Ripe for Harvest

48 • R IPE FOR H ARVEST

I. What is a Church? To Understand the Church, Look at Jesus

A. The New Testament uses pictures to explain the Church.

1. Paul Minear identified nearly 100 images of the Church ( Images of the Church in the New Testament , Westminster John Knox, 2004).

2. Consider the Church as Bride of Christ

a) Eph. 5.32; 1 Cor. 11.2; Rev. 19.7−9; 22.17; cf. Song of Solomon; Hosea.

b) Dietrich Schindler, The Jesus Model: Planting Churches the Jesus Way , Kindle Electronic Edition (N. P.: Piquant, 2013).

3. Consider the Church in light of the Trinity

a) The family of God the Father

b) The body of Jesus the Messiah

c) The temple of the Holy Spirit

B. A dictionary definition

1. The Church is the community of God’s people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord, who carry out his purposes on earth, comprised of everyone past, present and future, from every place on the earth and throughout history. It is God’s agent of the Kingdom of God, the Body and Bride of Christ, who as custodian of God’s revelation has responded to His work in theology, worship, discipleship and witness. 2. In sum: Each local church is an embassy, serving as an outpost of Christ’s Kingdom. We find our identity in the story of God’s Glory.

3. For further study:

Context Values/Vision Prepare Launch Assemble Nurture Transition Schedule/Charter

a) Don L. Davis. The Kingdom of God. Vol. 2, 16 vols. The Capstone Curriculum (Wichita, KS: The Urban Ministry Institute, 2004).