Church, Is The Congregation That Important?

Part 1                Importance of the Congregation     June 13, 2009

When considering the importance of the Church of God, what seems to come into the minds of most people in determining that is what is the ministry accomplishing or what “work” is being done from a headquarters office or offices around the world.  The fact that “the church” refers to the congregation seems to be downplayed.  What does the Bible reveal to us regarding this important topic?

Eph 2:16, 19-22 You are not strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God

                          You are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit

1 Pet 2:5            we are living stones, being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sac.

1 Cor 3:9           We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building

1 Cor 3:16-17    We are the temple of God and that the Spirit of  dwells in us

1 Cor 6:19-20    We are the temple of the living God

1 Cor 1:27-31    Congregation to put to shame the wise and mighty of the world, that none glory in self but God

John 10:14-15    Jesus knows His sheep, loves and protects His sheep

John 17:20-21    Jesus prayed that those who would believe on Him in future would be one with another

Acts 2:47           God added to the church daily those who were being saved

Acts 5:11-14      Believers where increasingly added to the Lord (How know? Became members of church.)

Rom 12:5-8        Many individuals, are one body in Christ, individually members of one another

1 Cor 12:1-31    The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit.  One body, many members

Gal 3:28             Neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; all one in Christ Jesus

Eph 3:10            (LB) God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Eph 4:1-4           Be humble, make every effort to be united in the Spirit. One body, one Spirit

Eph 4:12, 16      “Perfecting” = “equip” in modern translations. Ministers to equip church to do God’ work

Eph 5:23-30       Christ loved and died for church. We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones

Heb 2:11-13      Jesus not ashamed to call us brethren, saying I will declare Your name in the assembly

Heb 3:12-13      Brethren are to exhort on another daily, so we don’t become hardened by deceitfulness of sin

Heb 10:24-25    Provoke each other to good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together

Jam 5:16            confess faults one to another and pray for one another that you may be healed

1 Pet 3:8-9         Be of one mind, have compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tenderhearted

1 John 1:7          If we walk in light, God is light, then we can have fellowship with one another, sins forgiven because love your brother is the fulfilling of the law

1 John 4:7-12     Let us love one another.  If don’t love, don’t know God, for God is love.

Learning to love the church brethren by helping and praying for each other helps us to develop the character of God which is required to be in His Kingdom.

1 Cor 10:16-17  (YLT) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 
For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

Psa 55:14           We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng

Psa 133:1-3       How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony