Church, Part 1 of What We Believe, Part 36

Rapp Report episode 263 In this podcast episode, Andrew Rapport and Pastor Steven Dew discussed the concept of the Church. Pastor Steven read a passage from the striving for eternity doctrinal statement, which states that the Holy Spirit immediately places all who place their faith in Christ Jesus into one united spiritual body called the Church, of which Christ is the head. The episode discussed the importance of having a solid foundation in faith and understanding the difference between believers and unbelievers in a church setting. It was argued that churches should have a plurality of pastors to be able to protect and feed the sheep rather than just feeding the goats or entertaining them. They also discussed the parable of the soils, in which half of the soils represent people in the church who are not believers, including the rocky soil, which is for those who have no foundation, and the thorny soil, which is for those who succumb to temptation and trial. The importance of membership and the need to teach members about true biblical doctrine was discussed. It was suggested that doctrines unite true believers and provide a platform for conversation and understanding. Chapters: (0:00:02) - The Church (0:11:44) - Limitations of Belonging to the Church (0:21:50) - Membership Exploration (0:36:45) - The Church (0:46:05) - The Role of the Pastor Chapter Summaries: (0:00:02) - The Church (12 Minutes) In this episode, Andrew Rapport and Pastor Steven Dew read the following section of the doctrinal statement available at www.StrivingForEternity.org. "All who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual body, called the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8), of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18)." (0:11:44) - Limitations of Belonging to the Church (10 Minutes) This episode discussed the importance of having a solid foundation in faith and understanding the difference between believers and unbelievers in a church setting. It was argued that churches should have a plurality of pastors to protect and feed the sheep rather than just feeding the goats or entertaining them. The parable of the soils was discussed, in which half of the soils represent people in the church who are not believers, including the rocky soil, which is for those who have no foundation, and the thorny soil, which is for those who succumb to temptation and trial. (0:21:50) - Membership Exploration (15 Minutes) This portion of the conversation focuses on the importance of membership and the need to teach members about true biblical doctrine. The conversation brings up the idea of the 'numbers game' and how churches have started to focus on size rather than doctrine. It is suggested that doctrine unite true believers and provide a platform for conversation and understanding. The conversation then focuses on doctrine dividing, ultimately concluding that doctrine divides between those who believe what the bible teaches and those who do not. Still, that doctrine should also be used to unify believers. (0:36:45) - The Church (9 Minutes) 'Echlessia', the Greek word for church, has evolved over the years. In the first century, it was used to refer to a gathering for the purpose of worshipping God. Later, it was necessary to be more specific, and the language of the visible and invisible church, or the universal and local church, was used. The local or visible church comprises both believers and unbelievers, while the invisible or universal church comprises only believers everywhere and all the time. (0:46:05) - The Role of the Pastor (12 Minutes) This conversation focused on ecclesiastical separation and the roles of pastors in the church. It discussed the importance of recognizing Christ as the head of the church and the value of a plurality of elders working together.