welcome to the Believers Bible assembly welcome to the Believers Bible assembly today dr. Jackson will begin

a new series the truth about the church these messages will focus specifically on the identity purpose role and

function of the church in these messages he will expose the lies and distorted teachings about the church with

Biblical truth from the scriptures listen and be blessed I'm excited today because the day

we began a brand new teaching series the truth about the church and we're going to answer

the question what is the church if you ask other people about what the church

is you'll get 100 different responses but just like the other truth about series that we talked about

we going to answer this question what is the church from a Biblical perspective this teaching

message is focused specifically on the identity the purpose and the role and function of the church

church the church is God's instrument that he's using to accomplish his purposes here on

the earth the church has a purpose the church has a function and that's to

accomplish God's purposes here in the earth however in 2026 the church is all over the place

in his Doctrine and his practice and biblical understanding of what the church is and what

is called to do they're all over the place the purpose and function of the church has been distorted by

many false teachers some people they view the church as yes I'm building a place we go other see

the church as a business a way to make money other see the church as a

platform for social justice causes and other sees the church as a place to come

to receive blessings and some has even turned the church into a platform for at ease and

celebrities but Jesus did not die merely to create an organization he gave himself for

a people Redeemed by his blood and dwelt by his Spirit built together as his

spiritual body and given a commission and assignment to represent his kingdom here in the

earth Matthew 16:18 Jesus said I will will my church and the gates of Hades

shall not Prevail against it this is Jesus church he says he's going to build it and

the gates of Hades the gates of Death Shall Not Prevail against it so in

this first teaching the truth about the church we're going to talk about what the church is and what

the church is not from a Biblical perspective and not understand the church based on our

individual Church experiences because they're all vary depending upon how you was brought up in the church but what

is the biblical perspective of what the church is and what the church is not first let's define

the church the church is defined as a spiritual union with Christ rather than organizational structure and

this is key the church is a spiritual body in Union with Christ and not an

organizational structure the second thing we need to know about it is that the church includes both The Universal Church

all True Believers across all time and spaces that's the universal church and the local church

the local Gathering of Believers committed to Fellowship worship worship and instruction Bible teaching and

we need to distinguish between the two because all True Believers are part of the universal church when

you were born again you were baptized into Christ you were baptized Into The Universal Church all True Believers across

all times and spaces where as the local church is local gatherings in your local communities with local

leavers there that are committed to Fellowship worship and instruction we defined the church now

let's talk about what the church is the church is referred to by many names in the New Testament

is called the body of Christ what is it it's a living spiritual body composed of all

genuine Believers with Christ as his head now put some emphasis on True Believers genuine Believers those who are born

again because what we know and what we're going to find out is that everyone that steps foot into

the church is not a True Believer a genuine believer we're talking about what the church is is a living

organic spiritual body composed of all genuine Believers with Christ as the head we are a

living spiritual body because we serve a living Christ who is the head of the church all right let's

get into some scripture this morning First Corinthians chapter 12 verse 27 says now you are the body

of Christ and each of you is a member of it this verse says that Believers

right now form Christ Living spiritual body on the Earth where is Christ according to the scriptures

he's seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and he told his disciples that I'm not going

to leave you as orphans I'm not going to abandon you I'm going to pray to the

father to sin the holy spirit in my place the holy spirit is here but the Holy Spirit

lives within each one of us each morning again believer each true genuine believer of Christ has the

Holy Spirit indwelling them and this spiritual and dwelling makes up the spiritual body of Christ here in the

earth realm and the spiritual body of Christ here in Earth realm is a growing body is

a single organism that's growing evolving under the headship and the leadership of Jesus Christ as we continue to

renew our minds we return you too to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ we are a living spiritual body on the earth a single organism growing under his

headship and Leadership each individual in the body of Christ has been given gifts and abilities that contribute to

the body now already you seeing a difference between the body of Christ and just sit in the

pews any morning Jesus Christ did not die for us to sit in the Pew on Sunday

morning he's given us gifts and abilities to contribute to his overall mission and plan but

their spiritual the body of Christ is the spiritual body of Christ here on the

earth and we've been given gifts in this body and each individual in the body of Christ matters let me

say that again each jewel in the spiritual body of Christ matters there are no big means and little use

in the spiritual body of Christ now there's different functions there's different giftings there's different Ministries

but there's no big mean and little use in the body Paul talks about this in First

Corinthians chapter 12 how all the parts of the physical body work together and use

that as an analogy to teach about how the until gifts that Christ put in the body should work

together and when we understand how the body of Christ functions we will understand and know our role and

our identity within the body of Christ that's going to bring about Unity purposeful service and confident a representation

of Jesus Christ to the world now it says we are the body of Christ and each

each one of you is a member of it when you're born again you automatically become a part

of the body of Christ there is no membership intake you have to be given the right hand of Fellowship

we are a body but the body cannot function without the head Colossians 1:18 and he Christ is the head

of the body the church Christ is the head of the church we're the body

were United as one whoever Christ leaves we follow you want to talk about confusion the head is going one

way and the body's going another way that's not Christ that's not the body of Christ that's

confusion that's religion that's the nomination but Christ is the living head of the church and he's Lord over

everything that the church does so everyone in the church should be submitted to the

lordship and Leadership of Jesus Christ we should rely on his power rest in his

resurrection what he did for us on the cross and exalt his name when we do these things the

church collectively and the church individually will experience the fullness that God intends for us so we talked about

what the body of Christ is now let's talk about what the body of Christ was not it is not

a physical building made of brick and mortar that has a steeple on top the church is

not a physical building the building is simply the place where the body of Christ assembles it

is not the church this is a building this is a church and you see the

big difference the church is not a physical building is a place where we gather

where we assembled but it's not the church and we need to understand this difference because many people

have a relationship with a church building and not the builder of the church them said again many

people have a relationship with the church building Oh They'll brag about their Church our church is 400 years old

y'all their brag about our church building and they're so focused on the building they don't

have a relationship with the builder of the church who is Jesus Christ because the church

is not a building it is his ex lesya his called out people and that's

the second point I want to share with you this morning the church is a called

out people now this is a new testament word for church ekklesia and it literally means a

called out assembly a community gathered out of the world unto God we are called out assembly when

you are born again you was called out from the world unto God and for his purposes so when

you read the word Church in the New Testament understand it from his Greek meaning ekklesia a called out assembly

and you see this many times in scripture Matthew 16:18 Jesus said on this rock I

will build my ekklesia the church he's going to build his church he's called out

people know we're in the scripture is Jesus talking about Building a Church of brick and mortar First

Corinthians 1:2 Paul writing to the Corinthians says to the Church ekklesia of God that is

in Corinth another example is Romans chapter 16 verse 5 Paul wrote greet also the church

the Ecclesia in their house because that's where they were meeting in in houses they had house churches

you know why because there's no building so they met wherever they can meet you had various houses

where people gather together to worship to Fellowship the church is a called out people we know it

is now let's talk about what it's not the church the Ecclesia Body of Christ is not a weekly

event or meeting we have to get out of this mindset gathering for Sunday service an activity of

the church but the true church the called out church is a continuous Community of Faith 24/7

you are never disconnected from the church disconnected from the actual Sia the body of Christ why because you are

never disconnected from Christ who is the head of the church so the true church

is a 24/7 Church meaning what we do outside of our weekly Gatherings people have reduced

the church to an original event I got to go shopping I gotta get my oil change I

got to go to church check check check I'm good but in reality the church that Jesus Christ died for

is a continuous Church a community the faith that operates 24/7 outside of the church

doing work and the work is what preaching the gospel leading people to Jesus Christ in the workplace in

the neighborhoods within their families that's the true church of the Bible we are the body of

Christ we're all called out people the ekklesia the Bible also identifies the church as the household of God the

household God is a spiritual family bound together by faith and the word word with a shared life

and adoption as Sons and Daughters of God we're a spiritual family that's what the church is there

can see a connecting and bound by our faith and the word we have shared experiences because

we all have to deal with this thing called life and we all have to deal

with this thing called spiritual warfare so we have shared experience in life and we were all

adopted as Sons and Daughters of Jesus Christ that means I went out of his way to make sure

that we can be a part of his family now that wasn't the case all the time let's go to

Ephesians 2:19 and it says therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow

citizens with the Saints and members of God's household there was a time that we were strangers

and foreigners we were outside the family without any rights of citizenship but because of what Jesus Christ did

on the cross and we believe and we were born again we are no longer strangers

we're no longer foreigners but we are fellow citizens with the Saints the other believers God's

people and we are members of God's household we were outside of the family now

we're inside the family because of what Jesus Christ did and we're members of God's household

First Timothy chapter 3 verse 15 Paul had to write Kim their letter and he said

in case I'm delayed so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in

God's household which is the Church of the Living God the pillar and Foundation of truth that's what it is

when the people come to church they should be expecting the truth that comes from the word of

God where the household of God we're not a Human Institution that just gathers together on Sundays we

are the household of God now the church is not an organization but it should be

organized but its primary identity and Mission is divine in origin it has a spiritual purpose

and a relational structure is called Fellowship Koinonia that's why we gathered together because we are members of the

household of God we are the body of Christ we are called out people we

are members of the household of God and we are mission agents of Christ we have been sent into the

world the church the Excellency of the household God to proclaim the gospel to make disciples to minister

God's grace we are mission agents of Christ Matthew 28:18-20 says that we have to go

and make disciples baptizing them and teaching them Second Corinthians 5:20 says we are Christ's ambassadors price

Representatives here on the earth we were sent into the world to represent Jesus Christ

Acts 1:8 says that will be able to do that when the Holy Spirit has come upon

us and then can go throughout the world to be a representative to be a witness of Jesus

Christ proclaiming The Gospel and making disciples we are mission agents of Christ that is the purpose of the

church we are not isolated from the world Jesus said we're in the world but we're

not of the world Jesus prayed to the father that he keep us in the world why to

be Mission agents of Christ you're being his Representatives here on the earth proclaiming the gospel and making disciples

we have a mission and we are sent into the world to proclaim the gospel to represent Jesus

Christ to a loss Dying World just when you think the world can get more corrupt as

you get more corrupt day by day and we were sent into the world for such a

time as this to proclaim the gospel and to represent Christ to the world there's a lot

of people that know about Christ or they think they know about Christ but they don't

know Christ of the Bible as missing agents of Jesus Christ that's where we step in but

how can we share and teach somebody about Jesus Christ and we don't even know myself because

incumbent upon us that we understand and know the Christ that we're talking about so that we

can share him with the world so that the same Grace thus upon us can be available to them

as well we are mission agents of Christ we're not social justice Warriors we don't have any other

agenda but Christ agenda and that's what we're supposed to teach that's what we're supposed to preach because we're

Mission agents of Jesus Christ we represent Christ here in the earth realm we're also

called the Temple of the Holy Spirit the Temple of the holy spirit is a

spiritual Dwelling Place what God's spirit resides both individually and Believers and collectively Where We Gather and symbol together in

the Old Testament in the gospels they worship in the temple a physical building now Christ

Spirit dwells in us we are where Christ's Spirit resides First Corinthians 3:16 do you not know that you yourself

self are God's Temple and that God's spirit dwells in you where does God Spirit dwell it dwells in

you guys Spirit doesn't dwell in the building it dwells in you so wherever you go

God is with you wherever you go you represent Christ why because God's spirit dwells in

you but we were taught God dwells we're in a building because the Testament gospel mindset that's

where he was matter of fact the Jewish custom was they had to go to the temple three times

a day at a certain time because that's where God's will he dwelt in the temple after

Christ's death and resurrection and his Ascension to Heaven he sent the Holy Spirit now

the Holy Spirit dwells in you not a building you and we have to understand this wherever

we go we represent Christ he dwells on the side of us Ephesians chapter 2 verse

where God lives through the Holy Spirit the church is not a building never has been a building and never

will be a building the Holy Spirit dwells in you you are God's holy spiritual

Temple he resides in you visually and he resides in US collectively when we gathered and assembled

together the church is called the Temple of the Holy Spirit but it's not a denomination there's

no denominations in the Bible denominations were created by man man created the Baptist Man created the Methodist

Man created the Pentecostal Holiness with their religious hierarchies and political allegiances that do not conform

to what the church is that's what churches have become now hubs for social justice political activism things

that Christ never talked about people go to churches to find Christ and they're talking about politics they go

to the church of turf and Christ and then I'm picked up some political agenda that has nothing to

do with Christ but it using Christ as a cover to support whatever agenda they're trying to support

this is not the church that Jesus Christ said he came to build the church is not

a denomination denominations were created by man when you can stand before the Lord in heaven he's

not going to ask you what denomination on you son are you a Baptist or Pentecostal he's not

gonna answer that question you know why they were man-made God had nothing to do with it it's

spiritual division we're supposed to be United as one one Lord One Faith one baptism but because of

man they created separation within the body with these different religious views and these different denominational

setups and each one of them has set up religious hierarchies no that's not how the body Christ Works everybody

in the body of Christ is equal in the eyes of God there is no big means and Lulu's

we have different functions we have different purposes we have different giftings God has set some in the

church the be pastors teachers evangelists that's his doing but they were set in the

body to equip the Saints to do the work of ministry not to Lord over them these religious hierarchies you

got somebody on top and he's the only one that has access to God you don't

because you were little you and he's a big me example of that would be the

Pope in the Catholic denomination the pope is God forget what the scripture says whatever the Pope says it's the

truth the Pope says something that's true and the Bible says that is not true

we're going to leave the word the pope could the pope is on top of the hierarchy he's

closer to God than we are that's not the church each individual in the church has direct access

to God through his son Jesus Christ you don't have to go to or through

anybody a lot of these denominations have become cult-like because now you've got to go to a

pastor you got to go a bishop to get approval to go to God what was that at the scripture

my prayer asked a spiritual body we can understand the true relationship that we have with Jesus Christ

and understand our role here on the earth the church is not a denomination or political movement

political movement impact the natural the church is here to impact the spiritual we are on a

your mission from Christ the apostles had the same question for Jesus in Acts chapter 1 because they thought that

his role was to be a political figure that would restore Israel back to his prominence they had been with

Jesus for three and a half years and that's what they conclude that Jesus mission was see just went

over the head that's why it's important that we understand the role of the church because we bring all

these external experiences that we have into Body of Christ we too will be confused about the mission of

the church and what our role is so that's my prayer when we finish this teaching series all those

questions will be answered so let's sum up this teaching today the roots of the church are in

Jesus Christ himself who is the chief Corner Stone a Cornerstone is that which is placed and everything is

built on that Corner Stone the church is built on Jesus Christ who is the chief Corner

Stone he's building his people his called out once into a living growing assembly that even the

gates of Hades cannot defeat because he is the head of the church he owns the

church he builds the church he protects the church his Spirit empowers the church so the ultimate

purpose of the church is to glorify God by Faithfully representing Jesus Christ King the

Earth and advancing his kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit we are the

church the body of Christ and Ministers of the grace of God that's who we are thank

you for listening to our Bible teaching today for more Bible teaching like this please visit

our site at www.bsmsphd.com be blessed