2. Welcome!
“Every church is
different. Every
true church is a
thing of beauty in
its own unique
way.”

3. Overview
• #1- Jesus & The
Church
• #2- The Gospel &
The Christian
• #3- Beliefs &
Doctrinal
Distinctives
• #4- Roots,
Relationships &
Rule
• #5- Mission &
Ministries
• #6- Church
Membership

4. Class Material Available Online
• INSTRUCTIONS:
– Go online. Password is “grace4you”
– Go to www.christourhopechurch.com
– In Search bar, type & enter “connecting”
– Click on “Continue Reading”
– Each session is listed & downloadable
– HINT: At the back of each lesson, there is
an Answer Key for all fill-in-blanks.

5. Session #1:
Jesus and The Church
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and
on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it.”
– Jesus, in Matthew 16.18b

6. What did Jesus teach about
The Church?
Caesara Philippi- the niches in the wall held
images of the gods Pan, Echo & Hermes. Here, Jesus
Himself calls
attention to
The Church’s…
• PROFESSION
• POWER
• PROMISE
• & PROPHECY

7. Jesus & The Church
• The Church is God’s
IDEA.
– “I will build my
church…”
– Ephesians 3.21

8. Jesus & The Church
• The Church is what
God is DOING in the
world.
• The Church is central
to God’s purposes.
– “I will build my
church…”
– Ephesians 3.10

9. Jesus & The Church
• The Church is Jesus’s
treasured
POSSESSION.
– “I will build my
church…”
– Exodus 19.4-5,
1 Peter 2.9

10. Jesus & The Church
• The Church is on a
MISSION, cannot be
stopped and is promised
success.
– “and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against
it…”
– Ephesians 1.21-23
“Everything we do in the
church has to be planned
with the gospel as the
center… This concept is
sometimes called the
missional church, where
missions and evangelism are
not just activities of the
church or departments of
the church but everything is
focused on the advance of
the gospel.”
– John Frame

11. Understanding The Church
• The Church is primarily a
spiritual ORGANISM with
a mystical relationship
with the Living God.
• the “new humanity”
(John Stott)
• a “colony of heaven”
(Edmund Clowney)

12. The Kingdom of God:
KINGDOM OF DARKNESS
NO Kingdom:
“Paradise
Lost”
DARKNESS + LIGHT
PARTIAL
Kingdom:
“Now-but-
Not-Yet”
ETERNAL KINGDOM
FULLY
RESTORED
Kingdom:
“Heaven on
Earth”
1 2

13. Church & Kingdom:
What’s the Connection?
“He has delivered us
from the domain of
darkness and
transferred us to the
kingdom of his
beloved Son”
- Colossians 1.13
• The Church of Christ is
the fullest expression
of the Kingdom on
earth.
• The Church of Christ is
the mission head-
quarters for God’s
Kingdom program to
the world.

14. The Calling of The Church:
“The vocation of the local church could hardly be more
exalted. Called out of the world to be a light in the
world, to be a united family among the disunited
families of earth, to be indwelled by Christ himself, to be
the apple of God’s eye, to be graven on Christ’s hands,
to be the glory of the image of the Holy Trinity, to be an
embodiment of the infinite love of the cross, to be a
collective portrait more beautiful than any other in the
world- that is the church, the local church, the new
people of God.”
– Timothy Savage, The Church: God’s New People

15. God’s Rich Images
for His Church in the Bible:
• Bride of Christ (emphasizing delight & devotion)
• Family (emphasizing love & affection)
• Household (emphasizing purpose & order)
• Body of Christ (with Jesus as our loving Husband)
• Flock (with God as the Good Shepherd)
• Building (with God as Master Builder)
• Temple (the Holy Spirit’s dwelling place)
• Vineyard (Vine & Branches)
• Field (with God as a diligent Farmer)
• Treasure (with God as the proud Owner)

16. Where is The Church Located?
The Visible & Invisible Church
Visible
Church
(as we see it)
Invisible
Church
(as God sees it)

17. Where is the location of the Visible
Church?
• HOUSE- The Church meets in homes.
– “Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in
their house, send you hearty greetings in the
Lord.” (1 Corinthians 16.19b)
• LOCAL- The Church assembles locally.
– “The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila
and Prisca, together with the church in their
house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.”
(1 Corinthians 16.19)

18. Where is the location of the Visible
Church?
• REGIONAL- The Church is also region or city-
wide.
– “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee
and Samaria had peace and was being built up.”
(Acts 9.31)
• UNIVERSAL- The Church is global & world-
wide.
– “And He *i.e. Christ+ is the head of the body, the
church.” (Colossians 1.18)

19. Two Common Errors re: Church:
Underappreciating…
the UNIVERSAL Church-
• “I’m a Presbyterian/Methodist/ Baptist
(fill in the blank) and we got
it just right.”
• But Jesus prayed of us all,
“that they may all be one…
so that they world may
believe…” (John 17.21)
Underappreciating…
The LOCAL Church-
• “I’m a Christian. And I know
and love Jesus. Why do I
need the local church?”
• But Jesus loves His Church,
calling it His Bride.
• How can we love Jesus
without loving practically
what He loves so
passionately?
• If we do love Jesus, we will
learn to love what He
Himself cherishes.

20. Next time:
SESSION # 2-
The Gospel & The
Christian