“No Other Name” “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Jesus Christ Hope of the Church

Whose Church is it?

The Church belongs to Jesus Christ Whose Church is it? The Church belongs to Jesus Christ

The Church belongs to the whole Triune God. Through Christ, The Church belongs to the whole Triune God.

The Church is The Body of Christ

Jesus Christ is the Living Head of his Body, the Many Members of his Church

Jesus Christ, the Head He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. (Col. 1:18) For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. (Eph. 5:23)

The Church, Christ’s Body 1Cor. 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 1Cor. 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Rom 12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.

We are members of Christ’s Body 1Cor. 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 1Cor. 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Rom 12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.

Foundation and Cornerstone So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. (Eph. 2:19-22)

Jesus Christ, himself, the Cornerstone Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. (Eph. 2:19-22)

On the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:19-20)

Jesus Christ, the Interpretive Key to all Scripture Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. (Heb. 1:1-2)

Members of the Church The Written Word The Living Word

Jesus Christ, the Living Stone Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1Pet. 2:4

The Church created, called and formed by Jesus Christ A creature or creation of the Word of God, Living and so Written

The Church created, called and formed by Jesus Christ And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thess. 2:13)

The Church created, called and formed by Jesus Christ For I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal 1:12) Faith comes by hearing, that is, hearing through the Word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17)

The Church created, called and formed by Jesus Christ, The Living Word of God They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42)

Who is Jesus Christ? The One Who Fulfills the Promise and Will of God to form a People For His Name

Jesus Christ Fulfills the Promise of a People But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jer. 31:33)   Simeon has related how God first looked favorably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14)

The One Name is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:19)

Who is the Son? The One who has his being in belonging to the Father and the Holy Spirit The one Who exists in eternal fellowship and communion with the Father and the Spirit.

Who is the Son? The One through Whom the Father Created humanity in his image To have their being by being and belonging in communion with God and with others.

Who is the Son? The One who has the power to make us into the glorified children of God, adopted members of his family.

Who is the Son? John 1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, Hebr. 2:10 It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

The Church The Image of the Trinity In Fellowship and Communion In Unity and Diversity Renewed in the image of the Son of God

The Church as the image of the Trinity So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. (Rom. 12:5)   For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. (1Cor. 12:12)

Being and Belonging to Jesus Christ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. (1Cor. 6:19, 20) Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (Phil 3:12)

Our Identity: Who We Are Who we are in relationship to Jesus Christ

The Problem of Identity Looking to Competing Sources to tell us Who we are

Sources of Identity Past History Achievements Trauma – past or present Teachers or coaches Disabilities/illnesses Job Roles Education Desires Income Gender Race, Ethnicity, Nationality Longings/Ideals Plans Personality Looks/Appearance Religious adherence Talents Recurring Sins Spiritual gifts Feelings/Moods Peer group Grades, sports

In the church we join with the Apostle Paul “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Cor. 5:16-17

-Two Ministries- Worship and Witness The Church’s Vocation -Two Ministries- Worship and Witness

-Two Vectors of Relationship Worship and Witness -Two Vectors of Relationship