The Lord’s Harvest Community Church

DISCOVER LIFE BIBLE STUDY
Instructor- Dr. Juan P. Barrientez II
The Purpose and Functions of the Church

Scripture Text: Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:42-47
Key Verse: Acts 2:42, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

Scripture:
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Acts 2:42-47
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Definitions:

Commission - The act of granting certain powers or the authority to carry out a particular task or duty.
Authority - Exousia (ex-oo-see’-ah); the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed) Strong #: 1849

Disciple - a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower:

They continued steadfastly- (e san proskarturountes) This phase denotes “persevering and constant attention.” The main business was devotion.

Fellowship - Koinonia (koy-nohn-ee’-ah); fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, interaction - the share which one has in anything, participation (Strong #: 2842)

Key Points:

1. The Great Commission is the result of Jesus Christ delegating authority to the church to carry out its purpose.
2. According to the Great Commission the church’s purpose is to, make disciples, baptize, and teach.
3. Jesus Christ assures us, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
4. The Functions of the church (What they did.).
They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine - Not only did they learn from the apostles, but also they applied it to their life.
Fellowship – They were connected to and with one another. It properly denotes “having things in common, or participation, society, friendship.”
Breaking of bread – The extent of fellowshipping is eating together, were more then likely the Lord’s Supper (Communion) was also observed.
Prayer - Services where they prayed as in Act_1:14, in the temple (Act_3:1), in their homes (Act_4:23).

This Weeks Challenge
Make a commit to living out the functions and purpose of the church.

 

 The Purpose and Functions of the Church [30:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

DISCOVER LIFE BIBLE STUDY
Instructor- Dr. Juan P. Barrientez II
Other Metaphors for the Church

Key Verse:

2 Corinthians 5:20, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

Scripture:

• Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her”
• Ephesians 2:20, “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone”
• 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
• 1 Peter 2:5 , “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
• Acts 20:28, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
• John 10:16, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
• John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Keys:

1. Bride.

The picture of the church as the bride of Christ is seen in Ephesians 5:25 where an analogy is drawn that compares the husband and wife relationship in marriage to Christ and His bride the church.


2. Building.

Paul describes the oneness of the church under the figure of a building. The church is built upon the “foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Eph. 2:20). “The apostles” are collectively one of the foundational gifts, designed to equip the believers (Eph. 4:12) and bring the church to maturity (Eph. 4:13).

In the figure of the building, Jesus Christ is the cornerstone (Eph. 2:20; cf. 1 Cor.
3:11), which may refer to the “primary foundation stone at the angle of the structure by which the architect fixes a standard for the bearings of the walls and cross-walls throughout.” In Christ the whole building, the church, is being “fitted together” ( Eph. 2:21), emphasizing Christ’s work of constructing His church. As a building “grows” when under construction, so the church, as a living organism, is growing as new believers are added to the "building" (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5).

1. Priesthood.

In 1 Peter 2:5 the apostle combines the figures of a building and a priesthood, stating, “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood.” The uniqueness of the New Testament priesthood is further seen in 1 Peter 2:9 where Peter refers to a “royal priesthood.” Church age believers are both kings and priests (cf. Rev. 1:6). The entire church functions as a priesthood. All church age believers have access to God through Christ, the church’s High Priest; in Israel individual believers could approach God only through the Levitical priests. All church age believers may approach God boldly at any time (Heb. 4:14-16), whereas Israelites could approach God only during the particular offerings (Lev. 1-7).


2. Flock.

A beautiful, tender image depicting the relationship of believers to the Lord is found in John 10:16 where the church is called a flock (cf. Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:3). The image emphasizes that members of the church as the sheep of Christ belong to Him. Jesus emphasizes that the flock is”My sheep” (John 10:26, 27) and that they are secure in His hand. Moreover, the sheep respond to the Shepherd’s voice; there is intimacy for the Shepherd knows His sheep individually, and they recognize His voice and respond to Him.


3. Branches.

In John 15 Jesus describes the close relationship church age believers enjoy with Him as being one of branches related to a vine. Jesus is the true vine (John 15:1), while the Father is the farmer who tills the land in order that the branches may bear fruit (John 15:1). Church age believers are the branches that draw their life from the vine because they are "in Him" (John 15:4, 5). The branches receive their life-giving nourishment in their attachment to the vine; as they remain in the vine, they are able to grow and bear fruit.

This Weeks Challenge

 

 Other Metaphors for the Church [26:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Psalm 118:24 (New King James Version)
This is the day the LORD has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is one question that I know will come up frequently. Why worship on Saturday? Well, that is a good question and even easier to answer. The Lord’s Harvest Community Church does not exist to keep tradition, but to follow the word of God, in spirit and truth. First, I want to make it clear that we are not Seventh-day Adventist. We seek to make our church accessible to those, the traditional church forgot about or simply overlooked.

This day in time many churches in Oklahoma City have done away with their Sunday night services. Those who have to work on Sundays miss out on the traditional worship time. Well, not anymore, we want to meet that need in the community for those who are hungry for the word of God, yet cannot make it to a traditional church service, because of other obligations, like taking care of your family. My question for you is, “ARE YOU HUNGRY?

We have a short but powerful format. We assemble to worship in song and praise, receive the word. I also, have a weekly challenge in line with the word, as you can see from the bible studies posted on this site. I not only want you to receive the word, but apply it to your life, and grow into the fullness of what God would have you to become.

I believe that we are to worship God ALL the times. When we are at home cooking for the family, that is worship. When you are on the job, making money to feed your family, that is worship. When you spend quality time with your significant other, that is worship. When you rejoice in the blessings of God in your life, that is worship. We just choose to be an alternative for those who want to assemble with other believers, but cannot be at church on Sunday mornings.

DISCOVER LIFE BIBLE STUDY
Instructor- Dr. Juan P. Barrientez II

The Church as a Family

Scripture Text: 1 John 3:1, Romans 8:16, John 1:11-13

Key Verse: John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

Review Questions:

1. According to the scripture text, when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior we become?
2. Because we are called the children of God, how does this express the extent of his love for us?
3. Who bears witness of our position in God through Jesus Christ?
4. Who has a right (legal claim) to be called a child of God?

This Week Challenge

Think about the correlation of your biological family and your spiritual (church) family, and pray that God would make your biological and spiritual family relationships healthy.

 

 The Church as a Family [33:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It is time to mark your calendars. I will be holding a Catch the Vision meeting as following,

Saturday - July 14, 2007 at 5:30 p.m.

This meeting will be held at

Shield of Faith Church
1134 Northeast 20th Street
Oklahoma City

This is a great opportunity for you to come out and learn about why God is assembling this new ministry. I will be casting the vision God has given me concerning this new work. You are also free to invite others to come along. I encourage each of you to mark your calendars and attend this meeting.

God bless you my friend, it is a pleasure to announce that the official website for The Lord’s Harvest Community Church is online. We also have our first two bible studies for your reading and listening pleasure. It is our goal that this website will be a tool to win the lost, refocus the saved, and edify the dedicated.

I personal thank you for choosing to connect with us on any level. We are truly focused on the Kingdom as a whole and not inwardly concerned only. We also will be adding new pages in the future.