What the Church is

The Church is the collective body of all believers. Thats the simplest def. You and I are members of the body of Christ and as such we share a commonality that permits us to care about eachother without having ever met. I've met believers before and been able to talk openly with more comfort than with an unbeliever I've known for years.
Scott

We are to care for one another and make desciples. the main reason we are left here rather than being wisked off to heaven when we believe is to tell others about Christ.

/me agrees... the true "Church" is just all the true Christians in the world.

Jesus Christ comes back for the Church in the rapture... the "Bride" it is also called

The Church's mission is to worship and glorify God.

We do this by obeying Jesus and His Commandments.


John 14:15
15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
(NAU)

John 15:10
10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
(NAU)


Matt 22:35-40
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him {a question} testing Him,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
37 And He said to him, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 "The second is like it, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
(NAU)

I believe the church to be "the pillar and foundation of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15). I see the (Catholic) Church as the Church instituted by Christ. He said:

"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
18
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
19
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

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I see the job of the Catholic Church to be the guardian of the Deposit of Faith (Scripture and Sacred Tradition) and also its chief interpreter. For unity there must be unity in interpretation of the Deposit of Faith.

I also see it as the job of the Church to proclaim the saving message of Christ to all peoples and to give its members access to what they need to grow spiritually.

Originally posted by Job_38
Someone, without looking at any other influence but your brain, tell me what the Church is supposed to do.

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Worship God, encourage and support one another, be a positive influence on the world around us.

I believe the "Church" is here to glorify God to worship God and to assist God in bringing everyone in the world to Christ and therefore to everlasting life with the Father.

Occupy!

The church is the symbolic manifestation of Jesus Himself, remaining in the Earth until He comes to take us away unto Himself. We're referred to as the Body of Christ, and that's just what we are. We are the collective bunch of people from all walks of life who believe in the Lordship of Christ and has thus been grafted into the Royal Family of the Lord Jesus.

The Church is the vehicle in which we can achieve theosis.

As someone else wrote the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth. 1 Tim. 3:15

The Church is the final authority in matters of Faith and morals. Matt. 18:17-18

Pray for me,

Gideon

Sheesh, hasn't anyone read Matthew 25? The church is also supposed to feed the hungry and thirsty, care for the sick and visit the prisoner. We can't just sit around all day staring at one another inside the church, can we?

I John 4:17...As He is so are we in this world. What Jesus did we are supposed to do, with the obvious exception of dying for all men sins.

That is the simplest definition for the called out ones that I can think of.

Grace and Peace Patrick

walk of Love


Eph.5:1-12
Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children;
and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and has
given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to
God for a sweetsmelling savour.
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetness,
let it not be once named among you, as becometh
saints;
Neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting,
which are not convenient:but rather giving of thanks.
For this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean
person nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has
any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no man decieve you with vain words: for
because of these things cometh the wrath of God
upon the children of disobedience.
Be not you therefore partakes with them.
For you were sometimes darkness, but now light
in the Lord: walk as children of Light.
For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
righteousness and truth;
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works
of darkness, but rather reprove them.
For it is a shame even to speak of those things
which are done of them in secret.

without looking at any other influence but your brain

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No one has answered the question as stated. You all have been influenced by some other source.

Peace.

Peter

should we be manipulated by a man
or
be obedient unto God, which is truly
a Holy, good and righteous Force?

schmoiso said:

Sheesh, hasn't anyone read Matthew 25? The church is also supposed to feed the hungry and thirsty, care for the sick and visit the prisoner. We can't just sit around all day staring at one another inside the church, can we?

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add Matt 28:18-20 and you got it!

Obviously in God's eyes, the Church that matters is the "blessed company of all faithful people," the elect from all times and places. But in the only sense in which we can speak of the Church here and now, it is the universal company of the baptized, gathered in local assemblies where the Word is preached and the sacraments are administered. These local assemblies are most rightly ordered when they are led by bishops in apostolic succession and are in communion with the bishop of Rome.

In Christ,

Edwin

Peter,

:No one has answered the question as stated. You all have been influenced by some other source. :

Well, that's self-evident. If the question really meant what you seem to think it means, then it was an extraordinary pointless one, since the only person who could possibly answer it would be a newborn infant, who can't talk. Our very ability to formulate an answer depends on all sorts of influences from exterior sources. Even if you mean that we should answer uninfluenced by outside sources on this particular question (if you can separate one subject from others like that, which I don't think you can), the only people who could answer would be those who had never read anything or talked to anyone about the issue before. Such people would be unlikely to visit this thread, I'd think.

I presumed that the question meant "don't go looking up some theological formula but give an off-the-cuff answer." Job_38, was I wrong?

In Christ,

Edwin