Understanding the Church

Christians are added to the church when they have believed, been baptized and have received the “gift of the Holy Spirit”. As Christians come out of the waters of Baptism they are added to the church by God. All baptized believers world-wide are in God’s church.

Note in Acts 8:3… “but Saul laid waste the church entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison”.

We are the church when we are awake and when we are asleep, when we’re working and when we’re on vacation, when we’re at home and when we’re traveling… we are the church 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all of our lives.

Note in Acts 14:27… “And when they were come, and had gathered the church together”.

This verse does not say they gathered the “Christians” together it says the gathered the “church” together.

The church (Christians) scattered all over the world gather together in assemblies to fulfill spiritual obligations to each other and to God. When they leave those assemblies they don’t stop being the church.

This is important because much has been said to differentiate between the work of the individual Christian and the work of the church (for various reasons). There is no difference between the work of the individual Christian and the work of the church because they are both the same... they are both the church. What is the work of one is also the work of the other.