Church

"Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth" ~ 1 Timothy 3:14-15

The Apostle Paul understood that he and the other apostles had been given some authority and responsibility to set the rules for the early church. All of the letters that we have in the New Testament were written as part of their fulfilling of that responsibility. Paul says the church is "God's household". When you enter into another person's home, you typically aim to follow whatever their rules are for their household. You take your shoes off at the door if they prefer it, eat the food they serve, hang your coat where they ask, and address topics with which they are comfortable addressing. For this reason, our primary concern in the church shouldn't be what WE prefer, but what God commands. But is "the church", then, just the physical "house of God", as so many would describe it today? If it is more than that, when else and where else do the rules for conduct which Paul and the other apostles declared apply? This weekend at Friendship, we'll answer these questions and much more as we talk about the foundation of "Church". Lots of people nowadays can call what they are doing "church", but it was our Lord Jesus Himself who gave us pretty clear parameters for what is and is not included in His body. Join us to hear more about what those are and how we can fulfill the purpose He gave us on earth!