What the Church is Not 

Scripture Reading: Romans 3:21-30.

Memory Verse: "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Romans 2:29).

Introduction: Many modern followers of Jesus Christ don't know or understand the original meaning of the word "Church." Many groups and organizations define themselves as a "Church," but are far from what Jesus Christ meant when He said He would build His Church.
  Many are even now confronted with truthless concepts of the Church which must be destroyed before we can build by divine design. It is impossible to build the right thing on a wrong foundation, and dangerous to use faulty materials that compromise God's standard.
  When Jeremiah was called to be a spokesman for God, he was instructed to destroy before he built: "Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, 'Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant' " (Jeremiah 1:9,10). God knew that His ways were so opposite the ways of man and so contrary to the world's wickedness, that His ways couldn't be superimposed upon a corrupt system. The only way to build a godly building is to start with the proper foundation--the only sure way to lay a good foundation is to make it strong and deep, removing all obstacles that would altar the blueprint.
  I once visited some people who built their home in a cave. The way they'd used the natural rock formations was ingenious. Nowhere did they chip away at the interior of the cave--it was left intact. Rather, they worked around the rock, custom-building counters, cabinets, furniture, and appliances so they fit the natural design of the cave. It was amazing to see, but the same thing doesn't work for the Church. Though many have tried to mold God's design around their own, and have often combined God's holiness with worldly convenience; the Church isn't the Church unless it's built God's way. Installing a periscope in the engine of a freight train doesn't turn it into a submarine, and neither will placing Biblical principles into a worldly system turn it into God's Church!

Lesson Questions:

1. Could the term "Church" (Greek=ekklesia) be confused with the concept of a building or meeting place the way it is used in the Bible? Acts 2:47; 5:11; 8:1-4; Ephesians 1:22,23.
The word "Church" is used about 140 times in the New Testament (count them!) but never once used of a material building of wood or stones. The word "Churches" in Acts 19:37 (Greek=Hierosulos) means "Temple buildings," not "Churches."

2. Was it God's design to split His Church into denominations and organizations? 1 Corinthians 1:11-17; 3:1-8; Ephesians 4:1-6; Romans 12:3-5;
1 Corinthians 10:16,17.

3. Can the Church be defined as a nationalistic enterprise, or is it truly universal? Matthew 28:19; Mark 13:10; Acts 1:8; Galatians 3:27-29.

4. Is the Church an extension of Judaism? Matthew 9:16,17; Romans 7:4-6; Hebrews 7:19-28; 8:6,7,13; 10:19-22.

5. Should the Church be considered identical to the Kingdom of God? Luke 17:20,21; John 3:5; 18:36; 1 Corinthians 15:50; 2 Peter 1:11.

6. Did God form a new plan and call it "the Church" after the Jews rejected the King and the Kingdom? Acts 15:18; John 17:4-8.
The finished mission of Christ started the Church--all of this was therefore in God's pre-established plan.

7. Was the Church established to be only an interlude between the Jews' rejection of Jesus, and their subsequent repentance and acceptance of Him at the end of the age? Ephesians 3:1-11; 1 Corinthians 1:21-24; 2:7,8.