We are at a very unique point in our life together as a church. A time where we get to ask, not “How have we always done things?”, but “How should we do things?” We get to ask, not “Who were we?”, but rather “Who should we be?” We get to ask not, “What was?”, but rather “What should be? What kind of a church should we be as we step into the future together, and what part will we each play in that process?”
Having all the ingredients in place for a healthy church doesn't mean we'll automatically have one. Today's passage equips us with the attitudes, behaviours and foundation needed to eagerly pursue unity together.
Why church membership is biblical, necessary, and loaded with joy.
We've been doing a lot of thinking about the church. But what is a church, and how do these local churches relate to the global church?
Body, temple, and bride—three pictures of the church from the book of Ephesians that help round out our answer to the question, "What is the church?"
What does the Great Commission have to do with the church?
What are the "keys of the kingdom of heaven," and what does it look like to use them? Answering that question is important, because if you are a member of a church, you—along with the rest of your church—are holding those keys in your hands.
The second time "church" is used in the New Testament, it's found in a setting which tends to surprise us. But it shouldn't, if we understand what we learned last week.
Our series on the church takes us to the very first time the word "church" is used in the New Testament.