Lesson 3: The Local Church

► A student should read Ephesians 3:1-10 for the group. What are some things Paul said about his ministry?

Paul said that an important part of his ministry was explaining the church, so we know that explaining the church should be an important part of ministry today. God planned that Gentile believers would be brought into the church, and that the church would demonstrate the wisdom of God in the world.

We need to remember that the church is not a building. Christians did not have church buildings during the first several generations of the church. That means that when the New Testament talks about the church, it is talking about people.

Ephesians explains how important the church is to God’s plan.

…And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23).

This verse says that Jesus is the Head of the church, and that the church is his body. It says that the church has the fullness of God.

Imagine a river that provides all the water for a great city. Millions of people use the water, yet the amount they take is less than the amount that flows on down the river. It’s hard to imagine how much water that is.[1]

But what about the fullness of God? If God were to make a container or channel for pouring out his blessings and grace and power for the world, what kind of container would hold the fullness of God? This verse says that the church is that container. The church contains God’s blessings for the world.

Remember, the church that contains the blessings of God is not the building, but the group of people in Christian fellowship.

God’s plan for the church existed at the beginning of the world. So what purpose did God have in mind for the church?

Look again at Ephesians 3:10-11.

So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord…

Manifold means “all kinds of.” God has wisdom for every situation and every aspect of life. God’s wisdom is to be revealed to the universe, including the spiritual world, by what God does through the church. A person gets his understanding of God by what he sees in the church. Seeing the church should prompt a person to worship God. He should see the wisdom of God at work in the church. The world will not see all of this from the Sunday worship services. They see it by the action of the church every day and in every situation of life.

► What are some examples of situations of life where God’s wisdom is important?

Does God’s manifold wisdom include wisdom about family problems, poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing, poor education, juvenile delinquency, child neglect, medical needs, and other human problems? Of course it does. How is the world to see the wisdom of God? They are to see it demonstrated by the church, as the church demonstrates how God’s solutions are lived out in the community of faith.

► A student should read Ephesians 3:20-21 for the group.

The purpose of everything God made is to glorify God. The church is where God is especially glorified, because

• It is where he demonstrates love and redemption.

• It is where creatures made in his image willingly worship and obey him.

• It is where a family of faith demonstrates a life that is blessed by God.

• It is where redeemed people participate in the redemption of others by evangelism.

God will be universally, eternally glorified through what the church is doing now. The work that your local church does will stand as an eternal monument to the glory of God.

The Bible talks about the one church, but it also talks about local churches. For example, the Apostle John wrote to the seven churches in Asia (Revelation 1:4). Paul mentioned “the churches of God” (1 Corinthians 11:16).

A local congregation is part of the one church, yet is also called a church. Many of the epistles in the New Testament are addressed to churches in particular places.

► Which can be called the temple of God, the one universal church or a local church?

In Ephesians 2:20-21, Paul said that the one church, on the original foundation, is the temple of God. In verse 22, he said that the Ephesian believers were a house of God. In another verse he told the Corinthian believers that they were a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). Therefore, we see that the one universal church is a temple of God; yet the local church is also.

► Which can be called the body of Christ, the one universal church or a local church?

[1]Paul spoke of the one church as the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:23). However, writing to the church at Corinth, Paul said, “You are the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27). He did not say that the Corinthian believers were only part of the body of Christ. They were the body of Christ for that place.

God intends for each congregation to function as a complete church, with everything they need to be the body of Christ for a place.

Paul compared the members of the local church to parts of the body, like the eye, foot, and hand. Obviously, the parts of the body have to be together in one place to function. He was not saying that they were part of the body and that the other parts of the body were scattered around the world. They were the complete body for that place.

Paul told the Corinthians that certain things were to be done when the whole church came together in one place (1 Corinthians 5:4-5). He obviously was not speaking of the universal church, but the local church. The local congregation has special authority when it functions as a church.

God gives the gifts of the Spirit that are needed for the local church. The members work together with various gifts to meet the needs of the congregation.

Because the local congregation is the body of Christ, the temple of God, and the church, it is sufficient to be the church where it is.

The sufficiency of the local church means that the local body has the gifts and resources needed for ministry in its location. The local church can function as a church even if it has no help from somewhere else. The local leaders of the church help the congregation develop a vision and goals for local ministry. The congregation works together to financially support the ministry and take care of the members of the congregation.

It is difficult to preserve new converts unless they are brought into the life of the church. A believer cannot be discipled well without participating in the local church. A person cannot be trained for ministry without experience in the church.

The gospel does not have visible form in a community until there is a church. The visible form is not the church building, but the functioning family of faith that demonstrates life in relationship with God. Until the church is there, the world cannot see what it means to be a Christian. A community cannot be considered fully evangelized until a church is there.

1. A converted person should not be excluded from the church because of ethnicity, social level, or the sins of his past.

2. The tasks of the church can be accomplished only by the work of the Holy Spirit through the church.

3. The church’s unity is based on biblical doctrine, the experience of grace, and the life of the Spirit.

4. God’s wisdom is revealed to the world by what he does in the church.

5. The sufficiency of the local church means that the local body has the gifts and resources needed for ministry in its location.

6. The church is necessary for preserving converts, discipling believers, and training ministers.

7. A community is not fully evangelized until a church is there.

1. Memorize the Seven Summary Statements for Lesson 3. Write one paragraph explaining the meaning and importance of each of the Seven Summary Statements (seven paragraphs) to someone who is not in this class. Turn this in to the class leader before the next class. Be ready to share a paragraph with the group if the class leader asks you to during discussion time. Write the statements from memory at the beginning of the next class session.

2. Remember to schedule your own outside-of-class teaching opportunities and report to the class leader when you have taught.

3. Writing Assignment: Study Ephesians 5:25-32. Write a few sentences about the relationship between Christ and the church.