CHURCH 101

Understanding & Appreciating God’s Design

12 INTERACTIVE BIBLE STUDIES

FOR SMALL GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS
CHURCH 101
Understanding & Appreciating God’s Design

12 INTERACTIVE BIBLE STUDIES

FOR SMALL GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS
Church 101: Understanding & Appreciating God's Design
12 INTERACTIVE BIBLE STUDIES FOR SMALL GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS
Linda Oliver
© Reformed Youth Ministries 2017

RYM
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www.rym.org

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 CONTENTS
What is the Church and How Does it Work?

1. What is the church? 6

2. What makes the church unique? 10
3. How does the church function? 14
4. Who leads the church? 18
5. Why does the church meet together? 22
6. How do I worship with my church? 25

Why Do We Need the Church?

7. Do I really need to be a member of a church? 30

8. We are united in Christ and grow together. 35
9. We need to learn to love those Jesus loves. 39
10. We need others to bring us back when we wander. 43
11 . We need to walk through suffering together. 47
12. We show others Jesus by how we love one another. 52

Sources 56
 INTRODUCTION

I didn’t grow up in church, and though I was in church regularly from ninth grade
on, I didn’t become an official member of a church until after college. Through the years,
as I’ve studied what the Scriptures say about the church and been committed to local
churches, I have grown to love the church. It has become a family to me, and the roles it
plays in my life are numerous. At the same time, I have seen many others who seem
confused about the role that the church should play in their lives. They think that going
into nature to meet with God is a better plan for them than committing to a church, or
they consistently prioritize things like sports, sleep, or academics over the church. On top
of that, sometimes other ministries end up “competing” with the church and taking
members away from deeper involvement. Based on the conversations I’ve had with other
youth workers, I know I’m not the only one who has been concerned by these things.

In this study, I hope to help you lead your students to understand what the church
is, how it works, and why they need it in their lives. As I’ve written it, I’ve become even
more encouraged by God’s design for the church. How great is it that God came up with
the idea of the church, so we could grow into Christ together, have others look out for our
spiritual health, hear the Gospel consistently and faithfully proclaimed, enjoy diversity
that is a taste of heaven, and walk through life and hardship together (just to name a few
benefits of the church)! The church is God’s gracious and loving provision for his people,
and I long for students to be equipped in the knowledge that will lead them to understand
and appreciate that.

This study was designed to follow the format of the previously written Bible 101
and Prayer 101 studies. It was written with a classroom setting in mind, but it can be
adapted for other settings such as a small group. Adapt it as needed to fit within your time
slot. I would encourage you to add in illustrations and examples as well. Feedback from
students through my years in youth ministry has always led me to conclude that
illustrations really help the students to remember and grasp what is taught.

In Acts 9, Saul has been persecuting the church, and Jesus asks him, “Saul, Saul,
why are you persecuting me?” revealing that the way we treat the church is the way we
treat Jesus. We must love the church if we love Jesus. My hope and prayer is that this
study would spread knowledge and love for God’s design for his church, and thus bring
more glory to Jesus. May we grow in our love for the church as we grow in our love for
Jesus, who first loved us.

5
 WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
LESSON 1
What is the church?
[Allow several minutes for students to answer. Break students into groups or have
students write a definition on a notecard.]

Do you know what the word “church” means?

[Allow students to guess.]

● The word that we translate “church” from our Bibles comes from the Greek word
ecclesia, which means “assembly” or “gathering.”
● Sometimes we use the word “church” to refer to universal church - as in, all who are
God’s people throughout the world. Sometimes we use the word “church” to refer
to a local church, as in a particular gathering of believers.
● As you may have heard before, the church is not a building. It’s the people. So, the
people who make up the membership of your local congregation are your church.
And your local church is part of the universal church of believers
throughout the world.

How does the Bible describe the church?

● The Bible teaches us a lot about the church. Today we will consider two pictures it
gives us of the church.

● The Church is Christ’s Embassy1

READ Matthew 16:13-19.
 In this passage, we see Jesus refer to the church for the first time, after Peter
confesses that Jesus is the Christ (that is, the promised Messiah) and the Son of
God. Jesus’ response teaches us several things about the church. What do you see
that this passage teaches us about the church? [Allow answers.]
 First, the church is Christ’s idea and belongs to Christ. He refers to it as “my
church” (v. 18). The church wasn’t man’s idea, but God’s. And the church doesn’t
belong to the pastors or officers but to Christ.
 Second, he will build his church on the confession of his people that he is the Son
of God (v. 18). Those that confess that he is the Son of God will be a part
of the church.
 Third, Christ will protect the church against the onslaughts of Satan and the
powers of evil (v. 18). They will never prevail over the church.

Many of these insights were gleaned from a sermon preached by Brad Allison at Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church
1

on November 4, 2018. The transcript is available at https://www.avpc.org/files/8715/4133/1201/11042018.pdf.

6
CHURCH 101 Lesson 1
 Fourth, Jesus gives the church the right to speak with his authority (v. 19.).
•Listen to what Greg Gilbert writes about this: “Just as a king would do
for an ambassador, Jesus gave that church the right to speak with his
authority. That’s what he meant when he said the church would hold the
keys of the kingdom of heaven, and that whatever it bound or loosed on
earth would be bound or loosed in heaven (Matt. 16:19; cf. 18:18). In
effect, Jesus was giving his church a royal charter of authority; it and it
alone would be his embassy on the earth. Finally, he commissioned it
with a charge that, until he returned, that embassy was to be about the
work of proclaiming his gracious kingship and making disciples of all
nations (Matt 28:18-20).”2
•What does this quote mean? [Allow answers.]
We know embassies as the headquarters for our government officials
serving in another country. They represent our country there. In the
same way, Jesus has set up the church as his royal embassy on this earth.
The church represents him, speaks with his authority, and has been
commissioned to proclaim his message to the world.
 These truths mean that there is something unique about the church. The church
isn’t just like any institution or even a parachurch ministry. Christ came up with
the idea of the church, he promises to build his church, and he promises to
protect it against the powers of hell. These same truths don’t extend to our Chris
tian schools and clubs and organizations, but they are true for the church. So,
there is something unique about the church, and that means there must be some
thing unique about being committed to a local church.
•Application: Think of how great it is that Christ established the
church. Since this was his idea, we weren’t left on our own to figure out
how to represent him in this world and how to care for his people in the
world. The church is God’s good and gracious design for his people and
his world. Be grateful for it!
•Application: Since Christ says that he will build and protect his
church, how should we feel about the church? [Allow answers.]
We can have confidence because Christ is at work building and
protecting his church. Even when we are discouraged by struggles and
issues in the church, we should be encouraged by Christ’s promises here.
•Application: The church is Christ’s royal embassy, commissioned to
represent him and proclaim his message to the world. What is that
message? [Allow answers.]
That message is the gospel - the good news that God redeems His
people in Christ, because Christ earned their redemption through his
life, death, and resurrection. That is the basic message of our faith which
the church has been commissioned to take into the world.

2
Greg Gilbert, “The Church Is an Embassy, Not a Social Club,” The Gospel Coalition, January 8, 2016, https://www.
thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-church-is-an-embassy-not-a-social-club/

7
CHURCH 101 Lesson 1

● The Church is Christ’s Bride

 READ Ephesians 5:22-33.
 In this passage, Paul is instructing husbands and wives about biblical marriage
practices, but he also has a lot to say about church. What does this passage teach
us about the church?
[Allow answers.]
In this passage, we can see that:
•Christ is the head and Savior of the church (v. 23).
•The church is Christ’s body (v. 23).
•The church submits to Christ (v. 24).
•Christ loves the church and gave himself up for her (v. 25).
•Christ sanctifies the church (v. 26-27).
•Christ nourishes and cherishes the church (v. 29).
•Marriage gives to us as a picture of Christ’s relationship
with the church (v. 32).
 When you put all those elements together, you can see that Christ has authority
over the church and cares immensely for it. He doesn’t just like the church; he
loves the church. He isn’t casually committed to the church; he gave himself up
for the church to have her as his bride. He isn’t dating the church, waiting to find
out if she’s really the bride he wants. He has committed himself to marry the
church, and he nourishes and cherishes the church.
 These truths are remarkable in light of who makes up the church - we’re a bunch
of sinners! Yet Christ chose to live and die for us and make himself our husband,
even while we rejected him and turned to sin. Every love story is merely a small
whisper of this greater love story. Again, that’s part ofwhat God designed
marriage for - to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and his bride.
 In light of how Christ feels about the church and what he has done for the church,
what should our attitude be toward the church? [Allow answers.]
•First, because Christ loves his church, we ought to love it as well. It
would make no sense to tell someone that you love them, but you hate
their spouse. That would be offensive to them! If you have a problem
with a man’s wife, you have a problem with that man as well. If we love
Christ, we will love his bride.
•Second, because Christ is committed to the church, we ought to
be as well.
•Application: What are some ways that we can fall into not loving the
church or not being committed to the church as Christ is? How can we
work on these things?
[Allow answers.]

8
CHURCH 101 Lesson 1
Summarize
1. What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
● “Church” means assembly or gathering and can refer to the universal church or
a local church.
● The church is Christ’s embassy, set up by him to represent him, speak with his
authority, and proclaim his message to the world.
● The church is Christ’s bride, whom he loves and to whom he is committed
as a husband.
2. How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

9
 WHAT MAKES THE
CHURCH UNIQUE?
LESSON 2
Review:
What did we discuss last week?
[Allow answers.]

● “Church” means assembly or gathering and can refer to the universal church
or a local church.
● The church is Christ’s embassy, set up by him to represent him, speak with his
authority, and proclaim his message to the world.
● The church is Christ’s bride, whom he loves and to whom he is committed
as a husband.

What makes a church different from Christian

organizations?
[Allow answers.]

● READ Excerpt from Belgic Confession, Article 29:

“The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church
engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure
administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church
discipline for correcting faults.”
● According to this historic Reformed confession, there are three things that mark a
true church. These marks don’t tell us everything that a church needs in order to be
a healthy church, but they do tell us whether a group that claims to be a church can
truly use that title. Let’s look more closely at each one.
● Faithful Preaching of the Gospel
 READ Acts 2:42.
•Here we see a picture of the early church. Notice that they devoted
themselves to the apostles’ teaching. What was the apostles’ teaching?
[Allow answers.]
The apostles’ teaching would have been teaching about the gospel and
Scriptural truths. So, the early church devoted themselves to teaching
the Scriptures, especially its teaching of the good news of what
Christ had done.
 READ 1 Timothy 4:13.
•Here Paul is instructing Timothy, a young pastor, in how to lead his
church. What does he tell him to devote himself to? [Allow answers.]

10
CHURCH 101 Lesson 2
Timothy must devote himself to reading the Scriptures and teaching.
Again, this would have meant that Timothy was instructing others in
Scriptural truth and the gospel.
 Putting these two together, we can see that a church must faithfully proclaim
the essential truths of the Scriptures. In the first passage, doing so was an
essential characteristic of the church. In the second passage, the pastor was
commanded to do so.
 The converse is also true. As R.C. Sproul puts it, “If a church denied an essential
aspect of the Christian faith, that institution would no longer be
considered a church.”3

● Administration of the Sacraments

A true church must administer the sacraments. First, what is a sacrament?
[Allow answers.]
Sacraments are signs which God has instituted to remind us of Christ and his
benefits to us. The Roman Catholic church recognizes many sacraments, but
Reformed churches recognize just two: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Let’s look at passages where Christ instituted these sacraments.
 READ Matthew 28:18-20.
•Here, Christ commands his disciples to, among other things, baptize
new disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Remember that sacraments are signs meant to point us to Christ and his
benefits. How does baptism do this? [Allow answers.]
Baptism points us to our union with Christ. Romans 6:3-64 teaches us
that we were baptized with Christ in his death and resurrection. In other
words, we died with Christ to sin and are raised to new life with
him as well.
 READ 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
•In this passage, we see that Christ commanded his followers to “do this
in remembrance of me.” How does the Lord’s Supper remind us of
Christ? [Allow answers.]
The elements of the Lord’s Supper point us to Jesus’ body broken for us
and his blood shed for us. They point us to His substitutionary atoning
death on the cross, the climax of his work to reconcile us to God.
 In each of these passages, we saw that Christ was the one who instituted these
sacraments. Remember that the Belgic Confession holds that a true church must
administer the sacraments “as instituted by Christ.” It is because Christ
instituted these two sacraments that a church must administer them and that a
church should only recognize these two sacraments (as opposed to the other five
false sacraments that the Roman Catholic Church recognizes, for example).

3
R.C. Sproul ,What is the Church? (Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2013), 63.
4
TEACHER NOTE: If you have time, you may want to read this passage for the students.

11
CHURCH 101 Lesson 2
● Exercise of Church Discipline
 The final mark of a true church that the Reformers identified was church
discipline. What is church discipline? [Allow answers.]
 Church discipline is part of discipleship. In a positive sense, church discipline
includes teaching (because teaching disciplines/disciples us). In a negative sense,
church discipline involves correcting sin.
 READ Matthew 18:15-18.
•Jesus gives us the steps for church discipline when someone has sinned
and needs to be corrected. First, you confront that person individually.
If that does not lead to repentance, then you next take one or two others
along with you. If that does not work, then you inform your church
leaders, who would work with that person to try to persuade them to
turn away from sin and toward Christ. Lastly, if they refuse to repent,
the church would treat them as a nonbeliever - this is what
we call “excommunication.”
•Church discipline can sound cruel and unusual if we don’t understand
the purpose behind it. What is the reason for church discipline?
[Allow answers.]
Listen to how John Frame answers this question:
There are at least three purposes of discipline. The first is to restore
a sinning believer (Matt. 18:15; 1 Cor. 5:5; Gal. 6:1; 1 Tim. 1:20;
James 5:20). That is, discipline aims not merely to punish but to turn
the offender away from his sins, to bring about repentance. It is for
his sake. So, church discipline is not a cruel thing but a loving thing.
Second, discipline exists to deter such sins by others, to instruct the
congregation as to what is and is not acceptable (Heb. 12:15;
1 Cor. 5:2, 6–7; 1 Tim. 5:20). Third, discipline exists to protect the
honor of Christ and his church (Rom. 2:24; 1 Cor. 6:6; Eph. 5:27).
When churches ignore sin, the world despises them and the
reputation of Jesus Christ himself is dragged through the mud.5
In light of this quote, how would you understand
church discipline now? [Allow answers.]
The heart behind church discipline is a love for Christ, his church,
and for the specific person who is being confronted. It may be
uncomfortable and difficult, but it is for our good and God’s glory.
Ultimately, church discipline points people back to Christ.
•Again, notice that Jesus commands his people to practice church
discipline. Therefore, the church much do this because Jesus has
commanded it. Also, Jesus refers in verse 18 to how the church has his
authority in these matters (you may remember this wording from the
Matthew 16 passage we read during the first lesson). So, Jesus has given
5
John M. Frame, Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R
Publishing, 2006), 243.

12
CHURCH 101 Lesson 2
the church his authority here, and they must exercise that authority
through church discipline when necessary.

Application: Why do these three marks of a true

church matter?
[Allow answers.]

● They help us to distinguish a true church from a false church. This is important
when trying to find a church to become a member of.
● They help us to understand some of the differences between a church and a
parachurch ministry or Christian organization. In our day, we are likely all blessed
to have the opportunity to be involved in many Christian organizations: FCA,
YoungLife, a Christian school, a Christian camp or missions agency, a local
outreach ministry, and so on. But none of these organizations is a church; rather,
they are called to work alongside the church. Some of them may teach others from
the Scriptures, but they don’t baptize, celebrate communion, or exercise church
discipline. A church does all of these.
● They help us to understand why we need to be part of a church. It is only within the
church that we will receive the benefits of all three of these marks.
● READ Excerpt from Belgic Confession, Article 29: “In short, [the true church]
governs itself according to the pure Word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it
and holding Jesus Christ as the only Head. By these marks one can be assured
of recognizing the true church - and no one ought to be separated from it.”
● Right after the Belgic Confession explains the three marks of a true church, it
makes this statement. What is it saying? [Allow answers.]
This statement means that each of the three marks is a sign that the church
submits itself to the Word and to Christ. In light of this, everyone ought to find and
commit themselves to a true church.

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 The three marks of a true church are faithful preaching of the gospel,
administration of the sacraments, and church discipline.
 Each of these marks points us to Christ and is a sign that the church submits
itself to Christ.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

13
 HOW DOES THE
CHURCH FUNCTION?
LESSON 3
Review:
What did we talk about in the last two weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy, set up by him to represent him, speak with his
authority, and proclaim his message to the world.
● The church is Christ’s bride, whom he loves and to whom he is committed
as a husband.
● The three marks of a true church are faithful preaching of the gospel,
administration of the sacraments, and church discipline.
● Each of these marks points us to Christ and is a sign that the church submits
itself to Christ.

Today we are discussing how the church functions as

a whole. It functions like a body.
● How does a physical body function? [Allow answers.] Our physical bodies have
many parts (internal organs, fingers, toes, a nose, knees, armpits, etc.) that work
together to make one whole body. Each part is interdependent with the others.
● In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul compares the church to a body. From this passage, we can
learn several things about how the church functions as a body.
● READ 1 Corinthians 12:12-26.

● The Church is United as One Body

 Look at verses 12-14. What point is Paul trying to make here? [Allow answers.]
Paul is making the point that the church is united as one body. Though many
different people make up the church, they function together as one body.
 Think about how that works with a physical body. Your hands, stomach, eyes, and
nostrils all depend on each other. They can’t function on their own apart from the
body. So it is with the body of Christ.
 Application: What practical implications does this have for us? [Allow answers.]
This means we should pursue unity within our church body.
•Again, think about this in terms of our physical bodies. If my physical
body wasn’t working together, but the different parts were working
against one another, that would be very bad! That’s what happens in
autoimmune diseases - one part of your body works against and attacks
another part of your body. If not treated, this can be fatal. That’s what

14
CHURCH 101 Lesson 3
it’s like when we work against each other in the body of Christ. We must
pursue unity to function well.
 Application: What are some ways we can pursue unity in our youth ministry
and in our church as a whole? [Allow answers.]

● The Church Needs Diversity

 Look at verses 15-20. What’s the point Paul is making here? [Allow answers.]
Paul is pointing out that the body of Christ needs diversity. A church member
should not conclude that they are not needed just because they are different
from someone else.
•Application: What are some ways that we can fall into the line of
thinking that Paul is trying to correct here? [Allow answers.]
We often mistakenly think that some people are more valuable or have
more valuable gifts for the body of Christ. We may think that the guy or
girl who is a better public speaker or has a more charismatic
personality is more valuable than the person who changes diapers, fills
up the soap dispensers, or handles administrative details.
 We should also consider how we can miss out on this diversity when we don’t
invest in the whole church. If you only invest in a youth group, for example, and
you don’t invest in the whole life of the church and get to know members across
several generations, you would miss out on a lot of diversity!
•Application: What are some ways we can invest in the whole life of
the church, outside of the youth group? [Allow answers.]6
 Look at verses 21-26. What is Paul’s point here? [Allow answers.]
Here, Paul is saying that we can’t dismiss certain parts of the body and say we
don’t need them. He makes a comparison to our physical bodies: there are parts
of our physical bodies that are “unpresentable” which we treat with great care
(for example, one part of your body has toilet paper made just for it!). In the same
way, we should treat the parts of the body of Christ that are weaker or seem less
honorable with greater care.
•Application: What’s a practical example of what this might look like?
[Allow answers.]
It can be tempting to write off people that we think are weird or
difficult or who have greater needs than most. However, we can’t say
that we don’t need them or would be better off without them; instead,
we must honor them.
We tend to gravitate toward people who are like us and not to like
people who are different from us. But we can’t conclude that we don’t
need other people just because they are different. We need the people
in the youth group that are very different than we are, even if those
people seem annoying or a weirdo to us. We need them just as much
6
TEACHER NOTE: Answers here may be very church-specific. Help your students to see opportunities they have to
engage in intergenerational activities and get to know others across generations in the church.

15
CHURCH 101 Lesson 3
as my hand needs my eyes and my foot needs my ankle. If your body
were made up exclusively of left nostrils, it wouldn’t work very well!
In the same way, if we interact only with those who are like us in the
body of Christ, the body isn’t going to function very well.
We need diversity.
 The diversity within the body of Christ makes it unique from Christian
organizations and parachurch ministries. Parachurch ministries are often
designed to target a specific kind of people. Within the body of Christ, however,
we get a greater diversity.7 This ought to make us grateful for the diversity
within our churches.
 The diversity within the body of Christ can be a source of challenging dynamics
for us. We must remember that Christ died to save his church - the whole body,
with all its diversity and gifts. We are called to love and value others because
Christ has done so first.

● The Church Functions When Everyone Uses Their Gifts

 So far, we have said that the church is one body and that body needs diversity.
How does the church function then? It functions when the diversity of people
within it, with their diversity of gifts, use those gifts to serve. That’s been
implicit in the verses we’ve read. A physical body only functions well if all of its
parts are doing what they are supposed to do! Let’s consider a few other verses
that point us to the same concept.
 READ Romans 12:4-8.
•Notice that this passage says that we have gifts that differ according to
the grace that God has given to each of us. In other words, we each have
gifts that we can use, and we have them by God’s grace.
•What are we commanded to do in this passage? [Allow answers.]
We are commanded to use our gifts as God has given them to us.
 READ 1 Peter 4:10-11.
•Again, this passage reiterates that we each have received a gift and that
we each ought to use our gift.
•For what purpose are we supposed to use our gift, according to this
passage? [Allow answers.]
We are to use our gifts to serve one another. Ultimately, we are to do it
so that God may be glorified.
 READ 1 Corinthians 12:4-7.
•This is earlier in the same chapter of 1 Corinthians that we’ve been
reading. Paul refers to the reason we’ve been given gifts. What is it?
[Allow answers.]

7
We are not implying that parachurch ministries are wrong to target a specific demographic. Certainly, there are also
exceptions where a particular church may lack diversity as well. The point, though, is that local churches are likely to
give us a taste of the diversity (especially in age) that a parachurch ministry may not.

16
CHURCH 101 Lesson 3
We have been given gifts for the common good, that they may benefit
the whole body.
 Bringing these three passages together, we can see that we each have gifts given
to us by God, and we must each use these gifts. Additionally, we must use these
gifts to serve the body of Christ and to glorify God.
•Application: In order to use your gifts to serve the body, it helps to
first know what your gifts are. How can you discover what your gifts
are? [Allow answers.]
•Application: How might we be tempted to use our gifts for ourselves
or for our own glory, instead of for the good of the body and for God’s
glory? [Allow answers.]
Whatever your answer to this question, remember that Christ is the
head of the body (Colossians 1:18), and the body only functions
properly when all are submitting to him. Christ sacrificed his own body
so that we might function as one body.
•Application: What are some specific ways you can use your gifts to
serve the church? [Allow answers.]

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
The church is one body with many parts.
The church needs diversity to function well.
Each member of the body has gifts which they must use to serve the body.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

17
 WHO LEADS THE CHURCH?
LESSON 4
Review:
What have we talked about in the past few weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy, set up by him to represent him, speak with his
authority, and proclaim his message to the world.
● The church is Christ’s bride, whom he loves and to whom he is committed
as a husband.
● The three marks of a true church are faithful preaching of the gospel,
administration of the sacraments, and church discipline.
● Each of these marks points us to Christ and is a sign that the church submits
itself to Christ.
● The church is one body with many parts.
● The church needs diversity to function well.
● Each member of the body has gifts which they must use to serve the body.

Last week we discussed that the church is a body.

Who is the head of the body?
[Allow answers.]

● Christ is the head of the church. READ Colossians 1:18.

● What does this mean for the church practically? [Allow answers.]
The church must submit to Christ’s Word in all that it does. Ultimately, Christ is
the one who “runs” the church. The church must follow Christ’s agenda,
not its own agenda.

If Christ is the head of the church, why do we have

people appointed as leaders in our churches?
[Allow answers.]

● We have leaders because God gave us a model in the Scriptures for how his
churches will be led. Specifically, he tells us in his Word that we should have elders
and deacons appointed in our churches.

18
CHURCH 101 Lesson 4
What are elders and deacons?
● READ 1 Timothy 3:1-13.
 Notice that this passage mentions two offices in the church: overseers and
deacons. Elsewhere, overseers are referred to as elders and/or pastors. For the
sake of simplicity, let’s refer to them as elders. By using this word, we’re not
referring to old people but rather using a term that refers to a particular type of
leader within the church.
 In this passage, we have clues about what elders and deacons are supposed to do.
What can we conclude about what elders and deacons do in the church from this
passage? [Allow answers.]
•Elders must be “able to teach” (v. 2), so their responsibilities must have
something to do with teaching. Because the word “overseer” is used for
them, they must also be involved in overseeing the church in some way.
The word for deacon here comes from the Greek diakanos, which means
“servant.” It is apparent that they served in some way, and in particular
they may have handled money (v. 8).
•The exact duties for elders and deacons can vary from church to church,
but in general elders are spiritual leaders who teach, shepherd
the congregation, and oversee decisions, while deacons are
leading servants, often handling things like mercy ministry and
the church finances.8
 What do you notice about the qualifications for elders and deacons?9
[Allow answers.]
•The qualifications listed focus almost exclusively on the character of the
officers. In contrast to the practice in our culture of looking at
someone’s appearance or talents, we must look at their character when
considering whether someone is qualified to serve as a leader
in the church.
•For both elders and deacons, godly management of their own family
and household is mentioned. The home is the proving ground of
Christian character, where our true selves are most readily on display.
•Someone that meets these qualifications would be someone whose life
and character has been shaped by the gospel. God wants leaders who
are shaped by the gospel to lead his churches.
•Application: We ought to be thankful that God gave us these
instructions for finding elders and deacons to lead our churches. God is
caring for his church by giving us these instructions so that our
churches will be healthy.
8
TEACHER NOTE: You may want to consult the book of order from your denomination or ask a church officer what
duties are assigned to officers in your church in order to more accurately describe the practice in your church to your
students.
9
TEACHER NOTE: Feel free to address the issue of gender and qualification for these offices within your church with
your students. It’s not addressed here simply because we know different churches will take different positions on this
issue.

19
CHURCH 101 Lesson 4
How do we benefit from having elders and deacons?
[Allow answers.]

● READ Hebrews 13:17.

 This passage tells us that our leaders are “keeping watch over our souls, as those
who will have to give an account.” This means that they are accountable to God
for how they shepherd us spiritually. God gives the church and church leaders
authority that no one else has, and he holds them accountable for that authority.
Therefore, we get this benefit only within the church: leaders who are responsible
for feeding, shepherding, and protecting us spiritually.
•Application: We must be a member of a church to get this benefit. The
leaders are only responsible for those who have gone through the
process of becoming members of the church. If you’re not a member of
a church, become one.10
 Why do we need this kind of shepherding and protection? [Allow answers.]
We need it because, on our own, we are prone to wander away from the Lord. In
our sin, we are like sheep who need to be shepherded to safety so that we don’t
wander off into danger.
 Ultimately, our leaders are meant to be like a shadow of Jesus, who is the
ultimate shepherd who gave his life for his sheep. As we see the way that our
church leaders care, sacrifice, and shepherd us, we should get a small taste
of how Christ cares for his sheep.

What is our responsibility as members in relation to

the officers of our churches?
[Allow answers.]

● We must submit to our leaders.

 Hebrews 13:17 tells us that we must obey and submit to our leaders and that we
must let them keep watch over our souls with joy rather than with groaning.
•Application: What does it look like to submit to our leaders?
[Allow answers.]
•Application: How might someone give occasion for a leader to groan?
How can we make sure we aren’t someone who does that to
our leaders? [Allow answers.]
● We must honor our leaders.
 READ 1 Timothy 5:17.

TEACHER NOTE: Students often don’t understand the difference between being a regular attender of a church and
10

being a member of a church, so you may need to explain in more detail what that process looks like in your church.

20
CHURCH 101 Lesson 4
•Application: What does it look like to honor our leaders?
[Allow answers.]
● We must pray for our leaders.
 Several times Paul asks others to pray for him and his ministry. We ought also
to pray for our church leaders.
•Application: What are some ways we might pray for our leaders?
[Allow answers.]
● We must imitate our leaders’ godly lives.
 READ Hebrews 13:7.
 This passage instructs us to think about the way that our leaders live and to
imitate their faith.
● We must bring charges against leaders when necessary.
 READ 1 Timothy 5:18-19.
 Listen to what Jonathan Leeman says about this: “Paul protects leaders by
requiring two or three witnesses to level a charge against them. That said, the
congregation should not allow an elder who has disqualified himself
to continue serving.”11
 What does this mean for us? [Allow answers.]

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 Christ is the head of the body, and the church submits to Christ by following
the Scriptures.
 In the Scriptures, God commands us to have elders and deacons that lead
our churches.
•The elders shepherd, while the deacons serve.
•The Scriptures give us qualifications to identify the kind of godly people
who should fill these offices.
 The leaders keep watch over us and point us to Christ.
 We are to submit to, honor, pray for, and imitate our leaders. We should also
keep them accountable to the qualifications of their office.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

Jonathan Leeman, Church Membership (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2012), 105.

11

21
 WHY DOES THE CHURCH
MEET TOGETHER?
LESSON 5
Review:
What have we talked about in the past few weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy and his bride.

● The three marks of a true church are faithful preaching of the gospel,
administration of the sacraments, and church discipline.
● The church is one body with many diverse parts, and it functions when each part
uses its gifts.
● Christ is the head of the body, and the church submits to Christ by
following the Scriptures.
● In the Scriptures, God commands us to have elders and deacons to
lead our churches.
 The elders shepherd, while the deacons serve.
 The Scriptures give us qualifications to identify the kind of godly people who
should fill these offices.
● The leaders keep watch over us and point us to Christ.
● We are to submit to, honor, pray for, and imitate our leaders, and hold them
accountable to the qualifications of their offices.

Today we are going to discuss why the church

meets together. Why do you think the church
meets together?
[Allow answers.]

● There are many things we could say about why a church meets together - for prayer,
for fellowship, for discipleship, to worship God, and so on.
● Today we are going to focus in on a passage that tells us one reason the church
meets together and why this is an essential task for the church.
● READ Hebrews 10:23-25.
● According to this passage, why must we meet together as a church?
[Allow answers.]
Let’s break down what this passage teaches us about why we meet together
into two basic points.
● On our own, we waver in our faith.
 This passage exhorts us to “hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering.” This implies that we are prone to waver in our faith, and we need to be
reminded to instead hold fast. When we neglect meeting together, we miss out on
this encouragement from one another.

22
CHURCH 101 Lesson 5
 Let’s consider the context of this passage in the book of Hebrews. Throughout the
book of Hebrews, we are given several warnings about sin and falling back.
•READ Hebrews 3:12-13.
•What does this passage warn us against? [Allow answers.]
This passage warns us against unbelieving hearts. We must pay
attention so that our hearts do not become hardened by the
deceitfulness of sin.
•What does the phrase “the deceitfulness of sin” mean? [Allow answers.]
Sin by its very nature can deceive us. It fools us, and we don’t know that
we are fooled. That makes it a very dangerous thing.
Can anyone think of an example of what it would look like to be
deceived by sin? [Allow answers.]
•What does this passage instruct us to do so that we avoid being
hardened by the deceitfulness of sin? [Allow answers.]
We should exhort one another constantly. This makes sense, right? If I
am deceived, I need someone else to point it out to me because I can’t
see that I am deceived. I need truth and perspective from outside of me
from people reminding me of God’s truths.
 On our own, then, we are prone to waver in our faith, have hardened hearts, and
be deceived by our sin.
● We meet together to be spurred on in faith.
 The good news is that Hebrews doesn’t just end with warnings. It also tells us
what we can do to combat our sinful tendencies.
 In Hebrews 3:12-13, we are told to exhort one another. What does
Hebrews 10:23-25 tell us to do? [Allow answers.]
We must meet together and stir up one another to love and good works.
 Let’s think particularly about how this applies to our corporate gatherings on
Sundays. How do these stir us up to love and good works and spur us on in
our faith? [Allow answers.]
•A typical corporate gathering is going to include singing biblical truths,
prayers, and hearing God’s Word preached. These things remind us of
the gospel, bring us into interaction with God, and encourage us as we
see others engaged in the same activities of listening, singing, etc. If
sacraments of baptism and/or the Lord’s supper are included, these
also serve as signs that remind us of the truths of the gospel.
 What makes our corporate gatherings unique in these aspects? How are Sunday
corporate gatherings different from something like a small group?
[Allow answers.]
•Corporate gatherings are the only place where we get the whole church
body gathered, so we get fellowship with the whole body and can be
encouraged as we join our voices to worship as a whole body.
•In small groups or other settings, we won’t sit under the preached Word
or see the sacraments administered. Those means of grace are only
received in corporate worship settings.

23
CHURCH 101 Lesson 5
 Why do we need to be spurred on in our faith and encouraged to love and good
works? [Allow answers.]
•We have what you might call “gospel amnesia.” Left to ourselves, we
forget the truths of the Scriptures and the gospel. We need to be
reminded of them.
•When we forget the truths of the Scriptures, we will live selfishly
instead of devoting ourselves to love and good works.
 Why do we need to meet together to do these things? In other words, why is it not
enough to just study the Bible on our own or listen to podcasts? [Allow answers.]
•First, we can point out that the Scriptures command us to meet
together. That’s what we have already read in Hebrews, and
we can find similar commands to build one another up throughout
the New Testament.
•Second, we have all experienced the encouragement and challenge that
occurs only in relationships. As others remind us of the truth and as we
watch others walk in the truth, it energizes and inspires us. Can anyone
think of a specific example of this from your own life? [Allow answers.]

Application: If it is true that we need to meet as

a church to be spurred on in our faith, what
should we do as a result?
[Allow answers.]

● We should be humble. We are prone to waver in our faith on our own. An accurate
view of yourself, therefore, is one that involves humility.
● We should be grateful for the opportunity to engage in corporate worship
gatherings. We may be tempted to dread them because we have to wake up early
on the weekend or they seem boring to us, but they are needed and beneficial to us.
● We should make attending Sunday corporate worship a priority.
 What are some things that might prevent us from prioritizing corporate
worship? [Allow answers.]
 How can we make changes to prioritize this more? [Allow answers.]

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 On our own, we are prone to waver in our faith, have hardened hearts, and be
deceived by our sin.
 The church meets together to stir one another up in faith and love. God
commands us to meet together in this way.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

24
 HOW DO I WORSHIP WITH
MY CHURCH?
LESSON 6
Review:
What have we talked about in the past several weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy and his bride.

● The three marks of a true church are faithful preaching of the gospel,
administration of the sacraments, and church discipline.
● The church is one body with many diverse parts which functions when each
part uses its gifts.
● Christ is the head of the body, and the church submits to Christ by
following the Scriptures.
● In the Scriptures, God commands us to have elders and deacons to lead our
churches, keep watch over the congregation, and point us to Christ.
● We are to submit to, honor, pray for, and imitate our leaders, and hold them
accountable to the qualifications of their offices.
● On our own, we are prone to waver in our faith, have hardened hearts, and be
deceived by our sin.
● God commands the church to meet together to stir one another up
in faith and love.

We know why the church should meet together

corporately. But what are some reasons people
might not attend corporate worship services?
[Allow answers.]

● There can be any numbers of reasons that someone does not attend corporate
worship services. In a Pew Research Center survey, forty-six percent of
self-identified Christians who didn’t attend worship services said they did not do so
because they practice their faith in other ways. Another thirty-three percent said
they hadn’t found a church that they like. Others said they disliked the sermons
(about twenty percent) or did not feel welcome at worship services (eleven
percent). Twenty-six percent said there were logistical reasons (such as being in
poor health or not having time) for not attending corporate worship services.12
● For those who are believers, we must not be ignorant of or disobedient to God’s
commands to gather together as a church body and find excuses to not attend.
Joe Carter, “Why Christians Don’t Go to Church (And Why They Must),” The Gospel Coalition, October 13, 2018,
12

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/americans-christians-dont-go-church-must/.

25
CHURCH 101 Lesson 6
What are some things that people may complain
about or not like about a worship service?
[Allow answers.13]
● As we pointed out, people may not like the sermons. Perhaps they feel sermons are
boring. Musical style, song selection, practices and language that seem archaic,
and the length and time of the service could all be common complaints. Even down
to details like the lighting or temperature, there could be any number of things that
give occasion for people to complain.
● We’re considering these ideas in order to be honest about the fact that engaging in
a Sunday corporate worship service may not always be easy, and no church has
perfect or ideal gatherings. We are all sinners living in a world ravaged by the curse
of sin, so engaging with a worship service is likely to be an uphill battle at times.
Consider it spiritual warfare. As Sam Allberry points out, “The only perfect church
is the heavenly assembly, and this does not meet at 10:30am each Sunday a short
drive from your house.”14 At the same time, we need to learn what worship is about
and make sure that we are not letting our sin and our preferences get in the way
unnecessarily. Today we will try to answer the question, “How do I worship
with my church?”

So, if we want to worship well with our church,

we need to know what worship is. What is
worship?
[Allow answers.]
● The word “worship” refers to ascribing worth or acknowledging the worthiness of
something. You can think of it as “worth”-ship. When we worship something,
we acknowledge its worth. Worshipping God means we recognize and
honor his worthiness.
● READ Revelation 4:9-11.
 This passage gives us a glimpse of the worship of heaven. Who is the object and
focus of their worship, and why? [Allow answers.]
 God is the object and focus of their worship, because he is worthy. He is king,
he is eternal, and he created all things by his own will. He is worthy of glory,
honor, and power. You can even see this in how the elders lay down their crowns
before God; they are in essence saying, “We yield to you, God. This is
about you, not us.”
 Application: What implications does that have for us in our corporate worship
gatherings? [Allow answers.]

13
Perhaps even encourage/challenge students to be honest about their personal answers to this question about your
particular local church, not in order to open doors for a complaining session but in order to foster discussion that will
help them engage with the material for this lesson practically.
14
Sam Allberry, Why Bother with Church? (The Good Book Company, 2016), 73.

26
CHURCH 101 Lesson 6
 This means that our worship services are not and must not become about us.
A worship service is not “bad” just because it doesn’t align with my preferences
or doesn’t leave me feeling good in the end. Judging corporate gatherings by
those standards is making worship about me, not about God. When we truly
worship God, we are focused on him rather than on our preferences.
● READ John 4:21-26.
 Jesus was in a conversation with the woman at the well when she brought up a
matter of debate about worship. Jesus’s response to her question teaches us
several things about worship.
•First, notice that worship begins with God. Verse 23 states that
“the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” God is the one who
initiates here. Our worship is simply a response to him seeking
us as worshipers.
•Second, we must know who we are worshipping (verses 22-24).
This means that we must know God as he truly is, rather than
worshiping our own made-up god or a false and distorted version of the
biblical God. Again, this begins with God, because he has revealed
himself as he truly is in the Scriptures. Therefore, we have all that is
needed to be able to worship God as he truly is.
Ultimately, God is revealed to us in Christ. Jesus points this out to
the woman in verse 26. He is the promised Messiah, and he therefore
knows the truth in these matters. He is the ultimate revelation of God,
for he is God with us. He also provides the way for us to offer God
worship that is pleasing to him, for he reconciles us to God and
justifies us in his sight.
•Third, we must worship in spirit. This likely refers to the Holy Spirit.
In other words, it is through the Holy Spirit that we are enabled to
worship God in a way that is pleasing to him, not merely going through
the motions. We cannot do this on our own. Again, this means that
worship begins with God, because he is the one who sends his
Spirit to live in his people.
● We have seen that worship is about God, and that he seeks worshipers who
worship in spirit and truth. How should we worship, then? [Allow answers.]
 Since God is the one being worshiped, we should consult his Word on how to
worship him. Consider what the Westminster Confession of Faith, 21.1 says:
“But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself,
and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped
according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of
Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed
in the holy Scripture.”15

TEACHER NOTE: You may want to consider projecting this quote and the following quote onto a screen or handing
15

out printed copies to the students.

27
CHURCH 101 Lesson 6
•What does this quote mean? [Allow answers.]
•This means that God has told us in his Word how he is to be worshiped.
We cannot dream up or make up ways to worship God on our own but
instead should follow what God says about how to worship him. We can
see this in the Old Testament when God provides the way for his people
to worship him (such as through the Tabernacle, Temple, and sacrificial
system) and when Israel experiences his discipline for
disregarding these instructions.
● Can you think of any principles the Scriptures set forth for how to worship God
in our corporate gatherings? [Allow answers.]
 Again, the WCF (Chapter 21.5) helps us identify some of the elements that the
Scriptures reveal should be part of our corporate worship: “The reading of the
Scriptures with godly fear, the sound preaching, and conscionable hearing of the
Word, in obedience unto God, with understanding, faith and reverence, singing
of psalms with grace in the heart; as also, the due administration and worthy
receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ, are all parts of the ordinary
religious worship of God: beside religious oaths, vows, solemn fastings,
and thanksgivings upon special occasions, which are, in their several times
and seasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner.”

Application: Now that we know what worship

is about and what it should include, let’s
consider how to engage in a corporate
worship gathering.
● First, we must come prepared to engage in worship. What might we do to prepare
for worship? [Allow answers.]
 Pray. Make prayer a consistent practice throughout your week, and pray before
corporate worship and/or as the corporate gathering is about to begin.
 Get enough sleep on Saturday night. It’s very hard to engage well in worship
when you have a hard time even staying awake. Your mind will be more alert to
listen to the preached Word when you are well-rested.
 Check your attitude. Are you focused on yourself? Are you looking
forward to worship?
 Plan ahead. Especially if you are someone who has trouble arriving on time,
consider ways to make your morning preparations (assuming you are attending
worship in the morning) ahead of time, such as picking out your outfit or
planning your meal ahead of time.
 Read Scripture. Make Bible reading a consistent practice throughout the week,
and spend some time in the Word on your own before the worship gathering.
If you know what passage the sermon will be based on, you might consider
reading and meditating on that passage before the service as well.

28
CHURCH 101 Lesson 6
● Second, we must learn how to best participate in the worship service. How might
we do that? [Allow answers.]
 Sing. Don’t give into the temptation to just listen or mouth words. Sing
enthusiastically, and think about the words of the songs rather than letting
singing be an instance of just going through the motions.
 Listen, think, and pray. When leaders read Scripture, lead the congregation in
prayer, speak of the good news of forgiveness in Christ, and so on, listen
intently and think about what is being said. Turn your thoughts and questions in
prayer to God.
 Minimize distractions. Put your phone on silent and put away electronics.
Use a print Bible rather than a digital device to avoid temptations of digital
distraction. Consider changing who you sit near if sitting with friends, for
example, ends up being distracting to you.
 Become a good sermon listener.
•If taking notes helps you listen and understand better, bring a journal
to take notes.
•Have your Bible open to the passage during the sermon. Refer to the
passage throughout the sermon, and check what the preacher says
against the text.
•Listen for the main point of the sermon. What is the one thing you
should take away from it?
•Listen for Christ in the sermon. In what way does the passage/sermon
help you to see how great he is and trust the good news of the gospel?
•Listen for the application in the sermon. What specifically should you
do as a result of the truths preached?
•Hear and obey. As James 1:22 points out, we must not be hearers of the
Word only. We must also do what it says to do.
● Out of all these ways we might prepare for worship and participate in worship,
what do you most need to work on? [Allow answers.]

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 Worship is about God, not us. In worship, we honor and recognize God’s worth.
 God seeks worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth.
 Our worship of God must be shaped by what God tells us in his Word. He tells us
how to worship him.
 We can take many steps to prepare for and engage in a corporate
worship gathering.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

29
 DO I REALLY NEED TO BE A
CHURCH MEMBER?
LESSON 7
Review:
What have we talked about in the past several weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy and his bride.

● The marks of a true church: faithful preaching of the Gospel, administration of the
sacraments, and church discipline.
● The church is one body with many diverse parts which functions when each part
uses its gifts.
● Christ is the head of the body, and the church submits to Christ by
following the Scriptures.
● God commands us to have elders and deacons to lead our churches, keep watch
over the congregation, and point us to Christ.
● We are to submit to, honor, pray for, and imitate our leaders, and hold them
accountable to the qualifications of their offices.
● God commands the church to meet together to stir one another up in faith and love
because we are prone to be deceived by sin and have hardened hearts on our own.
● Worship is about honoring God’s worth, not about us.
● God seeks worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth.
● Our worship of God must be shaped by what God tells us in his Word.
● We should take steps to prepare for and engage in a corporate worship gathering.

Today, we’re going to consider church

membership.16
● So far in this series, we’ve covered a lot of ground on what the church is and how it
functions. Many people, however, will attend churches but never go through the
process of officially joining as a member. Why do you think this might (or might
not) matter? [Allow answers.]
● This mindset is increasingly common in our culture. People who call themselves
Christians may hop from church to church, seeking all their ideal ingredients for
the perfect spiritual cake. Others may regularly attend and participate in one local
church’s activities, yet never join as members. What’s wrong with this mindset? As
Ricky Jones points out, it’s not logical to say that you are part of the universal

Many insights from this lesson were gleaned from Bobby Jamieson, Committing to One Another: Church Member-
16

ship (Crossway: Wheaton, Illinois, 2012), 21-25.

30
CHURCH 101 Lesson 7
church without first being a member of a local church. He writes that “it’s simply
not possible. To imply you can be part of the greater community without first being
part of the smaller is not logical. You cannot be part of Rotary International with
out also being part of a local chapter. You cannot be part of the universal human
family without first being part of a small immediate family.”17

The New Testament Assumes Church

Membership
● Ultimately, we must look to what the Scriptures teach here. Does God’s Word
require us to become members of churches? Is church membership biblical, or just
an idea that humans came up with? While there is not a single verse that will tell
us, “You must become a member of a local church,” we find the concept present
throughout the New Testament. Let’s look at several passages to see this.
● READ 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 and 5:9-13.
 Notice first that, in this passage, Paul is addressing the church, and he assumes
that the church has an “inside” and an “outside” (v.12-13). There are those that
are among the church/part of the church and those that are not (v.1, v.13).
 Second, it assumes that the church knows who does and does not belong to the
church. These commands could not be obeyed if the hearers didn’t know who
was part of the church and who wasn’t.
 Third, Paul differentiates how to treat those who are part of the church versus
those who are not (v. 9-13).
 Fourth, Paul is prescribing church discipline here. This assumes that members
of this church are under the authority of this church. Those living in
unrepentant sin are to be excluded from the church. You can’t be excluded from
something you weren’t first a part of.
 So based on this passage, does it seem like the Corinthian church had some sort
of “membership” practice? Why or why not? [Allow answers.]
● READ Hebrews 13:17.
 This is a passage we read in an earlier lesson. Who does it command us to submit
to? [Allow answers.] We must submit to our leaders, who keep watch over our
souls. This refers specifically to the leaders of our local church, not to every
church leader everywhere.
 Why would submission be different for a member versus a non-member? [Allow
answers.] A non-member isn’t really obligated to submit. Just as you are not
under the authority of the Canadian government because you are not a citizen
there, you are not under the authority of church leaders if you are not a member
of the church.

Ricky Jones, “Is Church Membership Really Required?” The Gospel Coalition, March 27, 2014, https://www.
17

thegospelcoalition.org/article/is-church-membership-really-required/.

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CHURCH 101 Lesson 7
 The passage also teaches that church leaders are accountable for caring for us.
They are responsible before God for shepherding us. How can church leaders
know who they are responsible for keeping watch over? [Allow answers.]
Through membership, church leaders have a list of the people they are
responsible for.
● READ 1 Peter 5:1-3.
 How does this passage point to the idea of church membership? [Allow answers.]
 Here’s another passage where we see that church leaders (specifically, elders)
are to care for the flock entrusted to them. In order to do this, they must know
who is part of the flock and who is under their charge (v. 3).
● Consider also this quote from Ricky Jones:
Every letter in the New Testament assumes Christians are members
of local churches. The letters themselves are addressed to local churches.
They teach us how to get along with other members, how to encourage
the weak within the church, how to conduct ourselves at church,
and what to do with unrepentant sinners in the church. They command
us to submit to our elders, and encourage us to go to our elders for prayer.
All these things are impossible if you aren’t a member of a local church.
(See 1 and 2 Corinthians, James, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and 1 Peter
for references.) Asking where the Bible commands you to be a church
member is like asking where the USGA rulebook for golf insists you be a
human. The whole book is addressed to the church.18
How does this quote help you understand the need for church membership?
[Allow answers.]
● So while there is no specific verse that commands us to join a local church, the
concept is present and assumed throughout the New Testament, and we can see
that it is biblical.

Second, let’s consider why we need membership.

Based on what we’ve learned so far today,
what benefits would we miss if we were not
a member of a church?
[Allow answers.]

● If we are not members of a church, then no church will have the authority to call
us to submission and repentance when we stray. This is a dangerous situation for
any Christian because we are all often blind to our own sin.
● Apart from being members of a church, we are not responsible to submit to
leadership. Having church leaders that we are commanded to submit to is good
for us. Submission teaches us humility and ultimately helps us grow in submitting

Ibid.
18

32
CHURCH 101 Lesson 7
to the Lord rather than making ourselves lord of our lives.
● If we are not members, then the church leadership is not responsible to care for,
nurture, and disciple us. That would be a huge loss for our spiritual lives, because
we are not meant to do the Christian life on our own.
● As Jonathan Leeman says, “Church membership… is all about a church taking
specific responsibility for you, and you for a church.”19 Both these things help us
grow in maturity in our faith.

Church Membership is About Jesus

● If you remember from a previous lesson, Jesus established and instituted the
church. It’s his idea, not man’s idea. So ultimately being a member of a church is
about Jesus, recognizing his authority, and obeying him. If we love Jesus,
we will follow him.
● By becoming an official member of a church, we are formally identifying ourselves
with Jesus and as a citizen of his kingdom. We join not in order to earn salvation,
for we cannot buy our way into God’s kingdom, but as a natural accompaniment to
our salvation. Our salvation occurs as a result of Jesus’ work in his life, death, and
resurrection; as a result, we are welcomed into the kingdom and thus
into the church.
● Jonathan Leeman states, “We are, in fact, obligated to choose a local church just as
we are obligated to choose Christ. Having chosen Christ, a Christian has no choice
but to choose a church to join.”20

Application: Why does this matter for your life?

[Allow answers.]
● Some of you may be believers but not a member of a church. If so, you ought to
prayerfully consider what church to join. Don’t delay getting in on this!
● When you leave your parents’ house one day, you will be faced with many decisions
about your future involvement in church. Resolve to find a church and not just stay
as a visitor. Become a member, and be diligent in the responsibilities that come
along with membership.
● If/when you are a church member, view your membership as a great gift with great
privileges. Be grateful to God for the discipleship, accountability, and spiritual
oversight that your church membership provides for you.

Jonathan Leeman, Church Membership (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2012), 65.

19

Ibid., 66.
20

33
CHURCH 101 Lesson 7
Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 The New Testament teaches the concept of and assumes church membership,
because it teaches that churches have an “inside” and an “outside” and that
leaders must know who is a part of the church that they are leading.
 If you are not a member of a church, you miss out on the benefits of having
church leaders, who help us to grow in our faith.
 Church membership is ultimately about Jesus and identifying yourself with him
and his people.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

34
 WE ARE UNITED IN CHRIST
& GROW TOGETHER
LESSON 8
Review:
What have we talked about in the past several weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy and his bride.

● The marks of a true church: faithful preaching of the Gospel, administration of the
sacraments, and church discipline.
● The church is one body with many diverse parts that must use their gifts.
● Christ is the head of the body, and the church submits to Christ by
following the Scriptures.
● God commands us to have elders and deacons to lead our churches, keep watch
over the congregation, and point us to Christ. The congregation must submit to,
honor, pray for, and imitate our leaders, and hold them accountable to the
qualifications of their offices.
● God commands the church to meet together to stir one another up in
faith and love.
● Worship is about honoring God’s worth, not about us, so it must be shaped
by God’s Word.
● We should take steps to prepare for and engage in a corporate worship gathering.
● The New Testament affirms that we should be members of a church. You miss out
on benefits when you are not a member.
● Church membership is ultimately about Jesus and identifying yourself with him
and his people.

Why do we need the church in our lives?

[Allow answers.]
● As we will see in the next several weeks, there are many answers to why we need
the church. This week, we will focus on two aspects of the answer: we need the
church because we are united in Christ and because we grow together.

We are United in Christ

● READ Romans 12:4-5.
 This passage refers to the church as a body, a concept that we have heard before.
What does it mean when it says that we “are one body in Christ, and
individually members of one another”? [Allow answers.]
 This means that Christ has united his people into one body (the church), and

35
CHURCH 101 Lesson 8
they are, therefore, united with one another. The logical conclusion, then, is that
we are connected to and responsible for others in our church. There is a sense in
which we all belong to one another. We are family.
● READ Galatians 3:26-28.
 Notice that this passage starts off by pointing us to our union with Christ:
“in Christ” is a phrase that points us to the reality that we are united to Christ by
faith. What’s his is ours, and all of the benefits of the gospel come to us through
this union. But the passage goes beyond pointing us to how we are individually
united to Christ and points out that we in the church are all united to him.
Therefore, as verse 28 says, “You are all one in Christ Jesus.” In other words, as
Sam Allberry puts it, “Being united to Jesus means we are united to everyone else
who is united to Jesus… it’s in the local church that this oneness is to be
particularly expressed and worked out.”21
● Why must these truths lead us to believe that we need the church? [Allow answers.]
These truths mean that we need the church because of the reality of our spiritual
union. To ignore the church is to ignore the reality that we are united to other
believers in Christ. It would be as foolish as a husband ignoring the reality that he
is united to his wife in the covenant of marriage.
● Application: If we are united to each other in Christ, what action should that lead
to in our lives? [Allow answers.]
 We should seek to be in regular fellowship with our church body. Just as a
husband and wife united together in marriage spend time together, spending
time with the body we are united with is important.
 We should seek unity within the body of Christ. Since we are united, we ought to
live in a way that reflects that union rather than letting things divide us
(opinions, conflicts, etc.).

We Grow Together in Christ

● READ Ephesians 4:11-16.
 Let’s notice several things from this passage. First, the passage says that God
gave the church various kinds of giftedness and leadership, in order to equip the
church. According to verses 13-14, what is the goal of this equipping?
[Allow answers.] The goal is that the church would reach maturity in faith and
in Christ, such that bad teaching would not lead them astray.
 According to the passage in verses 15-16, how does the church grow toward this
kind of maturity? [Allow answers.] The church grows as its members speak the
truth in love to one another and grow into Christ. This requires each part of the
body doing its work and building up the body in love.
 Notice how the church reaches this maturity. This can’t happen in solitude.
This isn’t giving us a picture of listening to podcasted sermons alone at home,

Sam Allberry, Why Bother with Church? (The Good Book Company, 2016), 29-30.
21

36
CHURCH 101 Lesson 8
but a picture of being together with other Christians, together growing in truth
and building one another up in love.
 Think back to the concept of the church as a body. This helps us understand why
the church must grow together. Can an ear or a toe grow on its own, detached
from your body? No, it needs the whole body in order to grow. Also, would it be
a good thing if one part of your body decided to grow on its own, out of concert
from the rest of your body? No, you could end up with a very lopsided body in
that case, with one arm or leg much longer than the other. So it is in the body of
Christ: we are designed to grow together into maturity in Christ.
 What does it mean to speak the truth in love? What truth are we supposed to be
speaking to one another? [Allow answers.] We should speak the truths of
Scripture to one another - especially the truth about the good news of salvation
in Christ. This is how we grow into Christ (v. 15) together - by pointing
each other to Christ.
● READ Titus 2:3-7.
 From this passage, let’s notice a particular way in which growth happens
together in the body. In this passage, Titus is instructed to be a teacher and
model to younger men, and older women are instructed to do the same for
younger women. So within a church, the older men and women disciple
the younger men and women.
 How would having older believers disciple us be particularly helpful for our
growth? [Allow answers.] Older believers usually have the kind of perspective
and wisdom that is only developed through age and walking with God for a
longer time. We benefit from their wisdom, just as a toddler benefits from an
adult teaching him or her not to touch a hot stove.
 Listen to this quote from Jeff Robinson: “Sanctification is a community project.
To help us wage war on sin, we need the assistance of our entire platoon.
Immature saints need mature saints. Younger saints need older saints, and vice
versa. And on it goes. Titus 2... applies to the entire body.”22
 Can someone share an example of how you have seen this true in your own life?
How have older believers discipled you and helped you to grow in maturity in
your faith? [Allow answers.]
● Let’s think about some practical reasons why growth works better in community
than alone. When others are involved in our Christian lives, we gain accountability,
loving discipline when needed, encouragement, models of Christian maturity, and
reminders of the truth when we have forgotten it.
● Application: Since we need each other to grow in maturity in Christ, what action
should that lead to in our lives? [Allow answers.]
 We should seek to have older believers in our lives, whether that be elders, an
older man or woman from the congregation, or a youth leader. You might even
consider asking someone to mentor or disciple you.

Jeff Robinson, “Must I Join A Church to Be A Christian?” The Gospel Coalition, August 3, 2017,
22

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/ask-tgc-must-i-join-a-church-to-be-a-christian/.

37
CHURCH 101 Lesson 8
 We should seek to foster Christ-centered relationships with our friends in the
church - relationships that involve speaking the truth in love to each other,
accountability, encouragement, and prayer.

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 We are united to other believers in Christ.
 We grow in maturity in Christ together with our church, not just on our own.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

38
 WE NEED TO LEARN TO LOVE
THOSE JESUS LOVES
LESSON 9
Review:
What have we talked about in the past several weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy and his bride.

● The marks of a true church: faithful preaching of the Gospel, administration of the
sacraments, and church discipline.
● The church is one body with many diverse parts that must use their gifts.
● Christ is the head of the body, and the church submits to Christ by
following the Scriptures.
● God commands us to have elders and deacons to lead our churches, keep watch
over the congregation, and point us to Christ. The congregation must submit to,
honor, pray for, and imitate our leaders, and hold them accountable to the
qualifications of their offices.
● God commands the church to meet together to stir one another up in
faith and love.
● Worship is about honoring God’s worth, not about us, so it must be shaped
by God’s Word.
● We should take steps to prepare for and engage in a corporate worship gathering.
● The New Testament affirms that we should be members of a church. You miss out
on benefits when you are not a member.
● Church membership is ultimately about Jesus and identifying yourself
with him and his people.
● We are united to other believers in Christ.
● We grow in maturity in Christ together with our church, not just on our own.

Let’s continue to consider why we need

the church.
● Last week, we began answering this question by saying that we need the church
because we are united to other believers in Christ and because we grow together in
maturity in Christ with other believers. If we ignore the church, it’s like a husband
ignoring his wife or one part of your body trying to grow out of sync with the rest of
your body. There would be bad consequences in those scenarios!
● Today, we will add another layer to our answer, as we see that we need the church
because we need to learn to love those Jesus loves.

39
CHURCH 101 Lesson 9
What makes it difficult to love others in
the church?
[Allow answers.]

● People may annoy us, hurt us, be difficult to approach, or any number of things.
When there is tension or people are different from us, we find it hard to love them.
The real problem, though, is not the other people, but us. When it is difficult for us
to love others, we must take a look at ourselves and the sin and pride in our own
hearts. The problem is not that the other person is so mean/difficult/_________,
but that I am so unloving!
● We’ve previously seen this concept when we studied how the church functions.
1 Corinthians 12 speaks of how the church functions as a body, and we are prone
to believe that we do not need every part of the body. That’s akin to saying, “I don’t
need to value and love certain parts of the body if I don’t like them or they are
different from me.”
Paul writes to correct this way of thinking.
READ 1 Corinthians 12:21-26.
See how this connects to our point? The problem is not that the other parts of the
body are different or weak compared to us. The problem is that we wrongly think
that they are not needed, when in fact they are indispensable and
worthy of honor.

But why does this matter so much? Why must

we learn to love those in church?
[Allow answers.]
● Love is considered an essential Christian virtue.
● READ 1 Corinthians 12:1-3.
 If we know Christian truths and do Christian things but don’t love others, what
does that mean, according to this passage? [Allow answers.]
It means we are just making noise, that we are “nothing,” that we gain nothing.
Without love, we have missed the point.
● Jesus loves the church, and to be like Jesus, we must do the same.
 Ephesians 5:25 tells us that “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for
her.” As Christians, we are to imitate Christ, which means we must also learn
to love the church - the people that Christ gave himself up for.

What Love Looks Like

● READ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
 This is a passage that might make us think about romantic love. Perhaps we’ve
heard it at a wedding. But in context, it is a passage about how to love others

40
CHURCH 101 Lesson 9
in the church. In 1 Corinthians 12, as we’ve just seen, Paul was addressing how
to view the body of Christ. The Corinthian church apparently wasn’t doing a
good job of loving each other as a church; some bragged about their gifts or
thought they were better than others. Therefore, Paul corrected that in thinking
in chapter 12 first, then he reminded them that, without love they are nothing
(as we read earlier in the beginning of chapter 13). Next, he reminded them what
love looks like in action in these verses.
 So, what do we learn about what love looks like in this passage? [Allow answers.]
•Love is completely unselfish. It thinks of the other person (being
patient and kind toward them) and not of self (not being arrogant
or insisting on your own way). It rejoices in the truth and hopes in the
truth of the gospel for others - even when others seem impossibly
difficult, they are not beyond God’s transforming grace.
•Application: What aspect of love is most difficult for you to put into
practice? What makes it so difficult? [Allow answers.]
•Application: What are examples of how we could put these aspects of
love into practice in our church? [Allow answers.]

We Learn to Love in the Church

● As we’ve just discussed, love is difficult to actually put into practice. We can read
a passage like 1 Corinthians 13 and want to throw our hands up in the air, saying,
“I’ll never be like that!” It’s true that you won’t become like that overnight, but God
has designed his church so that we will learn to be more loving by being
in his church.
● Here’s how that works: when we are members of a church, we are in covenant with
all the other members of that church. That means that we are all responsible
for and committed to one another. And THAT is a recipe for both trials and growth.
Because when you make sinners committed to one another, difficulties are going to
pop up. But God uses those very trials and conflicts in our lives to make us
more like him.
 Let’s see this concept in God’s Word.
 READ James 1:2-4.
•James has an interesting take on trials here. How does he say we should
feel about them, and why? [Allow answers.]
•We should count them joy, because God uses them in our
lives to produce steadfastness, and ultimately make us more
perfect - AKA more like him!
 This means that trials are ultimately good for us. We shouldn’t seek out a church
or Christian experience that’s free from difficulties. When a relationship in our
church gets difficult, we shouldn’t withdraw. As 1 Corinthians 12-13 pointed out
to us, we need those people who are different from us, and we need to learn to
love them. Being in covenant relationships in the church puts us in a place where
the commands of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 get really practical. We have to learn to

41
CHURCH 101 Lesson 9
love when it’s really difficult, when others’ differences rub us the wrong way, and
when we sin against one another. Learning to love this way is best done over the
long-haul, which is why committed church relationships are a good context
for learning this.
 What do people usually do when they’re in a hard relationship like this?
[Allow answers.]
● Ultimately, this only happens when we keep looking to Jesus.
 Being in committed church relationships is difficult. We end up in conflicts,
and we see the sin in our own hearts.
•READ James 4:1-2.
What does James say causes our conflicts? Is it the other person?
[Allow answers.]
No, it is not the other person, but our own sinful desires at war that
cause the conflicts. Conflict reveals sin.
•Seeing our sin leads us to humility. As we see our own failures to love
others well, we see our own need for Christ’s saving grace. As we see our
sin and look to his grace, he changes us to be more gracious and
loving toward others.
 How do we love others who are difficult? By remembering that Jesus loved us,
when we were (are!) difficult. How do we stay in committed covenant
relationship with others who we want to run away from? By seeing how Jesus
committed himself in covenant with us.
 When love requires us to be patient or endure suffering, we must remember that
Jesus was patient with us and endured suffering for us. Whatever love calls us
to do, we have already received in Christ. That moves our hearts to do
the same for others.
● Let’s recap what we just said. Committed relationships are a good context to learn
to love, because they require love over the long-haul. And we must look to Jesus
to learn to love when it is difficult. If those two things are true, why is church
such a good context to learn to love? [Allow answers.]
 In the church, we are in covenant relationships with one another, and we are
constantly reminded to look to Jesus. It’s the perfect recipe for growth in love.
● How does this make you think about your relationships at church differently?
[Allow answers.]

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 We must learn to love the church because Jesus loves the church.
 Love in action is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
 The church is the perfect context to learn to love Christ’s people.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

42
WE NEED OTHERS TO BRING US
BACK WHEN WE WANDER
LESSON 10
Review:
What have we talked about in the past several weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy and bride.

● A true church preaches the gospel, administers the sacraments, and practices
church discipline.
● The church is one body with many diverse parts that must use their gifts, and Christ
is the head of that body.
● God’s design is for elders and deacons to lead churches. The congregation must
submit to, honor, pray for, and imitate their leaders, and hold them accountable to
the qualifications of their offices.
● Churches meet together to stir one another up in faith and love.
● Worship is about honoring God’s worth, not about us, so it must be shaped
by God’s Word.
● The New Testament affirms that we should be members of a church.
● Church membership is ultimately about Jesus and identifying yourself with him
and his people.
● We are united to other believers in Christ.
● We grow in maturity in Christ together with our church, not just on our own.
● In the church, we learn to love those Jesus loves.

Why We Need the Church

● In the past two weeks, we’ve learned that we need the church because we are
united together, because we grow together in the church, and because we need to
learn to love those Jesus loves.
● Today we’re adding another answer to the question, “Why do we need the church?”
We need the church because we need others to bring us back when we wander.

On Our Own, We Wander

● READ Galatians 6:1.
 This passage speaks to what to do when a Christian brother or sister gets caught
up in sin. Notice that it also cautions you to keep watch on yourself in the
process of helping another brother or sister. What is this implying about what
Christians are prone to do? [Allow answers.]
This implies that our brothers and sisters are prone to fall into sin, and we

43
CHURCH 101 Lesson 10
ourselves are also prone to fall into the same sin. We all face temptation, and we
are prone to fall into it.
 Notice also the solution that this passage offers: having other brothers and
sisters who restore us. Hold onto that thought, because we’ll come back to it.
● READ James 5:19-20
 Here’s another passage that speaks to helping Christian brothers and sisters
who have fallen into sin. According to this passage, what are we prone to do?
[Allow answers.]
We are prone to wander from the truth.
 This is one of the basic truths of the Bible: we are sinful, and though as
Christians we are indeed redeemed and are being sanctified, we still
struggle with sin.
Temptations really are tempting to us, and when we’re not vigilant, we can
easily wander away from the truth.
 Again, notice the solution that James prescribes: we need someone else to notice
and to bring us back to the truth.
● Application: In light of these truths, what should be our attitude?
[Allow answers.]
We must have an attitude of humility. I am not better than others. I cannot say,
“Oh, I would NEVER do that!” when I see someone else sin. The reality is that I am
above no sin. I have the capacity to fall into sin just like others. The reality is, I need
Jesus just as much as everyone else.
● Application: This means you need people in your life who are close enough to
you that they can see if you are falling into temptation and wandering from
the truth. Do you have people close enough to you that you couldn’t fool them?

The Church Calls Us Back

● As we’ve just seen in Galatians 6:1 and James 5:19-20, God intends for his people
to call each other back to the truth when someone wanders away.
 Listen to what Jeff Robinson says about this:
The church functions as a watchman on the walls of Christian lives. By
participating in the body, you are submitting to the authority of your elders
and fellow church members, granting them access to your life and doctrine.
You are saying to church leaders and fellow parishioners: ‘In the day you see
me flirting with unbiblical doctrines or slouching toward worldliness, I want
you to come after me, to love me enough to expose my blind spots, and to lead
me back on the path toward the Celestial City.23
Having others call us out in our sin might sound intimidating, but this makes me
grateful for it!

23
Jeff Robinson, “Must I Join A Church to Be A Christian?,” The Gospel Coalition, August 3, 2017, https://www.
thegospelcoalition.org/article/ask-tgc-must-i-join-a-church-to-be-a-christian/.

44
CHURCH 101 Lesson 10
 Do you think it’s possible for someone to be involved in church and yet go
unnoticed when he or she wanders from the truth? How would that happen?
[Allow answers.]
It’s conceivable that someone could be involved in church yet not form any
close relationships with other members of the church. In this case, others might
not know the person well enough to see if they were wandering from the truth.
 Application: This means we need to be involved in intimate church comm-
unity. How can we develop those kinds of relationships in the church?
[Allow answers.]
These relationships take time, work, and commitment. We have to prioritize
being involved in regular fellowship with other believers - attending a Bible
study regularly, for example, rather than hopping from group to group or church
to church. This takes setting aside the time in your schedule and being willing to
do the work to make these relationships good.
● How should the church call us back? So far, we’ve seen that it should be done
gently (Galatians 6:1). Let’s look at another passage that shows us what the process
might look like.
 READ Matthew 18:15-17.
 According to this passage, what should the process of calling someone else out
in their sin look like? [Allow answers.]
First, you confront the person individually. If that doesn’t work, you take one or
two others along and try again. If that doesn’t work, bring the church
in on the situation.
 We’ve looked at this passage before, when we discussed church discipline in one
of the initial lessons. The point we want to make here is that Jesus has shown us
how to do this in the church. We need others to bring us back when we wander
away from the truth, and Jesus has provided instructions for how to do just that
within the church. Praise be to God that he gave us these instructions for a
process that can be very uncomfortable and difficult. We aren’t left to figure
it out on our own!
● Remember what the church calls us back to: they call us back to the truth.
 They remind us of the gospel, which changes our hearts and leads us
to repentance.
 In pointing us to truth, they are reflecting God’s heart toward us.
•READ Hebrews 12:9-11.
This passage reminds us of God’s heart in disciplining his children.
He disciplines us for our good, that we will grow in holiness.
•READ Luke 15:1-7.
According to this passage, what is God’s disposition
toward his people?
[Allow answers.]
God cares for his people and will pursue them when they wander off.
He rejoices when they repent.

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CHURCH 101 Lesson 10
•So as others call us back to truth when we wander away, they are
imaging the God who disciplines for our good and pursues his people
when they wander away.
Ultimately, how did God pursue his sinful people? [Allow answers.]
He pursues us through Christ. READ 1 Peter 3:18.

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 On our own, we wander from the truth.
 In the church, Jesus provides a way for us to be called back to the truth.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

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 WE NEED TO WALK THROUGH
SUFFERING TOGETHER
LESSON 11
Review:
What have we talked about in the past several weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy and bride.

● A true church preaches the gospel, administers the sacraments, and practices
church discipline.
● The church is one body with many diverse parts that must use their gifts, and Christ
is the head of that body.
● God’s design is for elders and deacons to lead churches. The congregation must
submit to, honor, pray for, and imitate their leaders, and hold them accountable to
the qualifications of their offices.
● Churches meet together to stir one another up in faith and love.
● Worship is about honoring God’s worth, not about us, so it must be shaped
by God’s Word.
● The New Testament affirms that we should be members of a church.
● Church membership is ultimately about Jesus and identifying yourself with him
and his people.
● We are united to other believers in Christ.
● We grow in maturity in Christ together with our church, not just on our own.
● In the church, we learn to love those Jesus loves.
● In the church, Jesus provides a way for us to be called back to the truth
when we wander away.

Why We Need the Church

● In the past few weeks, we’ve learned several answers to why we need the church.
● Today we’ll discuss yet another reason we need the church. We need the church
because we need to walk through suffering together.

Why You Need Others in the Midst of Suffering

● What does it feel like when you are going through suffering? [Allow answers.]
Suffering can bring with it a diverse range of strong and bewildering
emotions - hurt, confusion, hopelessness, exhaustion, anger, loneliness.
● Let’s listen to what one psalmist said about his suffering. READ Psalm 88:3-8.
 What can we see about what this psalmist felt in the midst of suffering?
[Allow answers.]

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CHURCH 101 Lesson 11
His suffering made him feel like he had no strength, as if he were practically
dead, overwhelmed, and completely alone.
● If you read accounts of suffering, you will find many similar expressions. You will
especially hear that suffering is lonely and isolating. It feels like no one else
understands what you are going through or what you need. In the midst of these
feelings, we are vitally in need of being reminded that we are not in fact alone. God
is with us, and God’s people are with us. As Vaneetha Rendall Risner says, “When
pain overwhelms me, I long for companionship. I want someone to talk to me,
weep with me, sit with me. I want someone to put human flesh on God’s comfort.”24

The Church Suffers Together

● In the church, we get a covenant community who is committed to us - to “putting
human flesh on God’s comfort” in our lives. Let’s look at several passages that show
us God’s intention for his church to live this out.
● READ 1 Corinthians 12:26 and Romans 12:15.
 These verses come from chapters we’ve looked at before, in which Paul is talking
about the church as a body that functions together as one. In the same way that
our whole bodies suffer when one part is hurt, the whole church suffers when
one member of the church hurts. God designed his church to suffer together, not
to suffer alone. We grieve with others when they are hurting in the body.
● READ Galatians 6:2.
 God wants us to bear one another’s burdens, because by doing so we are
fulfilling the commandment to love one another as Christ has loved us.
 What does it look like to bear someone else’s burden? [Allow answers.]
Picture someone carrying a load that is too heavy for them. Without help, it
could crush them. We bear one another’s burdens when we help carry the weight
of them - through serving, praying, and being there for those that are suffering.25
 How does Christ bear our burdens? [Allow answers.]
Christ took the weight of our sin upon himself and paid for it on the cross. He is
also interceding for us (Romans 8:34) and with us in our suffering through His
Spirit. When we hurt, he hurts with us.
● READ Job 2:11-13.
 Here is a great example of friends suffering alongside one another. Job had just
lost his children, his possessions, and his health. What did his friends do as a
result here? [Allow answers.]
They simply came, wept and grieved, and sat with him for several days.
 Often, we wonder how to “say the right thing” to someone who is suffering.
But often the best thing we can offer them is simply our presence - because, as
we said, suffering can make one feel very lonely. Job’s friends later said a lot

24
Vaneetha Rendall Risner, The Scars that Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering (Minneapolis,
Minnesota: Desiring God, 2016), 127.
25
Ibid., 122.

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CHURCH 101 Lesson 11
which wasn’t very helpful, but what they did for the first several days is a great
example of how to “put human flesh on God’s comfort.”
•Consider these quotes from those acquainted with suffering:
“Suffering in another human being is a call to the rest of us to stand
in community. It is a call to be there. Suffering is not a question which
demands an answer, it is not a problem which requires a solution, it is
a mystery which demands a presence.”

[After burying my son], “I was sitting, torn by grief. Someone came

and talked to me of God’s dealings, of why it happened, of hope beyond
the grave. He talked constantly, he said things I knew were true. I was
unmoved, except to wish he’d go away. He finally did.

Another came and sat beside me. He didn’t talk. He didn’t ask
leading questions. He just sat beside me for an hour or more, listened
when I said something, answered briefly, prayed simply, left.

I was moved. I was comforted. I hated to see him go.”26

 How might the act of simply being with someone “put human flesh on God’s
comfort”? [Allow answers.]

Suffering Together Points us to Christ

● READ 2 Corinthians 1:3-5.
 Notice Paul’s logic here. He has been comforted by God, and now he can comfort
others with the same comfort he received from God. So, as others suffer, he is
able to point them to comfort that has come from God.
•Application: When the church comforts the suffering, the hope and
source of that comfort should be God. How do we sometimes make the
error of pointing people to worldly comfort instead? [Allow answers.]
 Notice that it is because Paul experienced suffering that he knew God’s comfort.
This reminds us that we need people in our churches who are experiencing
suffering (and thus comfort) right now, because they will know how to offer
comfort to those who suffer later. This reiterates what we’ve learned before:
that we need “weaker” parts of the body.
● READ 1 Peter 3:18.
 This passage points us to the reality that Christ suffered for us. When Christ
came to this earth, he came and suffered with us and for us.
 Therefore, when others walk through suffering with us, they are imaging Christ,
who suffers with and for us. They remind us of God’s heart toward those

26
Quoted in Ibid., 130-131. TEACHER NOTE: Consider projecting the quotes in this lesson or printing them out
for students to read.

49
CHURCH 101 Lesson 11
that are suffering: he sees, he cares, he acts, and he provides for his
people in their suffering.
● READ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
 Paul says here that God uses our suffering in this life to prepare an eternal weight
of glory for us. For those in Christ, our suffering serves a purpose, and we
therefore look to eternal things in suffering. We still experience pain, but it is not
pointless pain. God uses it to prepare us for glory and make us more like Christ.

Application
● Some of you are not going through much suffering in your lives now. Don’t delay in
building strong relationships with your church body. There will come a day when
you need them, and they will show you Christ.
● Those of you who are suffering, lean on the body of Christ. Allow them to come
alongside you in your suffering and offer God’s comfort to you.
● Those of you who know someone who is suffering, look for ways to “put flesh on
God’s comfort” in their lives.
 What are ways that we might serve and come alongside those that are suffering?
[Allow answers.]
● In closing, consider this excerpt from a blog post that contains the thoughts of a
pastor whose wife was dying suddenly after an infection led to catastrophic brain
damage, right after their seventh child was born. It helps us see the importance of
the local church walking together through suffering:

God made his people for the local church, hasn’t he? ...I need the folks
from [name of church] .... I think the Bible bears this reality out.

I also need the folks from the universal body of Christ. If you’re a Chris-
tian, and you’re reading this, are you a member of a local church? Not a
video church, not a satellite campus where the pastor doesn’t know you,
not your own “church” at home, not a solo Christian...

I really need the church right now. And they have been there! I don’t
mean just one or two of the paid staff team. I mean everybody. One cou-
ple (with a relatively new baby themselves) is watching our dog. Many are
making meals. Others have watched our children, texted, prayed, sat with
me, and pointed me to Christ. Another couple (who used to be members,
but moved to Northern Ireland) are bringing a pizza meal from Belfast.
Might get cold flying across the Irish Sea with it.

Guys, this is the local church: a group of people, saved by Jesus who live
in roughly the same location (that’s key) and are committed to each other
for each other’s spiritual and practical good to the glory of God. It’s like a
little outpost of heaven on earth. I can’t help but plead pastorally with all
of you: be an actual, committed, formal member of a local church. You

50
CHURCH 101 Lesson 11
need it to obey Jesus. You need it to be more like Jesus. You need it for
moments like the one I’m in.

The nurses around Megan see this. They can’t believe the reality of our
church. My children right now love our church, because our church
obviously loves us. Do you love the church? Enough to inconvenience
yourself for her and commit to her? It pays off.27

Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 Suffering is lonely and isolating; it is a “mystery that demands a presence.”
 God designed his church to walk through suffering together, to not be alone
in suffering.
 One way we can walk through suffering with others is by simply being with them.
 In suffering, the church points one another to Christ, who suffers with and
suffered for us.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

Jonathan Leeman, “A Pastor, His Dying Wife, and Their Church -- A Group Text,” 9Marks, January 4, 2019,
27

https://www.9marks.org/article/a-pastor-his-dying-wife-and-their-church-a-group-text/.

51
 WE SHOW OTHERS JESUS BY
HOW WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER
LESSON 12
Review:
What have we talked about in the past several weeks?
[Allow answers.]

● The church is Christ’s embassy and bride.

● A true church preaches the gospel, administers the sacraments, and
practices church discipline.
● The church is one body with many diverse parts that must use their gifts, and Christ
is the head of that body.
● God’s design is for elders and deacons to lead churches. The congregation must
submit to, honor, pray for, and imitate their leaders, and hold them accountable to
the qualifications of their offices.
● Churches meet together to stir one another up in faith and love.
● Worship is about honoring God’s worth, not about us, so it must be shaped
by God’s Word.
● The New Testament affirms that we should be members of a church.
● Church membership is ultimately about Jesus and identifying yourself with him
and his people.
● We are united to other believers in Christ.
● We grow in maturity in Christ together with our church, not just on our own.
● In the church, we learn to love those Jesus loves.
● In the church, Jesus provides a way for us to be called back to the truth when
we wander away.
● God designed his church to walk through suffering together, so we will be
reminded that we are not alone in suffering.

The Command to Love One Another

● READ Matthew 25:34-40.
 In this passage, Jesus introduces us to the concept that, if we love him, we must
also love our brothers and sisters in Christ. The passage refers not to serving
people in general but to serving our brothers, as verse 40 says. We cannot serve
Jesus without serving his people. And when we serve his people,
we are serving Jesus.28

Sam Allberry, Why Bother with Church? (The Good Book Company, 2016), 31.
28

52
 ● READ John 13:34-35.
 As Jesus is with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion, he gives them this
commandment: they must love one another as Jesus has loved them. For us, this
command means that we must love God’s people (the church) as Jesus loves us.
 Secondly, Jesus says that the world will know that we are his disciples by how we
love one another.
 Let’s take time today to consider both concepts from this verse, as we discuss
one final reason that we need the church.

Loving One Another in the Church

● We must love one another in the church. As John 13:34-35 points out, we do this
because Jesus loves the church - because Jesus loves us! That is the foundation and
motivation for our love for others in the church.
● Loving one another in the church is a concept present throughout the
New Testament. There are numerous “one another” commands, and these
commands apply to the context of the church. New Testament letters were written
to churches, and therefore the “one another” commands applied to how the
members of those churches were to treat one another, not just to how they were to
treat people in general. If we think back to what we’ve learned in this series,
it makes sense, because we are committed to those in our church in a way that
we are not committed to people in general.
● Let’s take a look at several of these “one another” commands in
the New Testament.29
 READ Romans 12:10 and 12:16.
 READ Galatians 5:13-15.
 READ Ephesians 4:1-3, 4:25, 4:32, and 5:18-21.
 READ 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 and 5:11.
 READ 1 Peter 4:8-10 and 5:5.
 What are some things that stand out to you from these commands?
[Allow answers.]
 Some themes that emerge are the need for unity, love, humility, forgiveness, and
spiritual encouragement with one another in the body of Christ.
 Application: What command is most challenging for you, and why?
[Allow answers.]
 Application: What are some specific ways that we could put these commands
into practice? [Allow answers.]
 Before we move on from these commands, you should also notice that several
of passages explicitly ground the commands in Christ. For example,
Ephesians 4:23 tells us to forgive one another “as God in Christ forgave you.”

28
TEACHER NOTE: I would encourage you to print out these verses on a sheet of paper, so that students can see them
all at once.

53
 Again, our motivation for loving each other in the church in this way is that
Christ has first loved us in these ways.
● As we put these commands into practice, we help others in the church to tangibly
taste and experience God’s love for them.
 Can anyone share an example of how this works in their own lives? Has someone
else in the church loved you in a way that helped you understand
God’s love more? [Allow answers.]

Showing the World Jesus By Our Love

● Jesus told us in John 13:35 that the world will know we are his disciples if we love
one another. How might that work? [Allow answers.]
● As we love one another in the church in the extravagant, other-worldly way that
Jesus loves us, the world takes notice. It puts Christ’s love on display for the
watching world to see, so they know that we are Christians and so they know more
of what Christ is truly like.
● What Jesus says in John 13:35 implies that the work of evangelism and showing
the world his love is not something we can do on our own, as individual Christians.
It’s a team sport. In order to fully show the world his love, we need the church.30
● READ 2 Corinthians 2:14-16.
 This passage describes how God spreads the “aroma of Christ” through his
people. Notice that, just as we’ve said before, the reference is to God’s people
together (“us” in the passage) and not to just an individual Christian. So God
“spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him” through his people. Together,
we “smell” like Christ to the world. As the passage says, that will be an attractive
fragrance to some and a repulsive one to others.
 Application: What would it mean for us to “smell” like Christ to the world?
What does that look like in our churches? [Allow answers.]
This goes back to loving one another in the church. As we are shaped by the
realities of gospel truths, the church begins to form a culture and relationships
shaped by the gospel. When people not only hear about what we believe but also
see it put into practice in those ways, we put Christ on display in a tangible way.
● Application: If it’s true that we best show the world Jesus together, what are
some practical things we should do as a result of that? [Allow answers.]
 Be involved in the lives of other Christians in your church regularly. We create
an attractive witness to the world when we love, serve, and build one
another up regularly.
 If there is someone you are trying to evangelize, get them around your fellow
church members. Invite them to a church activity or to hang out with some
of your church friends. The way you and others from your church love one
another will be a great witness to them.
This doesn’t mean that individual evangelism is bad at all. Personal evangelism is a good practice, and we ought to
30

be equipped for it. At the same time, it is not the full picture of how God designed his church to evangelize the world.
We are meant to do that together as the church.

54
Summarize
● What did you learn today? [Allow answers.]
 We must love one another in the church.
 When we put into practice the many “one another” commands, the whole church
grows in understanding Christ’s love.
 The church puts Christ’s love on display together to the watching world.
● How do these truths affect your everyday lives when you walk out of here?
[Allow answers.]

55
 SOURCES
Why Bother with Church? - Sam Allberry

What is the Church? - R.C. Sproul

Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus - Jonathan Leeman

Committing to One Another: Church Membership (9Marks Healthy Church Study

Guides) - Bobby Jamieson

Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology - John M. Frame

The Scars that Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering -
Vaneetha Rendall Risner

“The Church Is an Embassy, Not a Social Club,” - Greg Gilbert, The Gospel Coalition,
January 8, 2016, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-church-is-an-
embassy-not-a-social-club/

“Why Christians Don’t Go to Church (And Why They Must)” - Joe Carter, The Gospel
Coalition, October 13, 2018, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/americans-
christians-dont-go-church-must/

“Is Church Membership Really Required?”- Ricky Jones, The Gospel Coalition,
March 27, 2014, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/is-church-membership-
really-required/

“Must I Join A Church to Be A Christian?” - Jeff Robinson, The Gospel Coalition, August
3, 2017, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/ask-tgc-must-i-join-a-church-to-
be-a-christian/

“A Pastor, His Dying Wife, and Their Church -- A Group Text” - Jonathan Leeman,
9Marks, January 4, 2019, https://www.9marks.org/article/a-pastor-his-dying-
wife-and-\their-church-a-group-text/

“Church - Why Bother?” - Brad Allison, sermon preached at Altadena Valley Presbyterian
Church, November 4, 2018. https://www.avpc.org/files/8715/4133/1201/11042018.pdf

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