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First Principles

First Principles. THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH. God established three major institutions on earth. FAMILY. Government. Church. What is a Church? (1 Timothy 3:15). It is not a building. Our bodies are the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

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First Principles

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  1. First Principles THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH

  2. God established three major institutions on earth FAMILY • Government Church

  3. What is a Church? (1 Timothy 3:15) • It is not a building. Our bodies are the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20). • It is not a denomination or group of congregations banding together. • It is a group of people who assemble because they are saved, baptized, and purposed in their hearts to fulfill all that Jesus Christ commanded them to do in the Scriptures.

  4. The Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27) • It is called a body because it operates like the human body. • Each member has different functions and minister to one another’s needs (vs. 14-20). • No one member functions alone (vs. 21). • Each member’s contribution is important (vs. 22-24). • It operates as a single unit (vs. 25-27)

  5. The Family of God We are born into the family by the Spirit of God through the blood of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. We become the sons of God and other Christians are known as “Brethren.”

  6. The of the Church • Preach, Teach, and Baptize (Matt. 28:19-20) • Make Disciples (John 15:16) • Provide fellowship for believers (Acts 2:42) • Prayer (2:42) • Observe ordinances (Acts 2:41-42) • Testify of the grace of God (Acts 2:43) • Minister to one another’s needs (2:44-45) • Enable members to enjoy God (Acts 2:46-47) • Edify (build up) the saints (Eph. 4:11-16) • Reproduce through soul winning (Acts 1:8)

  7. Each Member’s Function • During your Christian life you should mature in three broad, general areas: • Observe and Learn – Learn to be the man or woman God intended you to be (Matt. 11:28-30). • Participate – Learn to serve through ministry (Matt 4:19, James 1:22-25) • Lead – Reach the point where you can minister to others (2 Tim. 2:2)

  8. Structure of the Church • Two offices of leadership (1 Tim 3) • God ordained a bishop as the overseer (1 Tim 3:1-5; 5:17; Eph. 4:11) • The Final Authority of the local church is the word of God (1 Thess. 2:13)

  9. How to join a Church • Fulfill God’s requirements of being born again and baptized • Seek God’s will • Request membership • Be accepted – the New Testament church is exclusionary. You will only be accepted if you have a testimony of salvation and can agree to the doctrines of the local church you want to join.

  10. Why so many churches? • Basically because there are so many different beliefs, but religion means power because people’s souls are at stake. • Remember Satan has a false prophets and teachers (2 Cor. 11:14-15). • So how do I know if it is false?

  11. Identifying a False Religion • They have another authority besides the Bible. • They have a history of suppressing and even killing people with whom they disagree. • They will emphasize obscure passages of Scripture. • They emphasize secret societies and special revelations that can’t be verified (Muohammed, Joseph Smith, Oral Roberts)

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