Lesson Ten: Why We Go to Church
For 2019, our theme is “Take it Home”. The last Wednesday of every month we cancel service and encourage every family to have a Family Bible Study night. Here’s the Bible study we provide for each family.
FOCUS VERSE
Matthew 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
BEGINNING TOPIC
Church is much more than a family tradition or a way to spend time with friends. It isn’t simply a social group for Christ. The church is the system that Jesus chose to build followers and fulfill His purpose in this world.
HISTORICAL SETTING
One of the very first things Jesus did when He started His ministry was call a group of followers. One after the other, Jesus approached them and said, “Follow me”. He expected them to leave whatever they were doing and physically follow Jesus wherever He went.
The Bible records that the disciples of Christ did most things in Jesus’ company, and in the company of the other disciples. They could be found eating together, praying together, and even sleeping near each other. In addition, they also worked with Jesus and each other in the ministry.
Most only know of Jesus’ 12 disciples, but Jesus had many disciples during His three-year ministry. Luke 6:17 talks about a “company of Disciples”, which really means a large group of disciples. In fact, the Bible records a moment when many of Jesus’ disciples left Him because they could not fully understand His teachings (John 6:66).
When Jesus told Peter “I will build my church” in Matthew 16:18, Peter understood clearly what Jesus had meant, because that was a system Peter was already involved in with Christ. The word Jesus used for church was the Greek word “ekklēsia” and is the same word used for when a gathering of citizens are called out from their homes into some public place for an assembly. This is exactly what Peter had witnessed while in the company of Jesus, the continual calling out of men and women to fully devote their lives to Christ and to gather together with other followers.
The system Jesus started became the New Testament church’s system. Immediately after the out outpouring of the Holy Ghost and the preaching of the first sermon of the church by Peter, we see that they “…continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42), and that “all that believed were together…” (Acts 2:44).
The word church was never meant to designate a building, but rather the assembling of followers of Christ.
The rock upon which this church was to be built was the understanding of who Jesus was. It was the doctrinal understanding that would separate the church from other assemblies. That’s why it is important what the church you’re going to teachings the truth.
VERSES TO CONSIDER
Hebrews 10:23-25 implies that if we are to retain our profession of faith, we cannot forsake the assembling of ourselves together. But to use our assembling as a time of provoking one another to love and performing good works. Verse 25 also says that our assembling should include exhortation. To exhort means “to call near, invite, invoke”. When we gather together as a church, we can invoke each other to a closer walk with God. This is especially important to do, according to verse 25, as the day of the Lord draws closer.
Romans 12:4-5 teaches us what the assembling of Christ’s followers really is: the body of Christ. God designed a system where we cannot fulfill the purpose of the church alone. We are only parts of a much larger body. What if the arm decided it was going on a solo mission, could it get far without legs? It is only together that we will be successful in reaching our world. That is why Ephesians 2:20-22 explains that we “are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” As we assemble, we form the church and can carry out Christ’s mission.