Saturday, June 6, 2020

What is the church of Christ?

The church is directly mentioned in singular and plural connotation about one hundred and eighteen times in the New Testament. There is confusion and misunderstanding in so many sectors about what the church of Christ is. The first mention of the church came from the answer of the apostle Peter to his question, "but who did I say that I am? This is what Jesus Christ said", and I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will . build my church; and the gates of hell will not prevail against him "(Matthew 16:18, KJV). It is important to note here that Jesus was referring to the revelation given to Peter that he was the Messiah, the chosen and the anointed.

Christ's church is built on the revelation of who Jesus was and is. In his humanity he was the son of man and the son of God. In his divinity, he was God manifested in human flesh. The prophet Isaiah said that he was the mighty God who came to redeem his people, the Israelites, see Isaiah 9: 6. To understand what Christ's church is, one must first try to understand who Jesus was and who he is church of Christ personal evangelism.

There are two parts to understanding what the Church of Christ is:

1. The physical part:

This is a physical building or structure, created by human hands that believers gather for worship, discipleship, spiritual and even community services. Involve members who form a local congregation of Christian believers. This can be of any particular denomination with its unique beliefs of the Christian faith. Somehow, unfortunately this is where manly people stop and don't realize what Christ's church is. It is actually larger and beyond any particular denomination.

Let me say here that they should not be confused with longevity, numerical strength, or wealth of a particular denomination. These are not biblical standards that justify what the church of Christ is. As much as physical buildings are important, it is not the end in itself. This brings me to the second part.

2. The spiritual or mystical body of Christ.

This includes all the people who were called and filled by the spirit of Christ. This provides the substance of what the church of Christ is. It transcends denominational and national boundaries. Jesus did not die for a denomination or building, he died for human persons. He bought us through his blood to take us to his body, the church. We are the temple of God individually and collectively, we are the body of Christ (the church of the living God)

It can belong to a particular denomination, regardless of its power and popularity, and still get lost. On the other hand, if you are born again of the spirit in the mystical body of Christ, there is hope of eternal life. This second part is the most important but less attention is paid to it. As the world continues to face dire hardships and catastrophic events, more and more people seek to understand what the Church of Christ is.

The church that Christ built

I am coming to the conclusion that the Church that Christ is building is something very different from what we have been taught.

I remember studying "ministry 5 times" while in the Bible collage. At that time we were taught that these five ingredients are what make up the Church. Where apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are working together; there is church

Instead of understanding that this particular verse means that these things will exist in the Body of Christ throughout the world, we have foolishly interpreted it to mean that they must exist "under one roof." I have even seen churches announce that they have a "five-time ministry" in an effort to attract a larger congregation. There are articles and books written about whether or not these five things work in churches today. When we build a new Church, we spend a lot of time and attention making sure that all the necessary ingredients are present when the doors open. The theory is that if we have an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, and a teacher within our congregation, we will have everything we need to "make Church of Christ." It is much like opening your own McDonalds or Jack in the Box. Once everyone is in place, it's time to do business. You need an owner, a manager, an assistant manager, a fleet of workers and you're ready to go.

About two years ago I started to look closely at my life and the lives of the people around me. Everyone I meet has their own personal circle of friends they date. It may consist of family members, people at work, school, the internet, or your neighborhood. Every person I meet has their "inner circle". It generally consists of between 5 and 10 people. They also have other friends, but those people would not be considered friends of the "Inner Circle".

To be a friend of the "Inner Circle", there just has to be something that causes a mutual connection between the two of you. There is no recipe for it, and one can never predict when it will happen. You cannot force it, plan it, cultivate it, or even order it to take place; it literally flourishes on its own. I have found that only certain people can "jelly" together at a depth level that is not necessarily shared with others. It is almost as if they were specifically made with the other person in mind. In a kingdom known only to God Himself, these people come together like pieces of a puzzle. In fact, I think they were brought together by the Holy Spirit. Only He sees the inner structure of each individual soul and then finds another soul to connect tight and tight. It is inexplicable and cannot be manufactured or recreated by human hands in a million years.

I have an "inner circle" of about 10 people. These are people with whom I am very close. Our connection did not happen in an effort to fulfill some Christian obligation to meet and establish a relationship once a week. We all connect because we fit in. We knew it the moment we met. I have many other friends that I adore and love to spend time with. He would even die for them. They mean the world to me; however, they are not in my "inner circle".

My four-year-old daughter pulled out a 100-piece "Hello Kitty" puzzle the other day and asked me to help her put it together. The box said it was for ages 6+, so I knew it wouldn't come together without my help. As we were putting the pieces together and turning them all up, my daughter started screaming with excitement. She had found two pieces that fit perfectly. The problem was that, although they fit, they did not go. The image did not join. Looking closer at all the pieces of the puzzle, I was surprised to find that many of them were exactly the same shape. This is confusing for a four year old girl. The only thing you are thinking about is fitting the pieces together. She has two years to understand that a bigger picture is forming when all the pieces are in place.

The church that Christ built

I am coming to the conclusion that the Church that Christ is building is something very different from what we have been taught.

I remember studying "ministry 5 times" while in the Bible collage. At that time we were taught that these five ingredients are what make up the Church. Where apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are working together; there is church

Instead of understanding that this particular verse means that these things will exist in the Body of Christ throughout the world, we have foolishly interpreted it to mean that they must exist "under one roof." I have even seen churches announce that they have a "five-time ministry" in an effort to attract a larger congregation. There are articles and books written about whether or not these five things work in churches today. When we build a new Church, we spend a lot of time and attention making sure that all the necessary ingredients are present when the doors open. The theory is that if we have an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, and a teacher within our congregation, we will have everything we need to "make Church of Christ evangelism." It is much like opening your own McDonalds or Jack in the Box. Once everyone is in place, it's time to do business. You need an owner, a manager, an assistant manager, a fleet of workers and you're ready to go.

About two years ago I started to look closely at my life and the lives of the people around me. Everyone I meet has their own personal circle of friends they date. It may consist of family members, people at work, school, the internet, or your neighborhood. Every person I meet has their "inner circle". It generally consists of between 5 and 10 people. They also have other friends, but those people would not be considered friends of the "Inner Circle".

To be a friend of the "Inner Circle", there just has to be something that causes a mutual connection between the two of you. There is no recipe for it, and one can never predict when it will happen. You cannot force it, plan it, cultivate it, or even order it to take place; it literally flourishes on its own. I have found that only certain people can "jelly" together at a depth level that is not necessarily shared with others. It is almost as if they were specifically made with the other person in mind. In a kingdom known only to God Himself, these people come together like pieces of a puzzle. In fact, I think they were brought together by the Holy Spirit. Only He sees the inner structure of each individual soul and then finds another soul to connect tight and tight. It is inexplicable and cannot be manufactured or recreated by human hands in a million years.

I have an "inner circle" of about 10 people. These are people with whom I am very close. Our connection did not happen in an effort to fulfill some Christian obligation to meet and establish a relationship once a week. We all connect because we fit in. We knew it the moment we met. I have many other friends that I adore and love to spend time with. He would even die for them. They mean the world to me; however, they are not in my "inner circle".

My four-year-old daughter pulled out a 100-piece "Hello Kitty" puzzle the other day and asked me to help her put it together. The box said it was for ages 6+, so I knew it wouldn't come together without my help. As we were putting the pieces together and turning them all up, my daughter started screaming with excitement. She had found two pieces that fit perfectly. The problem was that, although they fit, they did not go. The image did not join. Looking closer at all the pieces of the puzzle, I was surprised to find that many of them were exactly the same shape. This is confusing for a four year old girl. The only thing you are thinking about is fitting the pieces together. She has two years to understand that a bigger picture is forming when all the pieces are in place.

The church that Christ built

I am coming to the conclusion that the Church that Christ is building is something very different from what we have been taught.

I remember studying "ministry 5 times" while in the Bible collage. At that time we were taught that these five ingredients are what make up the Church. Where apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are working together; there is church

Instead of understanding that this particular verse means that these things will exist in the Body of Christ throughout the world, we have foolishly interpreted it to mean that they must exist "under one roof." I have even seen churches announce that they have a "five-time ministry" in an effort to attract a larger congregation. There are articles and books written about whether or not these five things work in churches today. When we build a new Church, we spend a lot of time and attention making sure that all the necessary ingredients are present when the doors open. The theory is that if we have an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, and a teacher within our congregation, we will have everything we need to "make Church." It is much like opening your own McDonalds or Jack in the Box. Once everyone is in place, it's time to do business. You need an owner, a manager, an assistant manager, a fleet of workers and you're ready to Church of Christ evangelism topics.

About two years ago I started to look closely at my life and the lives of the people around me. Everyone I meet has their own personal circle of friends they date. It may consist of family members, people at work, school, the internet, or your neighborhood. Every person I meet has their "inner circle". It generally consists of between 5 and 10 people. They also have other friends, but those people would not be considered friends of the "Inner Circle".

To be a friend of the "Inner Circle", there just has to be something that causes a mutual connection between the two of you. There is no recipe for it, and one can never predict when it will happen. You cannot force it, plan it, cultivate it, or even order it to take place; it literally flourishes on its own. I have found that only certain people can "jelly" together at a depth level that is not necessarily shared with others. It is almost as if they were specifically made with the other person in mind. In a kingdom known only to God Himself, these people come together like pieces of a puzzle. In fact, I think they were brought together by the Holy Spirit. Only He sees the inner structure of each individual soul and then finds another soul to connect tight and tight. It is inexplicable and cannot be manufactured or recreated by human hands in a million years.

I have an "inner circle" of about 10 people. These are people with whom I am very close. Our connection did not happen in an effort to fulfill some Christian obligation to meet and establish a relationship once a week. We all connect because we fit in. We knew it the moment we met. I have many other friends that I adore and love to spend time with. He would even die for them. They mean the world to me; however, they are not in my "inner circle".

My four-year-old daughter pulled out a 100-piece "Hello Kitty" puzzle the other day and asked me to help her put it together. The box said it was for ages 6+, so I knew it wouldn't come together without my help. As we were putting the pieces together and turning them all up, my daughter started screaming with excitement. She had found two pieces that fit perfectly. The problem was that, although they fit, they did not go. The image did not join. Looking closer at all the pieces of the puzzle, I was surprised to find that many of them were exactly the same shape. This is confusing for a four year old girl. The only thing you are thinking about is fitting the pieces together. She has two years to understand that a bigger picture is forming when all the pieces are in place.

The church that Christ built

I am coming to the conclusion that the Church that Christ is building is something very different from what we have been taught.

I remember studying "ministry 5 times" while in the Bible collage. At that time we were taught that these five ingredients are what make up the Church. Where apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are working together; there is church

Instead of understanding that this particular verse means that these things will exist in the Body of Christ throughout the world, we have foolishly interpreted it to mean that they must exist "under one roof." I have even seen churches announce that they have a "five-time ministry" in an effort to attract a larger congregation. There are articles and books written about whether or not these five things work in churches today. When we build a new Church, we spend a lot of time and attention making sure that all the necessary ingredients are present when the doors open. The theory is that if we have an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, and a teacher within our congregation, we will have everything we need to "make Church." It is much like opening your own McDonalds or Jack in the Box. Once everyone is in place, it's time to do business. You need an owner, a manager, an assistant manager, a fleet of workers and you're ready to Church of Christ evangelism.

About two years ago I started to look closely at my life and the lives of the people around me. Everyone I meet has their own personal circle of friends they date. It may consist of family members, people at work, school, the internet, or your neighborhood. Every person I meet has their "inner circle". It generally consists of between 5 and 10 people. They also have other friends, but those people would not be considered friends of the "Inner Circle".

To be a friend of the "Inner Circle", there just has to be something that causes a mutual connection between the two of you. There is no recipe for it, and one can never predict when it will happen. You cannot force it, plan it, cultivate it, or even order it to take place; it literally flourishes on its own. I have found that only certain people can "jelly" together at a depth level that is not necessarily shared with others. It is almost as if they were specifically made with the other person in mind. In a kingdom known only to God Himself, these people come together like pieces of a puzzle. In fact, I think they were brought together by the Holy Spirit. Only He sees the inner structure of each individual soul and then finds another soul to connect tight and tight. It is inexplicable and cannot be manufactured or recreated by human hands in a million years.

I have an "inner circle" of about 10 people. These are people with whom I am very close. Our connection did not happen in an effort to fulfill some Christian obligation to meet and establish a relationship once a week. We all connect because we fit in. We knew it the moment we met. I have many other friends that I adore and love to spend time with. He would even die for them. They mean the world to me; however, they are not in my "inner circle".

My four-year-old daughter pulled out a 100-piece "Hello Kitty" puzzle the other day and asked me to help her put it together. The box said it was for ages 6+, so I knew it wouldn't come together without my help. As we were putting the pieces together and turning them all up, my daughter started screaming with excitement. She had found two pieces that fit perfectly. The problem was that, although they fit, they did not go. The image did not join. Looking closer at all the pieces of the puzzle, I was surprised to find that many of them were exactly the same shape. This is confusing for a four year old girl. The only thing you are thinking about is fitting the pieces together. She has two years to understand that a bigger picture is forming when all the pieces are in place.

The church that Christ built

I am coming to the conclusion that the Church that Christ is building is something very different from what we have been taught.

I remember studying "ministry 5 times" while in the Bible collage. At that time we were taught that these five ingredients are what make up the Church. Where apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are working together; there is church

Instead of understanding that this particular verse means that these things will exist in the Body of Christ throughout the world, we have foolishly interpreted it to mean that they must exist "under one roof." I have even seen churches announce that they have a "five-time ministry" in an effort to attract a larger congregation. There are articles and books written about whether or not these five things work in churches today. When we build a new Church, we spend a lot of time and attention making sure that all the necessary ingredients are present when the doors open. The theory is that if we have an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, and a teacher within our congregation, we will have everything we need to "make Church of Christ evangelism tools." It is much like opening your own McDonalds or Jack in the Box. Once everyone is in place, it's time to do business. You need an owner, a manager, an assistant manager, a fleet of workers and you're ready to go.

About two years ago I started to look closely at my life and the lives of the people around me. Everyone I meet has their own personal circle of friends they date. It may consist of family members, people at work, school, the internet, or your neighborhood. Every person I meet has their "inner circle". It generally consists of between 5 and 10 people. They also have other friends, but those people would not be considered friends of the "Inner Circle".

To be a friend of the "Inner Circle", there just has to be something that causes a mutual connection between the two of you. There is no recipe for it, and one can never predict when it will happen. You cannot force it, plan it, cultivate it, or even order it to take place; it literally flourishes on its own. I have found that only certain people can "jelly" together at a depth level that is not necessarily shared with others. It is almost as if they were specifically made with the other person in mind. In a kingdom known only to God Himself, these people come together like pieces of a puzzle. In fact, I think they were brought together by the Holy Spirit. Only He sees the inner structure of each individual soul and then finds another soul to connect tight and tight. It is inexplicable and cannot be manufactured or recreated by human hands in a million years.

I have an "inner circle" of about 10 people. These are people with whom I am very close. Our connection did not happen in an effort to fulfill some Christian obligation to meet and establish a relationship once a week. We all connect because we fit in. We knew it the moment we met. I have many other friends that I adore and love to spend time with. He would even die for them. They mean the world to me; however, they are not in my "inner circle".

My four-year-old daughter pulled out a 100-piece "Hello Kitty" puzzle the other day and asked me to help her put it together. The box said it was for ages 6+, so I knew it wouldn't come together without my help. As we were putting the pieces together and turning them all up, my daughter started screaming with excitement. She had found two pieces that fit perfectly. The problem was that, although they fit, they did not go. The image did not join. Looking closer at all the pieces of the puzzle, I was surprised to find that many of them were exactly the same shape. This is confusing for a four year old girl. The only thing you are thinking about is fitting the pieces together. She has two years to understand that a bigger picture is forming when all the pieces are in place.

What is the church of Christ?

The church is directly mentioned in singular and plural connotation about one hundred and eighteen times in the New Testament. There is confusion and misunderstanding in so many sectors about what the church of Christ is. The first mention of the church came from the answer of the apostle Peter to his question, "but who did I say that I am? This is what Jesus Christ said", and I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will . build my church; and the gates of hell will not prevail against him "(Matthew 16:18, KJV). It is important to note here that Jesus was referring to the revelation given to Peter that he was the Messiah, the chosen and the anointed.

Christ's church is built on the revelation of who Jesus was and is. In his humanity he was the son of man and the son of God. In his divinity, he was God manifested in human flesh. The prophet Isaiah said that he was the mighty God who came to redeem his people, the Israelites, see Isaiah 9: 6. To understand what Christ's church is, one must first try to understand who Jesus was and who he is today.

There are two parts to understanding what the Church of Christ is:

1. The physical part:

This is a physical building or structure, created by human hands that believers gather for worship, discipleship, spiritual and even community services. Involve members who form a local congregation of Christian believers. This can be of any particular denomination with its unique beliefs of the Christian faith. Somehow, unfortunately this is where manly people stop and don't realize what Church of Christ evangelism topics It is actually larger and beyond any particular denomination.

Let me say here that they should not be confused with longevity, numerical strength, or wealth of a particular denomination. These are not biblical standards that justify what the church of Christ is. As much as physical buildings are important, it is not the end in itself. This brings me to the second part.

2. The spiritual or mystical body of Christ.

This includes all the people who were called and filled by the spirit of Christ. This provides the substance of what the church of Christ is. It transcends denominational and national boundaries. Jesus did not die for a denomination or building, he died for human persons. He bought us through his blood to take us to his body, the church. We are the temple of God individually and collectively, we are the body of Christ (the church of the living God)

It can belong to a particular denomination, regardless of its power and popularity, and still get lost. On the other hand, if you are born again of the spirit in the mystical body of Christ, there is hope of eternal life. This second part is the most important but less attention is paid to it. As the world continues to face dire hardships and catastrophic events, more and more people seek to understand what the Church of Christ is.