The Church
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JUST AS CHRIST HAS ONLY ONE BODY, THERE IS ONLY ONE CHURCH
THIS "UNIVERSAL" CHURCH IS MADE UP OF ALL BELIEVERS
Romans 12:4 Romans 7:4 Romans 12:5 1Corinthians 10:16 1Corinthians 12:27 Ephesians 4:12
The word "catholic" means "universal"
The Universal Church
EXAMPLES
1Timothy 3:5 1Timothy 3:15 Hebrews 12:23 3John 1:10
The Local Church EXAMPLES OF LOCAL CHURCHES
The Local Church is the practical expression of the body of Christ. In the early Church, there were no denominations. There was only one Church in each Locality. In other words: one city, one Church.
The basis for coming together in the early Church was locality. Christians tended to meet with other Christians in the same locality.
As we see from the seven Churches in Revelation, each church was different. Each church had it's own Spirit. The Spirit of a church is an expression of the Spirit of God. There were seven Churches and so there were seven Spirits of God which were sent out into all the earth.
Today, locality is not the only basis by which Christians come together. Christians with similar beliefs and even racial origins tend to congregate together and form denominations. Nevertheless, each of these congregations are a manifestation of God and have a unique Spirit.
The Bible says that there is no longer Jew nor Greek, male nor female for we are all one in Christ Jesus.
Christians need to meet together in order to expand their view of God. If we only meet with people who are like minded, we may not grow as much. We come to know the depth and breadth, height and width of God's love by fellowshipping with all the saints.
LOCAL CHURCHES CAN DIFFER FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHERNOW DAYS, ONE PLACE MAY HAVE SEVERAL DENOMINATIONS
YET THEY ARE ALL PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
EACH ONE HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION
THEY HAVE THEIR OWN IDENTITY AND THEIR OWN SPIRIT
EACH CHURCH IS A UNIQUE EXPRESSION OF GOD ON THE EARTH
THE SPIRIT OF A CHURCH IS AN EXPRESSION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD
TRUTH AND DOCTRINE SHOULD NOT DIFFER FROM CHURCH TO CHURCH
BUT CHURCHES CAN DIFFER IN THEIR CALLING, EMPHASIS, STYLE OF WORSHIP, TYPES OF SERVICE, FORMALITY
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SINGLE CHURCH TO MANIFEST EVERY ASPECT OF GOD FULLY AS GOD IS TOO BIG
JUST AS THERE ARE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD AND SEVEN CHURCHES
THERE ARE MANY SPIRITS OF GOD THAT HAVE BEEN SENT OUT INTO THE WORLD
THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE THE SAME
THE SEVEN CHURCHES
Revelation 1:4 Revelation 1:11 Revelation 1:20
THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD
Revelation 3:1 Revelation 4:5 Revelation 5:6
The seven spirits of God are the seven churches
These seven churches are parts of the body of Christ yet they are unique
They may exemplify the fingers and eyes of God Spreading out into the Earth but they also help us to understand where "denominations" fit in to God's plan
Just as there will be Overcomers in each of the Seven Churches, there will be Overcomers in each denomination
No denomination can claim that they exclusively are 'The Body of Christ'
Each Church or Denomination is a part of the Body of Christ and the world will know it by the way that that part treats the other parts.
THE SPIRIT OF GOD
Genesis 1:2 Genesis 41:38 Exodus 31:3 Exodus 35:31 Numbers 24:2 1Samuel 10:10 1Samuel 11:6 1Samuel 19:20 1Samuel 19:23 2Chronicles 15:1 2Chronicles 24:20 Job 33:4
