Lesson for January 16, 2022
The Doctrine of the Church
In God’s plan for the Church Age, the Church, which is “the Body of Christ,” has a huge impact on the fate of the client nation. The Greek word for church is “ekklesia” and was first used in Attic Greek for an assembly of citizens convened to conduct the affairs of state. The theological term for the study of the Church is Ecclesiology. “Ekklesia” is used for the assembly of the Ephesians in Acts 19:25,32. It was also used for citizens who gathered in the city to conduct business in Acts 19:30. Also, it was used for the assembly of Israel in Acts 7:38. It was used for the assembly of Jews in their synagogue in Matthew 18:17.
“Ekklesia” is used for the Universal Church, composed of all members of the royal family of God, i.e., all believers in this dispensation of the Church Age. (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27; Colossians 1:17-18) It is used for occasions when a group of believers in a particular geographical location got together, even as few as two or three. Such a group was called a local church in I Corinthians 11:18, 14:19, 28, 34-35; Philippians 4:15; I Thessalonians 1:1; II Thessalonians 1:1; Revelation 2-3. These local churches were under the authority of pastors, whether the pastors were absent or present. Whether the pastor teaches face to face is not the issue; his authority may come in some other form of communication. The mode of teaching does not determine whether or not the organization is a local church.
We are the “Church” as members of the Royal Family of God in this dispensation. Jesus Christ is the ruler of the Church. It is us who He rules or does not rule, depending upon our volition. But whether He is allowed to function in our lives as our ruler depends upon whether we understand and apply Bible doctrine. If we understand Bible doctrine, we have the basis for submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ as the ruler of the Church. If we are advancing in our spiritual lives and living inside the Divine Dynasphere, then we have accepted the authority of Jesus Christ as the ruler of the Church. But many Christians have rejected our Lord’s authority as the ruler of the Church.
Jesus Christ has delegated authority for the communication of doctrine in the local church to the pastor-teacher. If believers have rejected the authority of Jesus Christ over their personal lives, they will obviously reject the authority of any pastor who accurately communicates the Word of God. Without knowing accurate doctrine, a person cannot accept the authority of Jesus Christ. In its relationship to Jesus Christ, the Church is called the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ.
Jesus Christ is called the ruler of the Church, and we are called new creations in Christ, as found in I Corinthians 15:45-47; II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15. This new creation is important because it focuses attention on the Church during the intensified stage of the Angelic Conflict. Christ is said to be the head of the body, and believers the body parts in an analogy found in Ephesians 4:15-16. The body analogy emphasizes our differences in personality and spiritual gifts. (Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:16, 4:4-5, 5:23; I Corinthians 12; Colossians 1:17-18,24, 2:19.
The concept of Christ as the chief cornerstone, and the Church as the stones of the building was first taught by Christ in Matthew 16:16-18 when He told Peter, “You are blessed, Simon, Son of Jonas. And on this rock [PETRA, giant rock, Lord Jesus Christ] I will build my Church [Royal Family of God]. Therefore, your name is now [PETRAS, part or chip of a rock].” This reference to Christ as the chief cornerstone is found in Ephesians 2:20; I Peter 2:4-8. Peter recognized that Christ, not the Church and not himself, was the Rock that the Church would be built on. The Church didn’t even exist in Matthew 16.
The analogy of Christ as our High Priest and us as His royal priests is found in Hebrews 7:25, 10:10-14; I Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:6. Only when Christ ascended and was seated at the right hand of the Father could Jesus Christ be a high priest. Therefore, every believer in Christ is a royal priest.
The groom and the bride analogy is a reference to the Church’s relationship with Christ and is found in
II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-8. This analogy in Revelation speaks of the future of the Church as the Bride of Christ. The Judgment Seat of Christ takes place in Heaven (during the time of the Tribulation on earth), which prepares the Bride of Christ (the Church) for the wedding feast of the Lamb.
The analogy of Christ as the King of the Church is taught in Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 2:10. Jesus Christ is the royal king, and we are His royal family. The Church is synonymous with the Royal Family of God and is composed of all Church Age believers. A person enters the Church at salvation through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is when we are placed into union with Christ.
The local church is an assembly of believers in a specific geographical location under the teaching ministry of a pastor-teacher. The local church has a policy and an administrative system based on doctrinal principles. This is why there are deacons and other administrative authority in a local church.
Dispensational orientation must be adhered to in order to understand the Church. The doctrine of the Church Age is called a mystery in Romans 16:25-26; Ephesians 3:1-5; Colossians 1:25-27. The Church was not known of in the Old Testament. No Church Age doctrine was written or orally taught in Old Testament times, because the Church Age is a unique dispensation where believers are entered into union with Christ and given spiritual assets unique to them. The Church Age began at Pentecost and ends at the Rapture. The Church Age continues until the royal family is completed, which is known only to God.
The Church was future at the time of Christ’s ministry. When Christ said in Matthew 16:18, “On this Rock [Jesus Christ], I will build My Church,” He used the future tense. The Church began on the Day of Pentecost around 30 A.D., as Christ had prophesied. In Acts 1:4-5 records what Jesus said just before He ascended, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit a few days from now.” Specifically, “a few days” referred to ten days. Jesus remained on earth for forty days after the resurrection. According to the Jewish feast calendar, the Day of Pentecost began fifty days after the resurrection, represented by the Feast of the First Fruits. So, there was an interval of ten days after the Christ’s ascension before the Church Age began.
The first occurrence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the day the Church Age began, and the dispensation of Israel ended temporarily. By comparing Acts 11:15-16 with Acts 2:1-3, we can establish the fact that the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurred for the first time on the Day of Pentecost. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is taught in I Corinthians 12:13. The Age of Israel was interrupted seven years short of its completion when the Church Age began. The Tribulation, which follows the Rapture, is the last seven years of the Age of Israel.
On the Day of Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurred. The disciples were given the ability to speak in foreign languages (called tongues), as prophesied by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:14-21; Joel 2:28-20; Isaiah 28:11), to warn Israel of coming divine discipline. The gift of tongues continued until 70 A.D. when it ceased as a spiritual gift with destruction of Jerusalem. (I Corinthians 13:8). The spiritual gift of speaking in other previously unknown languages allowed the disciples to evangelism those from other countries who did not speak the same language as the disciples. (Acts 2:7-11)
The Church Age is the only dispensation in which believers are classified as Royal Family of God. The Royal Family of God is formed through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is absolutely unique to the Church Age. The Church Age is the only dispensation in which every believer is indwelt by all three persons of the Trinity.
The indwelling of God the Father is related to the glorification of His plan, and it guarantees His ministry to every Church Age believer, which began in eternity past when God the Father designed a plan for each one of us. Everything that we possess as believers is provided by the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. As a guarantee to us of the Father’s eternal provision, God the Father indwells every believer. The Father is with us constantly to grant blessings beyond compare and above our imagination. He constantly pours out life support blessings to all believers and greater blessings to those who are advancing in the Christian Way of Life. The Father indwells us in order to watch over and protect us, as any good father would do. (James 1:17-18)
The purpose of the indwelling of Jesus Christ is a guarantee that we are Royal Family of God and eternal life. Christ’s indwelling guarantees that we will receive our future blessings. The indwelling of Christ is motivation for our spiritual advancement. The indwelling of Christ provides motivation for the execution of the Christian Way of Life. Our personal love for Jesus Christ should motivate each of us to do our best to bring glory to Him. The unmotivated life dishonors our Savior and brings shame to believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (II Corinthians 10:17)
The purpose of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is to provide power and guidance for the execution of the Christian life. The Holy Spirit provides many other things to believers in the Church Age., such as sealing, placing us into union with Christ, teaching, sustaining, glorifying Christ in us, etc. One of the other purposes for the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit is to provide a “temple” in our bodies for the indwelling of Jesus Christ as the Shekinah Glory.
The Church Age is the only dispensation where every believer has all 40 spiritual assets. As a part of these spiritual assets, every believer has at least one spiritual gift and it is unique to the Church Age. The Church Age is the only dispensation where every believer is a royal priest and a royal ambassador. The Church Age is the first dispensation in which there is a completed Canon of Scripture, the Bible.
It is “the remnant according to grace” (the pivot) within the Body of Christ (the Church) that keeps God from invoking all five cycles of divine discipline upon a nation. Therefore, the role of the Church in our dispensation is of extreme importance. All believers in the Church Age have the responsibility to live God’s plan for their lives, which keeps the nation free so that the Gospel can be shared with unbelievers and pastors can teach Bible doctrine in the local church without fear of persecution.