Teaching Points
- 1
The Church was God's plan from eternity past — not a Plan B after Israel's failure.
- 2
Unlike Israel (centripetal — nations come to see God's glory), the Church is centrifugal — it GOES and is salt and light among the nations.
- 3
The Church is God's number one instrument for spreading the Gospel — through the church, the manifold wisdom of God is made known (Ephesians 3:10-11).
- 4
The Church is the Body of Christ — interdependent, with Christ as the one head, and every part working together for the same purpose.
- 5
The Church is built on the rock of the confession of faith about Christ, belongs to Christ, will be triumphant, and is a called-out people (ekklesia).
Scriptures
Discussion Questions
- 1
What are the implications of the Church as centrifugal?
- 2
What is the foundation of your church ministry?
- 3
The Church exists for the world (Ephesians 3:1-10). What are the implications?
- 4
Can a believer be part of the universal church and not part of the local church?