The Church – The Body of Christ
Question 70: What is the Church?
The Church is the Body of Christ, in which believers are united with one another and with Jesus Christ, their Head and source of life.
1 Corinthians 12:12–13
The Church – The Community of Believers
Question 69: Does God call you to live the Christian life by yourself?
The Church is the community of those who have personally responded to the Gospel, gather for worship, and care for one another.
Acts 2:36-47
Blessed to be a Blessing
All Christians are blessed by God to be a blessing to others.
Luke 5:1-11
The Beautiful Community – Mission
The Church is the beautiful community of those blessed by the Trinity and sent forth to spread the blessing of God throughout the earth.
John 20:21–23
The Beautiful Community – Blessing
The Church is the community of blessing, where those who are in Christ and walking in unity receive every spiritual blessing promised by God.
Ephesians 1:3-14
The Beautiful Community – Forgiveness
To express the love of the Trinity, the Church must be a beautiful community where the forgiveness offered in the Gospel is celebrated, received, and given.
Ephesians 4:29–5:2
The Beautiful Community – Humble Servanthood
If the Church is to be a beautiful community of unity and diversity, we must walk in humility, being willing to sacrifice our own rights in order to serve our brothers and sisters.
Philippians2:1-11
The Beautiful Community – Diversity
The Church becomes a beautiful community of diversity as we embrace each other with our different gifts, experiences, ethnicities, and backgrounds and submit to God’s Word together.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
The Beautiful Community – Unity
All humans are descended from Adam and are the image of God, but there The Church has been given a unity that flows from the life of the Trinity, but we must work to maintain this unity in practice.
Ephesians 4
The Beautiful Community – Reconciliation
All humans are descended from Adam and are the image of God, but there God has reconciled us to Himself and one another through the work of Jesus on the cross, creating the Church as the beautiful community of reconciliation in which He lives by His Spirit.
Ephesians 2:11-12
Racism, The Image of God, and the Gospel
All humans are descended from Adam and are the image of God, but there are many different ethnic groups, and God is calling us to overcome the sinful tendency to separate and to come together so that the Gospel might flourish in our area.
Acts 17:26-28
Empowered By the Spirit
We are to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit, Who empowers us for the mission of God in the earth today.
Acts 1:8
Jesus Christ Is the Victor – His Earthly Validation
Jesus has shown that we can trust Him by displaying His victorious power over demons, disease and death.
Mark 5
My Only Comfort – Part 3
Question 98: Knowing all of these things, what is your only comfort in life and death?
Knowing all of these things, what is your only comfort in life and death? That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, from this day forth, to live unto him.
Romans 8:12–17
My Only Comfort – Part 2
Question 98: Knowing all of these things, what is your only comfort in life and death?
Knowing all of these things, what is your only comfort in life and death? That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, from this day forth, to live unto him.
Matthew 10:28–31; Romans 8:28–30
My Only Comfort – Part 1
Question 98: Knowing all of these things, what is your only comfort in life and death?
Knowing all of these things, what is your only comfort in life and death? That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, from this day forth, to live unto him.
Romans 14:7–9; Romans 8:31–39
God's Unexpected Work and Word
Things won’t always work out the way we think they should, but God uses every circumstance for his maximum glory, and our maximum good.
Matthew 11:2-15
The Resurrection Changes Everything!
The physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead changes everything, and His followers gather each week to remember His resurrection and then take the Good News forth to everyone.
John 20:19–29
The Resurrection of A Joyous Living Hope
The Resurrection of Jesus gives a joyous living hope even in troubled times for all those who are reborn through Him.
1 Peter 1:3-9
Who Is This?
Jesus is our Lord, our Messiah, and our King, the only begotten-Son of the Father, promised in the Old Testament to rescue His people and join them to His Father.
Matthew 21:1-11
Seeing Jesus
Following Jesus is not about the things that he can give us or do for us, but recognizing the thing that he has done for us. With that view, we must in turn serve others with the empowerment he has given us, while pointing the way to him.
Mark 10:35-52
Can I Keep God’s Law?
Question 11: Can you live up to all of this perfectly?
Answer: No. I have a natural tendency in thought, word, and deed to not love God and my neighbor as He has commanded.
Romans 3:10-24
The Summary of God’s Law
Question 10: Can you summarize what God’s law commands you to do?
Answer: All the law is summarized in these two commandments: You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:34-40
The Grace of Comfort
Our afflictions are avenues for abundant comfort for the lost.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
How Do We Know What God Demands of Us?
Question 9: What has God given to teach you his demand?
Answer: God has given us His law, which is a reflection of His character, to teach us how to be perfect in holiness, love, and integrity.
Romans 2:14–15; Ezekiel 20:11; James 2:12