Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20041205.htm

APPLYING OUR CHURCH'S STATEMENT OF BIBLICAL FAITH
Article III, Part VII Of The Nepaug Bible Church Bylaws: The Church
A. Holding To The True Church Universal And Local
(Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:18; Philippians 1:1; Hebrews 13:7 and Titus 1:5)
  1. Introduction
    1. Seventh-day Adventists hold the Church is a continuation of Old Testament Israel, that it should function under at least part of the Law, Seventh-day Adventists Believe, 1989 ed., p. 136-137. (2) Some Baptists claim the Church exists only locally, Joe L. Wall, "The Universal Church," DTS class notes on Problems In Ecclesiology, Spring semester, 1976 as taught by Robert P. Lightner. (3) Ultradispensationalists hold there are 2 Churches between Acts 2 and the Rapture, the first a Jewish one belonging to the Kingdom and the next a Gentile one) so we are not to submit to some N. T. writings or keep baptism and communion, H. A. Ironside, Wrongly Dividing The Word of Truth, p. 9-10 as cited in DTS class notes by Ronnie Stevens, Problems In Ecclesiology, Spring semester, 1976 taught by R. P. Lightner.
    2. To address these issues, Article III, Part VII of our Church's Statement of Faith reads: "We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and all spiritually regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, which is an assembly of believers in a certain place who are organized and who practice the ordinances, seeking to do God's will." We view Scripture for our stand:
  2. Holding To The True Church Universal And Local, Matthew 16:18 et al.
    1. The Church began in Acts 2, exists as one Body until the Rapture, and is separate from Israel and the Law:
      1. In Matthew 16:18 and while living under the Law (Gal. 4:4), Jesus said He was yet to build His Church (ekklaysia), implying it was not yet existing, Moulton & Geden, Conc. to the Greek Test., p. 316.
      2. In Acts 5:11, the word, "church" (ekklaysia) first appears in the Greek New Testament to describe the body that was formed in Acts 2 by means of the Holy Spirit's coming [cf. Acts 1:5 and 11:15-16]; Ibid.
      3. According to 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Ephesians 1:23 and Colossians 1:18, the Church is said to be a combination of Jews AND Gentiles who are spiritually baptized into one body by that Holy Spirit.
      4. Thus, there did not first exist a Jewish Church and then a Gentile Church era, but a single Church in the book of Acts; thus, realizing Acts is a transition from the dispensation of the Law to that of the Church, Acts and all the Epistles and Revelation are directly applicable to today's Church!
      5. As such, the ordinances of believer's baptism and the Lord's Table always apply to that one Church!
      6. The Church is not under the Law, be it the Decalogue or the ceremonial laws, Rom. 7:4; Col. 2:16-17.
    2. The Church exists BOTH on the local plane AND on the universal planes, consisting of all who believe in Christ as Savior from sin in the dispensation of the Church, and that though living or deceased:
      1. The term, "Body of Christ" never appears in Scripture as "bodies of Christ" to refer to local churches, but to one universal Body, cf. Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 1:23; 3:6; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:30; Col. 1:18.
      2. 3 John 9-10 shows Diotrephes cast innocent believers out of a local church for accepting the Apostles; it is inconceivable that he could thus part these innocent folk from Christ this way as though the true Church consisted only at the local level and not also on the spiritual level as Christ's Universal Body!
      3. Deceased believers must still be part of the Church though absent from local churches on earth; indeed, they are called the Church of the Firstborn in heaven in Hebrews 12:22-23!
    3. Yet, the Church exists locally as organized under qualified leaders for the purpose of heeding Scripture, cf. Titus 1:5; 1 Timothy 1:3a with 3:14-15; Philemon 1-2; Hebrews 13:7.
Lesson: The Church began on the day of Pentecost, it continues until the rapture and consists of ALL who trust in Christ in that dispensation regardless of gender and ethnicity, both living and deceased; it is distinct from Israel; it is free from the Law; it exists BOTH on the universal and local planes, and the latter is a group of believers with Biblical leaders who meet to heed the Scriptures.

Application: We correctly hold our local assembly is a Biblical local Church that consists of PART of Christ's UNIVERSAL Body of present and deceased brethren, that we are free from the Law's rule, that we belong to the dispensation of all who trust in Christ between Pentecost and the rapture, and that we heed all of Acts, the Epistles and Revelation and practice believer's baptism and the Lord's Table.