church Challenges Me to Live Missionally

Matthew 28

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

D.L. Moody: “The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to Him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”

The Church Endures Persecution

Christianity Isn’t Always Easy..

Christ and the Church Will Help Me See the Big Picture!

Randy Alcorn — “This world is the closest to hell a Christian will ever be.”

The church is God’s plan A to save the world, and there is no Plan B!