Bible Memory Verse:
"…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" Ephesians 5:25
The Bible says, " Christ loved the church…" WHO IS CHRIST? Christ means Messiah. The Messiah was promised to the Jewish people as their leader and liberator. Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus is called the Christ. Jesus Christ loved the church or Jesus loved the church. Jesus is called the Christ. Jesus Christ loved the church or Jesus loved the church.
WHO IS THE CHURCH? If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are part of the church. According to the Bible, God’s Word, the church is the people that have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior and Lord. It does not matter what church building they go to, what matters is that they love the Lord Jesus; it matters what they believe in their heart.
The Bible says, "Christ love the church and gave himself up for her". WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT CHRIST GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR THE CHURCH? It means that He gave all of Himself for the church. He died for people so that whoever believes in Him can have Him to help them on earth and when they die they will go to heaven where they will be with Jesus forever. Jesus knows all about us and loves us so much that it will be wonderful to be with Him forever.
Christians or people that believe in Jesus are the church, but there are also churches or church buildings. The Bible also says that Christians are to meet together to encourage each other, help each other, study God’s word, the Bible and worship God with song and music. A church building is where most Christians meet. When the church first began, people met in homes. When more and more people became Christians, they began to meet in church buildings. Some small groups of Christians still meet in homes. In some countries where they are not allowed to have church buildings, Christian meet in homes.
The Bible says the church is like a body. Jesus Christ is the head of the body and we are all parts of the body. Each part needs the others. For instance, an ear is needed so we can hear, an eye is needed so we can see. We are all different, but we are all important; we are all needed.
The Bible also says the church is the bride of Jesus Christ. Some day Jesus will come back for His church like a bridegroom used to come for his bride in Jewish weddings.
Not everyone that goes to a church building is a Christian, but if it is a church that teaches the truth from the Bible, God’s word, most of the people that go there will be Christians.
The book of Acts in the Bible is the book that tells about the beginning of the church and what happened in the first few years of the church. Acts is about acts of the apostles or disciplines. These were the first Christians and what they first did is recorded in the Bible.
The church began when the Holy Spirit filled believers on the Day of Pentecost. This was ten days after Jesus returned to heaven. When Jesus returned to heaven in the clouds, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came. Ten days later the Holy Spirit came.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled (helped) them. Acts 2:1-4
Peter was one of the disciples who was filled with the Holy Spirit. He had been so afraid when they crucified Jesus that he ran away and said he did not know Jesus. Now He was so full of courage that he preached to a crowd of people and 3,000 accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord (Acts 2:38-41).
Another man, Stephen who was part of the early church, was full of God’s grace and power, and did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. When men began to argue with Stephen, they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit with which he spoke. (Acts 6:8-11).
Stephen told some of the church leaders that the Holy Spirit was always telling them they needed to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord, but they would not listen. And now they had betrayed and murdered Jesus who had been sent by God.
When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at Stephen. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:54-60
This man Saul began to persecute (talk against, try to harm) the church (those that believe in Jesus). Going from house to house he began to drag off men and women and put in prison. But later Saul became to believe in Jesus (Acts 9:1-19). Saul changed his name to Paul and it was this Paul who wrote most of the books in the N.T. of the Bible.
Paul changed from hating Jesus and Christians to loving them. God loves all people, no matter how bad they are. He knows that if they will choose to believe in Him and obey Him they will change just like Paul did.
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QUESTIONS:
1. Who is the church?
2. The Bible says the church is like a body. Who is the head of the body?
3. The Bible says the church is like a bride. Who is like a bridegroom coming for His bride?
4. What book in the Bible tells about the beginning of the church?
THE CHURCH
Bible Memory Verse:
"…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" Ephesians 5:25
Words to choose from: JESUS, MESSIAH, DIE, BODY, HEAVEN, BIBLE, BRIDE, HOLY, CHURCH, HEAD
1. The __ __ __ __ __ __ is the people of God.
2. The church began when the __ __ __ __ Spirit filled those that believed in Jesus on the Day of Pentecost.
3. Jesus is the __ __ __ __ __ __ __–the One sent from God.
4. The Bible says the church is like a __ __ __ __.
5. Jesus is the __ __ __ __of the body.
6. Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the __ __ __ __ __.
7. Stephen was the first to __ __ __ because of his belief in Jesus.
8. Paul wrote most of the books of the __ __ __ __ __.
9. Some day __ __ __ __ __ will come back for His church.
10. The church will go to __ __ __ __ __ __ .