DESCRIPTIONS OF THE CHURCH

The Church as a Body: The Church can be looked at as the Body of Christ – 1 Corinthians 12:12 – 27; Ephesians 5:29 – 30 (For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.). Every believer can be seen as a unit cell of the Body of Christ. It is these unit cells that mutually fuse together to form the organs and the parts of the Body of Christ. Our individual Church, however, serves as the organs and parts of the Body of Christ while Christ is the Head of the Church. And if Christ as the Head is alive after His resurrection, then the Church can be said to be a Living Organism (i.e., a body) – Ephesians 1:22 – 23 (And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.).

It can therefore be said that every believer as a unit cell of the Body has a role to play in the Body of Christ as it is with the human body. No cell of the body is useless; likewise, no believer that constitutes the Church is supposed to be useless, dysfunctional, or isolated.

The Church as a Building: The Bible describes the Church as the Building of God; Ephesians 2:19 – 22; 1 Corinthians 3:9 (For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.) – and our bodies as the Temple of God where the Spirit of God dwells, as can be seen in the Epistles written by two of the Apostles, Paul and Peter, as seen in the quoted verses below:
1 Corinthians 3:16 – 17 (Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.)
Ephesians 2:22 (In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.)
1 Peter 2:4 – 5 (To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.)

The two Apostles made us realize that we are materials used for building the House of God. The quality of the materials depends on individual Christians.

The Church as a Bride: The Song of Solomon is used to describe the love relationship between the Church and Jesus Christ. Paul the Apostle compared the relationship with what exists between husband and wife – Ephesians 5:22 – 32. He also took the Church to be a pure bride betrothed to Christ her husband – 2 Corinthians 11:2 (For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.).

Revelation 19:5 – 9. Talks about the marriage supper of the Lamb, a futuristic event where Christ will solemnize His marriage with the Church. Christ actually paid the bride price of the Church with the blood that He shed on the cross at Calvary. With this, He became the owner of the Church.

The Family of God: Believers are children of God; hence, they are family members with Jesus Christ – John 1:12 (But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:) and Ephesians 2:19 (Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;).

The Lord’s Army: A believer should look at himself as a good soldier – 2 Timothy 2:3 (Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.) and 1 Timothy 1:18 (This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;). Ephesians 6:10 – 20 talks about what is expected of every individual Christian as a soldier in terms of discipline, warfare, loyalty, victory, and commitment.

A Holy Nation: The Bible describes the Church as a Holy Nation; 1 Peter 2:9 – 10 (But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.).

The Flock: The Bible describes the Church as the Flock – Acts 20:28 (Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.), 1 Peter 5:2 (Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;), and John 10:16 (And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.).

The Vine: The Church can also be described by its function as a Vine – John 15:1 – 8 .

The City of God: The Bible describes the Church as the City of God – Hebrews 12:22 – 24 (But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.).

Jesus called the Church to be His AGENT (Witnesses) in this world with the job descriptions of making disciples of all nations, saving souls through the preaching of the gospel, delivering people from the power of the Devil and doing God’s will, as seen in (Matt 28:19-20, Mk 16:15-18)
Acts 1:8 – “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

In order to fulfill the mission, the Church embarked on the following:

WORSHIP: Acknowledging God in total submission of the heart and allowing the Holy Spirit to take preeminence in all things. (John 4:22-24 “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”)

WITNESS: Taking the gospel to the world and also showing them the new life in Christ. (Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”)

WORD: Holding on to the word of God, exhorting people in the word, and giving it preference. (Acts 2:42 – 48)

WARFARE: Taking the battle to the Devil’s stronghold and destroying the works of Satan through demonstration of the power of the kingdom. (Eph 6:10-20; Jam 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”)

WELFARE: Caring for members. (Acts 2:44 – 45; 1 Jn 3:17-18 “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”)

REFINING: To serve as a refinery where members are purged of their inherited evil traits, taught the knowledge of God and of Christ and to be perfected as Saints. (Eph 4:12-16)

INSTIL DISCIPLINE: To serve as a place where erring members are disciplined so that there will be no contamination in the body of Christ. (1Tim 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”; 1Cor 5:1-13)