The lessons in this booklet concern the church which the Lord purchased with His precious blood. We encourage you to study your Bible along with the lessons and we remind you of the nobility of the Bereans. Luke records in Acts 17:11, "These(Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." From this verse we learn that there are two basic keys for successful Bible studyan open Bible and an open mind. Notice that the Bereans had both. We recommend to you to open your Bible and your mind to what the Bible says.
After you read the lesson and study your Bible, please answer the questions
supplied with the booklet and send it back to your teacher. Your
teacher will grade it and return it to you along with a certificate of
completion. If you have any questions, your teacher will be glad
to help you find the
answers. Have an enjoyable study of the Bible! Thank you
for allowing us the opportunity to serve you in this way. May God
bless you in your study and we hope that we will hear from you shortly.
After Peter made the great confession to Jesus that "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), Jesus promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18). In the Bible the Lord's church is also called, "the body of Christ" (Ephesians 1:22-23), "the kingdom of His dear Son" (Colossians 1:13), "the temple of God" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), "the household of God" (1 Timothy 3:15), and it is referred to in many other ways. Each of these terms show a particular aspect of the nature of the church and they show to whom the church belongs. As we consider the church, we are considering the church that belongs to God and His Son. We are concerned with the church of the Bible and not man made organizations claiming to be the Lord's church.
PROPHECIES OF THE CHURCH
In Daniel the second chapter, Daniel interprets a dream of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon. The king had sought magicians, astrologers, and
sorcerers to interpret his dreams but these false prophets were unable
to interpret them. Daniel requested the opportunity to interpret
these dreams and by the power of God could interpret them. Daniel
explains that the dreams are of five kingdoms. The first kingdom
is Babylon of which Nebuchadnezzar is the "head of gold" (Daniel
2:38). Next is "another kingdom inferior to thee" which is
the Medo-Persian Empire (verse 39). The third kingdom Daniel explains
is a "kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth"
which is the Grecian Empire. Daniel continues by explaining that
"the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron." This is the
Roman empire. It is "in the days of these kings shall the God
of heaven set up a kingdom" (Daniel 2:44). Thus, the establishment
of the kingdom of God, or the church, was prophesied to take place during
the Roman empire. Notice further that this fifth kingdom "shall
never be destroyed . . . and it shall stand for ever." It is,
then, an eternal kingdom which is directly fulfilled in the words of Jesus
when He promised "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it" (Matthew 6:18). Also, it is fulfilled
in the inspired words recorded by Peter, "For so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11). Isaiah also prophesied
of the establishment of the kingdom of God in Isaiah 2:2-3 which states:
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the
Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall
be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And
many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth
the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Paul explains
that the Lord's house is the church. In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul the
apostle of the Lord said, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know
how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church
of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." Thus,
Isaiah prophesied that the Lord's house or the church would "come to
pass in the last days." In Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost
(Acts 2), Peter quoted the prophet Joel who also prophesied about the last
days (Joel 2:28-32). There can be no doubt that the fulfilment of
the prophecies of Isaiah 2 and Joel 2 is Acts 2 for Peter said, "this
is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16). Further,
notice that this took place in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14) which is the fulfilment
of Isaiah's prophesy, "for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the
word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Even further, notice that Isaiah
prophesied that "all nations shall flow unto it." The fulfilment
of this is Acts 2:39, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
"THE KINGDOM IS AT HAND"
In the days of Jesus, it was taught that "the kingdom of God is
at hand". The phrase "at hand" simply means that it was near in time.
Mark summarizes Jesus' early ministry in Mark 1:14-15, "Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe
the gospel." This was also the message of John the baptizer (Matthew
3:2) and the disciples of Jesus (Matthew 10:7). Later we learn that
Joseph of Arimathaea, who asked for the body of Jesus after the crucifixion,
"waited for the kingdom of God" (Mark 15:43). During the ministry
of Jesus, the kingdom was so close that Jesus once taught, "Verily I
say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death,
till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" (Matthew 16:28).
PENTECOST A.D. 33
On the day of Pentecost (fifty days after the crucifixion of Jesus)
Peter and the eleven preached the first gospel sermon. The sermon
is recorded in Acts 2:14-36. The following chart is a brief outline
of Peter's sermon on that day.
Introduction (verses 14-21)
I. Jesus Approved by God (verse 22).
II. Jesus Delivered and Put to Death (verse
23).
III. Jesus Raised From the Dead (verses 24-32).
IV. Jesus Exalted to the Throne of God (verses
33-35).
Conclusion (verse 36).
After the evidence was shown, the only reasonable conclusion was "that God hath made that same Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). In the following verses, Luke records the reaction of the listeners and God's answer to the listeners' question. Acts 2:37-41 says, "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Thus, we have the beginning of the church. It began in Jerusalem as prophesied. It came with power as signs and wonders were done on that day. It came in the lifetime of some of those to whom Jesus taught. It was proclaimed to all nations. Later when Peter taught Cornelius and his household the gospel, Peter referred to this day as "the beginning" (Acts 11:15).