THE CHURCH

1. THE CHURCH Lesson 8 for August 23, 2014

2. JESUS AND THE CHURCH • Jesus founded the Church. • Jesus prayed for the unity of the Church. • Jesus provided for the unity of the Church. • Jesus taught us how to keep the unity of the Church. • How to avoid disunity. • How to restore unity.

3. THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) Did Jesus say that Peter was the foundation of His Church? See 1 Corinthians 3:11 and Ephesians 2:20. Jesus made a pun. In Greek, the word for Peter is petros, and it sounds similar to the Rock (Petra) on which the Church would be founded on; that is, Jesus. God is called “Rock” both in the New and Old Testaments (both the persons of the Father and Jesus) Jesus clearly used the symbol of the Rock to reference Peter’s affirmation: “You are the Christ.” (Mt. 16:16)

4. “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) “But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel)”(Genesis 49:24) “Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, therefore you will plant pleasant plants and set out foreign seedlings.” (Isaiah 17:10) “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2) “Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.”(Habakkuk 1:12) “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” (2 Samuel 22:2) “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.” (1 Peter 2:7-8) “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:4)

5. A PRAYER FOR UNITY “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:23) The Father and the Son are different, but they are one in nature and purpose. We, the believers, have different temperaments, cultures and skills, but we must also be a united Church through Jesus Christ, just like the Father and the Son are. • The closer to Jesus each one of us is, the closer we will be to our brothers and sisters. • We must accept Jesus as the Lord of our lives for that to happen. He must mold our character. We must surrender our will to Him.

6. “Harmony and union existing among men of varied dispositions is the strongest witness that can be borne that God has sent His Son into the world to save sinners. It is our privilege to bear this witness. But, in order to do this, we must place ourselves under Christ’s command. Our characters must be molded in harmony with His character, our wills must be surrendered to His will. Then we shall work together without a thought of collision.” E.G.W. (Counsels for the Church, cp. 4, pg. 44)

7. POWER TO KEEP THE UNITY “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42) • The believers in the apostles’ time were “perfect in one” (Jn. 17:23) thanks to two gifts they received from Jesus: Truth and Love (doctrine and fellowship) We need to remember that love without truth is blind, and truth without love is fruitless. Mind and heart must work together.

8. HOW TO AVOID DISUNITY “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:16) • Gossip is an infringement of the ninth commandment and opposes Jesus’ order: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) • No one has been called to judge others, or to speak ill of someone, or to compare himself to others. We must fix our eyes on Jesus. If you ever think you must speak of someone, let’s ask yourself the next questions first: Is what I am about to say true (Exodus 20:16)? Is what I am about to say edifying (Ephesians 4:29)? Is it possible to say it in a loving way (Proverbs 25:11)?

9. HOW TO RESTORE UNITY “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24) If we ever offend anyone or we are offended by someone, then we should follow the method Jesus introduced in Matthew 18:15-18. Talk to your brother or sister alone. That solves most of the offenses. If you don’t become reconciled, deal with the issue before two or three neutral witnesses. If the issue is not solved yet, tell it to the Church. “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)

10. E.G.W. (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, cp. 3, pg. 59) “If matters of difficulty between brethren were not laid open before others, but frankly spoken of between themselves in the spirit of Christian love, how much evil might be prevented! How many roots of bitterness whereby many are defiled would be destroyed, and how closely and tenderly might the followers of Christ be united in His love!”