I. Our goal in this lesson
A. Christ built His church (Matt 16:18; Eph 5:23). He has only one body (Eph
4:4) which follows only Him as head (Eph 1:22-23).
B. Paul prophesied by the Spirit that "many will depart from the faith"(1 Tim
4:1-3) and lead others astray. Jesus Himself told us to "beware of false
prophets"(Matt 7:15).
C. How, then, will we know Christ's church from impostors led by those who
have departed from the faith? This is the goal of our lesson.
D. Specifically, how will we know if a local church is Christ's church?
E. What did local churches look like in New Testament times? If we can
discover what Christ's church looked like then, we can know what it should look like today.

II. The name of Christ's church
A. Since there was only one body in New Testament times, Christ's church is
often called "the church" in the book of Acts (Acts 2:47, Acts 5:11, Acts
8:1).
B. "The churches of Christ greet you"(Rom 16:16).
C. "The church of God which is at Corinth"(1 Cor 1:2).
D. These names point ownership to God and to Christ, to whom the church
belongs. Thus they are worthy of use today.
E. If the name of the church of which we are a member is not in the New
Testament, it should give us pause. Can it be Christ's church if it bears a name He did not give it?

III. The mission of Christ's church
A. What is a local church belonging to Christ to do?
B. Eph 3:10-11. To make known the wisdom of God (by preaching the gospel).
C. 1 Tim 3:15. The church is the "pillar and ground of the truth," meaning it is to
uphold and spread truth.
D. 1 Thess 1:8. Paul praised the church at Thessalonica for sounding forth the
word.
E. In addition to the primary mission of converting souls to Christ, local churches
are also to relieve needy saints. Acts 11:27-30, Rom 15:25-27, 1 Cor
16:1-4.
F. It is clear from these passages that the mission of the church as Christ
established it was spiritual in nature. It was not built to be a country club,
agent for social change, or a Red Cross. Christ died to save souls (1 Tim
1:15), and His church must have that goal as its foremost mission.

IV. The organization of Christ's church
A. As mentioned, Christ is the head of His church (Eph 1:22-23, Eph 5:23, Col
1:18). But how is a local church belonging to Christ organized?
B. Paul wrote to the church at Philippi: "To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are
in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons"(Phil 1:1).
C. Bishops (also elders, pastors, or overseers) are the leaders in the local
church. They make decisions for the congregation (1 Pet 5:2-4, Acts
20:28, Heb 13:17).
D. Bishops must meet qualifications God gives (1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9). In a
place where men are not qualified to be bishops, the church must work
toward it.
E. Deacons are servants of the church and perform the duties (usually physical
rather than spiritual) needed by the church. (1 Tim 3:8-13, Acts 6:1-6).
They are not, in the New Testament, the leaders of the congregation.
F. Saints are members of a local body who are not bishops or deacons. Their
role is to submit to the decisions of the elders (Heb 13:17) as they lead the congregation in God's way.
G. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see a conglomeration of churches
governing one another. Nowhere did Christ's churches rely on a council
or a governing body to decide what was right for them.
H. God's simple plan is for the elders to "shepherd the flock which is among
you"(1 Pet 5:2) without interfering in any other flock.

V. The worship of Christ's church
A. We must look at the New Testament to find the worship Jesus wants for His
church as well. If He has not told us to do it, we must assume that He
does not want us to do it!
B. The first day of the week is when Christ's church meets (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor
16:1-2).
C. The Lord's Supper is part of the church's first day worship (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor
11:17-34)
D. Laying by in store, or giving, was done by Christ's church then (1 Cor 16:2).
E. Vocal singing is part of the worship of Christ's church (1 Cor 14:15, 26; Eph
5:19, Col 3:16.
F. Prayer is engaged in by the New Testament church (1 Cor 14:15, 1 Thess
5:17, Acts 2:42).
G. Preaching is done in the assembly of the local church (Acts 20:7-9).
H. These are the things God prescribed for the worship of His church. Things
other than these are not pleasing to Him because we are not following Him
in doing them! We must follow Christ-and Christ alone-as our head.

VI. What if a church is not these things?
A. These are the attributes of a local church belonging to Christ. They are
straight from New Testament teaching. If we see a church that does not follow Christ's pattern, we must assume that they have removed Christ as head and follow someone else.
B. In all that we do, Christians must look to Jesus for guidance. Is He our head if
we serve some person over Him?
C. John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." D. John 10:5. "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, for they do not
know the voice of strangers."___Jacob Hudgins