GOD'S VISION FOR HIS CHURCH - OUTLINE
I. God is personally committed to His church (Matthew 16:18)
The Bible uses different metaphors to describe the church: Family of God, Bride of Christ, Body of Christ, Temple of God, and Army of God.
All these metaphors can be found in book Ephesians chapter 2 through 6.
II. The church is God's idea. It is in the mind of God from the very beginning (Ephesians 3:10).
III. What kind of church does He want?
We can see the blueprint of God's church from the formation of early church in the first century
- Community of Strong Faith (Acts 16:5)
- Community of Strong Love (Acts 4:32,34)
- Community of Strong Vision and Purpose (Acts 4:32)
- Community that strong in proclamation of Good News (Acts 4:33)
IV. The first century church grew so much through cells (small groups)
They met mostly in two venues:
a. In the Temple (larger groups) - Acts 20:20
b. In small groups in homes - Acts 2:46-47, Romans 16:3-5
V. During the reign of Emperor Constantine (A.D 313), things began to deteriorate
The changes brought by Constantine dramatically impact the dynamic of church
- A deterioration of community life of church. They began to become exclusive group instead of welcoming group
- A shift from "Holy People" to "Holy Building". Everything must be done within the walls of church
- A shift from "Holy People" to "Holy Man". Everything was done by the appointed group of men. Believers became very passive in impacting the community surround them.
VI. What God is doing today?
- It is now the time to re-emphasis on relationships and prayer to reach out
- It is now the time to re-emphasis on discipleship and leadership development with the deliberate goal of releasing each believer into ministry
The Bible uses different metaphors to describe the church: Family of God, Bride of Christ, Body of Christ, Temple of God, and Army of God.
All these metaphors can be found in book Ephesians chapter 2 through 6.
II. The church is God's idea. It is in the mind of God from the very beginning (Ephesians 3:10).
III. What kind of church does He want?
We can see the blueprint of God's church from the formation of early church in the first century
- Community of Strong Faith (Acts 16:5)
- Community of Strong Love (Acts 4:32,34)
- Community of Strong Vision and Purpose (Acts 4:32)
- Community that strong in proclamation of Good News (Acts 4:33)
IV. The first century church grew so much through cells (small groups)
They met mostly in two venues:
a. In the Temple (larger groups) - Acts 20:20
b. In small groups in homes - Acts 2:46-47, Romans 16:3-5
V. During the reign of Emperor Constantine (A.D 313), things began to deteriorate
The changes brought by Constantine dramatically impact the dynamic of church
- A deterioration of community life of church. They began to become exclusive group instead of welcoming group
- A shift from "Holy People" to "Holy Building". Everything must be done within the walls of church
- A shift from "Holy People" to "Holy Man". Everything was done by the appointed group of men. Believers became very passive in impacting the community surround them.
VI. What God is doing today?
- It is now the time to re-emphasis on relationships and prayer to reach out
- It is now the time to re-emphasis on discipleship and leadership development with the deliberate goal of releasing each believer into ministry