The Local Church In The Bride

The Bride of Christ • Sermon • Submitted a month ago • Presented a month ago

0 ratings

· 1 view

Notes

Transcript

In the weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday we have been looking at the Bride of Christ — the Church — the Big “C” Church — the Church that was birthed at Pentecost in the 1st century and consists of all the saints who live, who HAVE lived and who will ever live.

Most of the time when we think about church, we don’t think of the Big “C” Church.

We think of the local church — a local group of people — who gather, normally, at a local building at various times during the week for a variety of purposes.

From prayer, to fellowship, to music, for Bible study and instruction, etc.

So, let’s think about the local church this morning.

Still the Bride of Christ, but not THE SUM TOTAL of the Bride of Christ.

The local church is a part of the Bride of Christ.

It operates in a similar manner to the description in:

1 Corinthians 12:14–18 (LSB) For also the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has appointed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

Every local church is unique because the believers that attend are a unique mix of people.

At the same time every local church is valuable and contributes to advancing the Kingdom of God.

Fire Bible

I embarked on this study concerning the Church using an outline you can find in the Fire Bible.

If you have questions about the Fire Bible, please see me after the service.

To try to set you minds at ease — the Fire Bible is not a presidential election campaign fund-raising approach.

It is a Bible that consists of the text of the Bible in a variety of languages — English, Spanish , Chinese, Portuguese and many more — over 65 languages.

Millions of these Bible have been printed and given to pastors and believers all over the world.

Our church has raised funds to distribute Fire Bible in other countries.

According to the Fire Bible.org web site, The Fire Bible is a one-book library to assist anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the Holy Spirit and His work throughout Scripture.

The FireBible explains Scripture verse by verse with easy-to-understand study notes on every page, giving insight into meaning and application.

There are over 1,200,000 words added in commentary, notes, and articles in the FireBible, with 2,386 (commentaries, notes and articles) in the New Testament and 3,133 in the Old Testament.

So, using one of those 2,386 articles in the NT — the one attached to Acts 12:5 I have been attempting to help us better understand the Bride of Christ.

The Fire Bible tells us:

From the book of Acts, as well as from other passages in the NT, we gain insight into the standards of authority and other characteristics for a NT church.

That First and most importantly, the Church will consist of born-again and Spirit-baptized people who will prioritize the local church… people formed into local congregations within cities and communities.

These local bodies of believers are united by the Holy Spirit with the purpose of worshiping and pursuing a faithful personal relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ (13:2; 16:5; 20:7; Ro 16:3–4; 1Co 16:19; 2Co 11:28; Heb 11:6, note).

The Church at Antioch

I think we can learn more about the local church by reading about one in:

Acts 11:19–26 (LSB) So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 Now the news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch, 23 who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and began to encourage them all with a purposeful heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a considerable crowd was brought to the Lord. 25 And he left for Tarsus to search for Saul; 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it happened that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a considerable crowd. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Now, if you have read the New Testament you know that most of it is written to individual local churches.

So, most of the NT is about the local church.

Let’s just consider this one in Anntioch.

A great local church to be sure.

One that offers a great example for New Life Family Church to try to follow.

Birthed in Persecution

First of all, In the first century the local churches expanded due to growth, persecution and missions.

Church splits came a while after — not the best way to expand the Kingdom of God.

This church is essentially a missions work.

Founding pastor, Dr. Eugene Pansler, planted this church in July of 1996.

It is good to have the Broadheads with us.

They were the second pastors here from 2000 to 2007.

As we look at the birth of the “Big C” Church on the Day of Pentecost, we realize the necessity of the local church consisting of smaller groups of people.

These groups often met in homes.

They didn’t have dedicated buildings like we do today.

They certainly didn’t have megachurch buildings that seat thousands of people.

In Acts 2:41 “So then, those who had received [Peter’s] word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.”

Acts 2:47 … And the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved.”

You cannot fit 3,120 in a house.

You can’t fit an ever increasing number of people in one house.

So, I see local churches all over Jerusalem as the crowds met in smaller groups.

I would guess there were at least 6 local churches that gathered to hear the Apostle’s teaching, because Jesus didn’t send His disciples out on solo missions.

He sent them out in pairs.

Mark 6:7(NLT) And He [Jesus] called His twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, …

There could have also been outdoor churches.

It is easier to have an outdoor church in Israel since it is a drier climate.

But having meals together would necessitate smaller groups and hospitality of homeowners would have been ideal.

So initially the “Big C” Church expanded into greater numbers of local churches due to growth.

But then came persecution.

We see that in our text.

The church at Antioch was born because people were fleeing Jerusalem due to persecution.

Persecution due to Stephen’s martyrdom.

Persecution due to Saul’s zealousness.

This means that people were uprooted and went to strange cities with strange cultures.

Baker encyclopedia of the Bible: [talking about the city of Antioch says] Side by side with a truly high culture were … degrading institutions of strange fertility religions, brutalizing sports spectacles, and a variety of mystery religions.

Like us, many of these early followers of Jesus who went to Antioch were not FROM Antioch.

Like us, they found “family” through the local church.

Vs. 21 tells us that it was through a local church, founded in Antioch because of persecution, that the Gospel was preached and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

People were born again as a result of persecution.

Another result of persecution was that:

These persecuted saints had iron put into their blood.

They were made strong by persecution.

They learned to lean the more heavily upon the Lord, and He became more and more real to them.

As Revelation 12:11 says, they overcame the devil and won the victory because: They loved not their lives unto the death.

Sadly, there is nothing that draws us closer to our Lord than trial: There is nothing that develops our faithfulness more than severe testings.

God used both the wrath of Satan and of men to bring praise Him.

Instead of scattering the saints to their undoing, every saint became a missionary of the Cross, and the story of the blessed Gospel increased with leaps and bounds.

Another result of persecution is that it draws saints together in closest fellowship [the koinonia I have spoken about].

Persecuted saints are driven to their Lord, and as they get close up to Him, they get closer to each other.

They have much in common; their heart-strings vibrate to the same key; they have need of the same help.

As saints come together in heart and prayer they become more and more powerful as witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Satan thought to scatter the saints by this persecution, to break their step and to break the power of their united effort.

He did scatter them, but instead threw them into closer fellowship.

They went forth with one heart and with one mind, and with irresistible power.

Persecution is utterly helpless when it attempts to stop the testimony of saved souls.

Those who love the Lord refuse to count their lives as dear.

Like the Apostle Paul, they are willing not only to go to Jerusalem, but also to die there for His Name.

They know that in the hour of their greatest trial, the hand of God will wonderfully sustain them.

At the same time they know some will die and experience the glory of a martyr’s crown.

It was at Antioch that we see how the number of local churches continues to grow.

When the local church commissions and provisions missionaries.

Think about it.

The local church at Antioch was the spiritual parents of all the churches Paul and Barnabas began.

Probably even the church at Antioch birthed the church here in the U.S.

As persecuted European Christian followed their example to flee to America:

The Pilgrims, the Puritans, the Huguenots, Quakers, and many others

Proclaimed the Good News of the Lord Jesus

As these persecuted Christians refused to let persecution keep them from God, they spread the Good News of salvation through Jesus all over Antioch.

As they did the Church continued to grow.

Again, like in Jerusalem I believe there were multiple local churches - koinonia groups - all over Antioch.

According to vs. 19 their efforts started with the Jews.

Vs. 20 says it soon spread to all the inhabitants of Antioch.

Many turned to Jesus.

Supernatural

As this growing number of followers of Jesus were faithful to obey the Great Commission that Jesus had given them, Jesus also blessed them.

Vs. 21 - God’s hand was with them

I believe that this church experienced signs and wonders, healings, deliverance … just as Jesus said they would in: Mark 16:17–18 (LSB) “And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 and they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Guided By Godly Leadership

Not the least of the supernatural signs was God blessing this local church by raising up and sending in godly leadership.

A leader sent in from the sister church in Jerusalem was Barnabas.

Think about that for a minute.

The local churches in Jerusalem were not jealous of Antioch.

They were willing to send a major donor and spiritual leader to help in another city.

And he realized he needed help.

So he went to Tarsus and convinced Saul (the Apostle Paul) to come.

Again, ministry was never meant to be the solo endevour that it often is in the local church.

In fact, in chapter 13 we see still others: Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch

Probably others who are not named.

Others who were being raised up in the leadership pipeline.

Encouraged to Remain True to the Lord

These leaders in vs. 23, taught the new and even the more seasoned followers:

“To remain true to the Lord.”

Again, they were in a predominantly pagan city with all sorts of antiChrist behaviors.

They would NEED to be encouraged to remain true.

Just like WE need to be encouraged and to encourage others to stay true to Jesus in the pagan society in which we live.

A culture that is hostile to Biblical Christianity.

Disciples First Called Christians

Vs. 26 tells us that Jesus followers were first called “Christians” in Antioch.

The Tyndale Bible dictionary says that:

When the Christian movement reached Antioch in Syria, the gospel was preached to Gentiles as well as Jews. Such evangelism marked the sect as more than a new type of Judaism; it was a new religion.

[Probably] the Gentiles in Antioch invented a name for the new group.

Since members of the group constantly talked about Christ, they were called Christians, meaning the “household” or “partisans” of Christ.

Some satire may have been intended in the name.

And the first Christians may not have appreciated it — but it stuck.

These first Christ-followers, were probably called Christians because they reflected the teachings and behaviors of Jesus. We see in our text and in Acts chapter 13 that…

There people proclaimed the central Christian doctrine of salvation through Jesus alone.

Though it is not written, I’m sure they proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

I believe these people were characterized by enthusiastic worship.

When they cranked up their amps and the drums and bass kicked in the whole neighborhood knew they were worshipping their Jesus.

These were people who were open to prophetic ministry (Agabus in Vs. 28).

They were a generous people (Vs.29, 30 - sent help to those suffering from famine in Judea)

They were a praying people (13)

They were a people who moved in the Holy Spirit (13)

They were certainly a missions-minded people (13)

Are You A Christian?

Do these characteristics define us?

If you have any concerns this morning, I would encourage you to:

Repent of your sins - not just sorry — but turning your back on the culture of today and fully embracing the teachings of Jesus.

Surrendering your life to Him, allowing the Holy Spirit to

As the worship team comes, let’s stand together.

Let’s reflect on what God does when He comes into our lives.

If you haven’t experienced it, come forward this morning.

I will pray with you.

Others will come and pray with you.

Related Media

Related Sermons