WHO IS THE CHURCH 9-18-2020
Many people often confuses the church with the kingdom of God. The church exists to see the kingdom established. And to see the kingdom operating here on earth. The church is the arm of God that reaches out to an unreached world and invites them into the kingdom. EKKLESIA means the gathering to accomplish a purpose or a group of people who are called out for a purpose. First time the nation of people called out appears in exodus
Ex 2:23 However, after a long time [nearly forty years] the king of Egypt died; and the Israelites were sighing and groaning because of the bondage. They kept crying, and their cry because of slavery ascended to God.
24 And God heard their sighing and groaning and [earnestly] remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 God saw the Israelites and took knowledge of them and concerned Himself about them [knowing all, understanding, remembering all]. AMP
1 Peter 2:9 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you MSG
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1 Peter 2:9 But you are Gods chosen treasure[priests who are kings, a spiritual nation set apart as Gods devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. Tpt
Matt 16:18 And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
19 "And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven." MSG
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Math 16:18-19 I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this truth of who I am will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my churchmy legislative assembly,and the power of deathwill not be able to overpower it.
19 I will give you the keysof heavens kingdom realm to forbid on earth that which is forbidden in heaven, and to release on earth that which is released in heaven. TPT
Acts 9:31 Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country Judea, Samaria, Galilee the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully. MSG
Church is delivered and paid for by the Blood of Jesus
Acts 20:28 So guard your hearts. Be true shepherdsover all the flock and feed them well. Remember, it was the Holy Spirit who appointed you to guard and overseethe churches that belong to Jesus, the Anointed One, which he purchased and established by his own blood. TPT
1 Cor 3:16 Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?
17 If anyone does hurt to God's temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are. AMP
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1 Corth 3:16-17 Dont you realize that together you have become Gods inner sanctuaryand that the Spirit of God makes his permanent home in you?
17 Now, if someone desecratesGods inner sanctuary, God will desecrate him, for Gods inner sanctuary is holy, and that is exactly who you are. TPT
1 Cor 1:2 To the church (assembly) of God which is in Corinth, to those consecrated and purified and made holy in Christ Jesus, [who are] selected and called to be saints (God's people), together with all those who in any place call upon and give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: AMP
Eph 2:19 That's plain enough, isn't it? You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all irrespective of how we got here in what he is building.
20 He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone
21 that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day a holy temple built by God,
22 all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home. MSG
1 Cor 12:28 You're familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his "body": apostles prophets teachers miracle workers healers helpers organizers those who pray in tongues.
29 But it's obvious by now, isn't it, that Christ's church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It's not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker,
30 not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues.
31 And yet some of you keep competing for so-called "important" parts. But now I want to lay out a far better way for you. MSG
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1 Corth 12: 28-31 God has placed in the church the following: First apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then those with gifts of miracles, gifts of divine healing, gifts of revelation knowledge, gifts of leadership, and gifts of different kinds of tongues.
29 Not everyone is an apostle or a prophet or a teacher. Not everyone performs miracles
30 or has gifts of healing or speaks in tongues or interprets tongues.
31 But you should all constantly boil over with passion in seeking the higher gifts.
And now I will show you a superior way to live that is beyond comparison! TPT
Holy Spirit thru the gifts of His Spirit builds up the church.
1Corth 14:12 And thats whats happening among you. You are so passionateabout embracing the manifestations of the Holy Spirit! Now become even more passionate about the things that strengthen the entire church. TPT
Eph 1:22 And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church],
23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself]. AMP
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Eph 1:22-23 And he alone is the leader and source of everything needed in the church. God has put everything beneath the authority of Jesus Christand has given him the highest rank above all others.
23 And now we, his church, are his body on the earth and that which fills him who is being filled by it! TPT
Eph 3:10 [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.
11 This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord, AMP
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Eph 3:10-11 The purpose of this was to unveil before every throne and rank of angelic orders in the heavenly realm Gods full and diverse wisdom revealed through the church.
11 This perfectly wise plan was destined from eternal ages and fulfilled completely in our Lord Jesus Christ, so that now TPT
Eph 4:10 And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts,
11 filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher
12 to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church,
13 until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.
14 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. MSG
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Eph 4:10-14 The same one who descended is also the one who ascended above the heights of heaven, in order to begin the restoration and fulfillmentof all things.
11 And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers.
12 And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ.
13 These grace ministries will function until we all attain oneness in the faith, until we all experience the fullness of what it means to know the Son of God, and finally we become one perfect man[ with the full dimensions of spiritual maturity and fully developed in the abundance of Christ.
14 And then our immaturity will end! And we will not be easily shaken by trouble, nor led astray by novel teachings or by the false doctrines of deceiverswho teach clever lies. TPT
Eph 4:16 For his body has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love. TPT
It is Christ who presents the Church without spot or wrinkle
Eph 5:23-27 for the husband provides leadership for the wife, just as Christ provides leadership for his church, as the Savior and Reviverof the body.
24 In the same way the church is devoted to Christ, let the wives be devoted to their husbands in everything.
25 And to the husbands, you are to demonstrate love for your wives with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to us, his bride. For he died for us, sacrificing himself
26 to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God.
27 All that he does in us is designed to make us a mature church for his pleasure, until we become a source of praise to himglorious and radiant, beautiful and holy, without fault or flaw. TPT
Eph 5:29-32 No one abuses his own body, but pampers itserving and satisfying its needs. Thats exactly what Christ does for his church!
30 He serves and satisfies usas members of his body.
31 For this reason a man is to leave his father and his mother and lovingly hold to his wife, since the two have become joined as one flesh,
32 Marriage is the beautiful design of the Almighty, a great and sacred mysterymeant to be a vivid example of Christ and his church. TPT
Church is the Body of Christ living on the earth. The same as if He was still living here
Col 1:18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and leading the resurrection parade he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. MSG
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Col 1:18 He is the Head of his body, which is the church. And since he is the beginning and the firstborn heir in resurrection, he is the most exalted One, holding first place in everything. TPT
The church is the name of those who gather together. It is not an address of a particular building.
Heb 12:23 And as members of the churchof the Firstbornall our names have been legally registeredas citizens of heaven! And we have come before God who judges all, and who lives among the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect in his eyes TPT
Philem 2 And to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier [in the Christian warfare], and to the church [assembly that meets] in your house: AMP
Rev 22:17 The [Holy] Spirit and the bride (the church, the true Christians) say, Come! And let him who is listening say, Come! And let everyone come who is thirsty [who is painfully conscious of his need of those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, and strengthened]; and whoever [earnestly] desires to do it, let him come, take, appropriate, and drink the water of Life without cost. [AMP