GOD’S HOUSE – THE LOCAL CHURCH

“…So it was that for a whole year they ASSEMBLED with the CHURCH and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called CHRISTIANS in Antioch” – Acts 11:26b

We need to beam sharper light on GOD’S HOUSE at the level of the LOCAL CHURCH. In the New Testament, whenever the word ‘church’ occurred, the actual translation of the original Greek means “assembly.” So, Apostle Paul’s greetings to the “churches” were written to the assembly in each city. The word assembly meant “a called out body of believers.” A local church is therefore a company of redeemed people under the Lordship of Jesus Christ in any locality or community, who voluntarily unite themselves together as part of the universal church, for the purpose of establishing themselves in the faith of the gospel, evangelising their community, and propagating the gospel, in words and deed, to the ends of the earth.

The book of Acts gives us an progressive picture of what a local church is meant to be. From this we learn a great deal about the nature of the Church that was instituted by Christ, as the pattern of all subsequent churches. The following are ten important characteristics of a New Testament local church.

The local church is an assembly of believers in Christ: “And BELIEVERS were increasingly added to the LORD, multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14). In other words, the local church is part of Christ Himself!

The local church is a place to which the Lord, not man, joins people: “Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly” (Acts 5:13).

The local church is built by Christ Himself: “Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the LORD ADDED to the CHURCH daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

The local church is a congregation or assembly of people in a given locality: “Then news of these things came to the ears of the CHURCH in JERUSALEM…” (Acts 11:22a).

The local church is a place of teaching and discipline: “And when he (Barnabas) had found him (Paul), he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

The local church is a place where the Holy Spirit is in charge, and from which ministry is sent out: “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2).

The local church is structured, having individuals ordained in positions of authority to exercise leadership, discipline, and oversight: “So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:23).

The local church is a complete unity in itself with corporate authority: “Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chose men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas…” (Acts 15:22a).

The local church is a place of manifold ministry: “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers…” (Acts 13:1a). The local church often joined in voluntary fellowship with other local churches: “So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria…and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God has done with them” (Acts 15:3-4).

The local church is a place for establishing the saints in the faith: “So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily” (Acts 16:5).

The book of Acts underlines the importance of the local church to every believer. No one who is saved should be without a spiritual home. Even Paul, the great missionary-apostle, maintained a firm relationship with the local church that had sent him out – Antioch. Beloved, in what spiritual home – local church – are you planted?