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1. The Nature of the Church

- An OT-concept important for the understanding of the church is that of the kingdom - Hebr.: malkuth - griech.: basileia
- The underlying meaning of both is kingship, rule, reign, NOT realm - Königtum, not Königreich - only the secondary meaning is territory/ realm of kingship - therefore I suggest that we consider a different usage: UNDER THE KINGDOM instead of IN THE KINGDOM
- Ps. 145, 10: kingdom = power, mighty acts, dominion

- What is the relationship of the kingdom and the church:
o some practice total separation
o some equate the kingdom and the church
both does not work: THE CHURCH IS THE PEOPLE OF THE KINGDOM - thus the church is not identical with the kingdom

b. The Body of Christ

a) 1. Cor. 12 (similar to Rom. 12): teaches the lesson of unity
- VV. 12: Christ is described as the whole body; the point is "unity"

b) Col. 1, 18: distinction between head and body
- head, hebr. ‚rosh', gr. - one common use of the hebr./ gr. word is "source/ origin" => Col. 1, 18 is about Christ as source/ headship

c) Eph. 1, 22f.: here the head is contrasted with the body
- "head" is used in the sense of authority

- the different body-passages should not be mingled, because they teach different lessons: "Jesus = head of the body" (Eph.), imported into 1. Cor. 12, causes problemes, because the "head" in V. 21 is NOT Christ

different lessons are taught from the imagery of the body:
- unity - deriving from Christ - submission to Christ - (cf. below!)
in all cases closeness with Christ is emphasized: he wants us as his body
"In Christ" and "With Christ"

- Rom. 8, 1: Incorporative union; also 2 Cor. 5, 17 (=> work of the church)
- Rom 6, 3-4; 8, 17: The state of being with Christ is the result of sharing in his experience: dying with him, rising with him, and being glorified with him
- So close is the identification that what is done to Christ's people is done to him (Mt, 25, 35ff.), to persecute them is to persecute him (Acts 9, 4f.), to sin against them is to sin against Christ (1 Cor. 8, 12)

Titles shared by Christ and His Body

- Chosen, Holy, Beloved
The church as Christ's body becomes attached to him, incorporated into him. Thereby they become what he is - elect, holy, and beloved. What is said of him is true of his people - yet true only in a derivative sense, only through incorporation into Christ. Therefore, these things are true only collectively, not individually. The church is an elect race, a holy nation, a beloved people (1. Pet. 2, 9)
These terms emphasize the collective concept of the church
- these things are true of the people, not as individuals but as part of the group
- they are true only in union with Jesus as the source of the status

c. An agricultural image: the vine and the vineyard

- John 15, 1ff.: Jesus is the vine, we are the branches
this is the Johannine equivalent of what Paul says about the body: Jesus is the whole body/vine; his disciples are part of him. He exists without his disciples, but his disciples cannot exist apart from him (John 15, 2. 4-6)

d. "" - the Assembly

The meaning of ""

- literal translation: assembly, congregation; in classical Greek: usage for the assembly of the citizens (Acts 19, 32. 40f.)
- the emphasis is NOT on separation, but on gathering

- The Christian usage: Paul uses for the actual assemblies of the church:
- 1. Cor. 11, 18; 14, 19. 23. 34. 35
- The word came to be used for the people of the assembly even when they weren't in assembly: Rom. 16, 5; Philem. 2

- in the great majority of the instances ‚ekklesia' refers to a local church
- Acts 15, 41; Gal. 1, 2. 22
- There are a few instances where the word is used for the universal church
- Mt. 16, 18; Eph. 1, 22

The word "church" means assembly. The church is an assembly, the people who meet together on a regular basis. When it comes together, the church exemplifies that it is indeed the church, an assembly (1 Cor. 11, 18); if we do dot meet together, faith declines and dies, therefore:

The importance of the assembly

- there are many references in Acts and the Letters to being and coming together
- The cumulative impression of these passages demonstrates how often the early Christians were together in meetings and consequenctly the importance of these meetings for them.

- Again: the word "church" means assembly. To be a church, it must meet. In order not to be a collective designation for individuals with certain characteristics, the church must manifest that it is a body by being together. The church may survive where there is a poor program of religious education, little evangelism, virtually no benevolence; but it will not survive where it does not meet.

in the assembly the church becomes itself. The church becomes conscious of itself, confesses itself to be a distinctive entity, shows itself to be what it is - a community (a people) gathered by the grace of God, dependent on him, and honoring him. The assembly allows the church to emerge in its true nature.

Purposes of the assembly

1. To glorify God:
- Eph. 3, 20f.: The verse is not limited to the meetings of the church, but certainly includes glorifying God when the church is in assembly

2. To edify Christians
- 1 Cor. 14, esp. V. 26

3. To express and promote fellowship
- The sense of being one people and acting with one accord results from the whole congregation being frequently together
- Acts 2, 42. 46; Rom. 15, 6

4. To properly impress outsiders
- 1. Cor. 14, 23-5
- wrong direction: assembly for mainly evangelistic purposes/ entertainment: this is a misuse of the assembly

5. To commemorate and proclaim salvation
- The Lord's supper especially serves this purpose: 1 Cor. 10, 14-17; 11, 17-34

2. The Work of the church

- WHAT is our ministry? Look at the ministry of Christ; WHY? AS A GROUP WE DERIVE FROM HIM (cf. body, vine)

- The earthly ministries of Jesus:
- Mt. 4, 23: teaching, preaching/proclaiming, healing
- Mt. 9, 35: same description

- Mt. 9, 35-38; 10, 1ff.: "the limited commission"
- The combination of these two passages serve as precedent for the church's continuing the ministry of Jesus
Jesus' ministry was to be continued by his disciples

- Eph. 2, 10: The new creation in Christ Jesus results in the doing of good works, the same types of good works with which Jesus was concerned
- The church continues in principle the works Jesus did in his earthly ministry. It is the body of Christ. Christ does his work in the world now through the church, and the work of the church is to offer Christ to the world
- Matthew's threefold description of the earthly ministry of Jesus corresponds to the activities of the church; his order in listing Jesus' activities reflects the structure of the church: pastors and teachers, evangelists, and deacons

a. Evangelism

1. Lk. 4, 18f.: all three synoptic Gospels summarize Jesus' ministry in terms of preaching the Gospel (Mt. 4, 23 (has just been read); Mk. 1, 14f.)
- Acts 10, 36f.: also a summary in terms of Jesus' preaching ministry

2. Jesus also instructed his disciples to preach; cf. the "Great Commission", with which the Gospels conclude: Mt. 28, 19; Mk. 16, 15f.; Lk. 24, 46f.; John 20, 21. 23

3. the example of the early church: Acts 8, 4

Jesus is the model for what the church does
The church is an extension of Christ's saving mission

b. Edification

1. Jesus' ministry also was a teaching ministry
- Mt. 13, 10ff.: explanation for the disciples; the "sermon on the Mount" brings together some of the teaching material of Jesus: Mt. 5, 1f.; 7, 28f.
- Those who as a result of his preaching followed him needed further instruction

2. Jesus also taught his disciples to teach: Mt. 28, 19b.

3. Teaching in the early church: Eph. 4, 11-16 (read: 11-13)
- Besides the numerical growth of the church, the NT speaks of growth in faith, in righteousness, in the knowledge of God, in grace and knowledge, an more comprehensively "into salvation" or "into Christ" - something to discuss; Mirko

c. Benevolent work

1. we have Jesus' example as a basis for engaging in benevolent work: Acts 10, 38
this part of Jesus' ministry was NOT for the sake of publicity

1. Jesus instructed his disciples to continue that kind of ministry (Mt. 10, 1f.; s.ab.)
- Mt. 25: Jesus gave a particular importance to how we treat other people (cf. esp. VV. 35ff.)

2. the NT church did this: Rom. 12, 13; Ja. 1, 27; 2, 15f.; Gal. 6, 10

Summary:
- the distinction between the aspects of ministry can be somewhat artificial:
- sometimes benevolence IS the best preaching
The church does not exist for ist own sake, but for service + ministry
_____________

- The church is able to continue Jesus' ministry, because he equips the church for it; he gives gifts - out of this arise the roles of leadership

- the gifts are not for self-exaltation, but are to be used for service:
- 1. Cor. 12, 7: FOR THE COMMON GOOD
- Lk. 22, 26: combination of service and leadership
- Heb. 13, 17: obey the leaders because of the work they are doing
- 1. Thess. 5, 13: not: because of a position, but: because of their work
- 1. Cor. 16, 15f.
- "office" => gr.: work (work of an evangelist; work of a Bishop)

- a good part of Christian history has treated the form of church organization as optional: "whatever works to get the job done"; BUT: the NT contains a given form, that inheres in the nature of the church: Tit. 1, 5
There needs to be a specific form of leadership corresponding to the aspects of Jesus' and our ministry
evangelists/ elders/ deacons correspond to the three aspects of ministry
- leadership: doesn't DO the things for us but SHOWS us how to do it!

Bernhard Georg, IGC Munich