JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q4. Foundation of the Church (2:20-21) - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q4. (Ephesians 2:20-21) How do "the apostles and prophets" contribute to your life today? To the life of your congregation? In what way should Jesus Christ serve as a cornerstone to your congregation? In what sense does a congregation "grow" (KJV, NRSV) or "rise" (NIV) into a holy temple in the Lord? In what way does growth occur to bring this about? Exposition

I am a member of a very small but growing church and our lives are closely entwined. When one hurts we all hurt, when one rejoices all of us rejoice. we hold each other up as we share in the joys and problems in each other's lives.

Jesus serves as the cornerstone as he is the foundation who provided for us all that is needed for our present existance and our future home in Heaven.

We as a body grow to become the temple we are to be by staying in and studying the Word, being servants always willing to do what is needed, being submissive to all authority God has placed over us and listening to his voice whether in the form of the Word or through those who are over us in God's service.

As we study the word (the bible) the examples of the apostles and prophets lives and teachings are great instruction and inspiration to us today. This is to be the foundationof our congregation.

The cornerstone holds the walls together on a building. Christ as the cornerstone of the congregation hold the believers together.

Growth is growing in Christ. After we are saved we are not to just sit at the foot of the cross and thank Christ for saving us. We are to get going on the road to maturing in Christ, or growing more Christ like. Every day we are to ask Christ how we need to change to be more like him. As the individual people grow, the congregation grows.

Have a great day in the Lord
Ron

The apostles and prophets contribute everyday to my life with the scriptures, and to my extended family the same way the scriptures, they are the foundation.
Jesus is who the foundation is based on, so in the congregation Jesus should be the one we follow the one we act like, the one we trust, for we are created in Jesus.
We are united as one in the Body of Christ so growth comes by every one of us in the church, joining together under one head, growing in Christ, building each other up and giving praise and glory to the Lord.

The Apostles, Prophets, and all those gone before us, led the way and laid the landmarks for us to follow.."Remove not, the ancient landmark, which the father's (of faith!) have set" Proverbs 22:28. They are an example to us, through their lives, and there faith in God's promise's. I guess this is why Hebrews 11, is one of my favorite chapters...."Gods hall of Faith". These all, having received the promise"afar off" believed God, and in some case's suffered for it. "These all died in faith, not having received the promise, but having seen them, afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" Heb. 11:13 They are our examples, put down in God's word, as such. Jesus is our chief cornerstone, unto to which everything is dependent...Without Him the "spiritual building" (us!) would not be able to stand "But Christ, as a son over His own house; whose house are we,......" Heb. 3:6a As we learn and mature, in Him,.....learn to depend on Him, our spiritual house is "buildt". If we build on any other foundation, except Jesus, the house will fall, in times of trial and storm.

Through regular reading and meditation on the scriptures I (and my congregation) get to hear the Word of God proclaimed and discussed. This Word was given to the apostles and prophets to pass on to us. Scripture must be read and understood with the heart, not just the head, and both my private prayer/meditation time and especially together with others do I get to receive this "heart" understanding.

All things must point to Jesus. He is the Cosmic Christ, the One who has come to redeem us ALL (Jew and Gentile -- as Paul makes clear, there is no distinction before God).

We all grow in our interaction with each other, our learning and encouragement, and of course our practice of loving living. In our congregations we learn how to do this so that we can go out into the world and be the Church and Jesus' representatives. John 13:20 "I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." (NIV)

The fantastic thing about the apostles and the prophets is that they were/are all regular folks. They didn't know they were going to be remembered on earth, although they probably expected to be remembered in heaven. Most of them didn't even want the job of changing the world. God made them great and will do the same for us.
Church growth seems to have a rather interesting recipe. You take a leader who is made a leader by grace. Add a congregation that is held together by love. Move the whole thing by the power of the Holy Spirit and suddenly folks come from all over to share in feasting on Christ.

(Ephesians 2:20-21) How do "the apostles and prophets" contribute to your life today? To the life of your congregation?

They help me to understand where I failed to understand. They reveal God in ways, I had not seen Him. They do the same for the congregation.

In what way should Jesus Christ serve as a cornerstone to your congregation?

Cornerstone being the belief in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. No other religion, except Christianity, builds their church on this belief.

In what sense does a congregation "grow" (KJV, NRSV) or "rise" (NIV) into a holy temple in the Lord? In what way does growth occur to bring this about?


Coming together and worshipping God as one. Teaching one another with the gifts of the Spirit. Everyone has a job and their job or calling, serves to strengthen and extend the body of Christ.

In what way does growth occur to bring this about?

It occurs when we fellowship. The body of Christ becomes one. What I cannot do by myself, I can do through and alongside of others. God deserves to be worshipped and praised with a loud and mighty voice. I cannot do this alone.

The builder of a structure must first build on a firm and solid foundation before starting on the building The apostles and prohets of old started with the foundation and have left behind that blue print which is the scriptures .

Jesus is the greater part of that foundation because He is the one ho called them and commissioned them to continue building on that foundation .

We as the body of Christ must continue with that great commission joined together to form a firm and solid building .

That's a lot of questions....a lot of thinking required. The apostles[ new testament] and prophets[ old testament] contribute to our lives today by their ministry and example. Their teachings are founded upon the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ. The church is not a physical building but a ever growing organism made of lively stones[1Peter2:5] As we give our lives to the authority of Christ, we meld into one body having one goal and purpose....the glory of Jesus Christ. Our will is lost in this process and we take on a new character...no longer of the flesh but of the Spirit.

The teachings of the old testament prophets and the new testament apostles provide a firm foundation in scripture.
Jesus serves as the cornerstone of the foundation. It is He who holds the church together.

The scriptures, hich I love to read, are full of words, actions and experiences of the apostles and prophets. What was true for them is true for me today. They inspire me to keep going when life gets tough and impress me with their faithfulness.
The church family to which I belong would not exist were it not for the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets. It is amazing to remember that the church has existed in an unbroken chain from their day to mine, spreading out and putting down roots 'to the ends of the earth' even to where I live in Australia.
The congregation rises up to become a holy temple in the Lord through the constant worshipping and serving of God faithfully week by week and by inviting more and more people to belong to the family of God.
The Holy Spirit's work is to make God's faithful people holy and sanctified, set apart from the standards and culture of the secular community.

These people or teachers of the old and new covenants of prophets teach us and promise that we can have a full life of love as Jesus as our foundation and that he is our redeemer and gives us full salvation and they are still teaching us today. Our bodies are the Lords Temple and we should be teaching others about Jesus love and that He is always with them(Us). When we bring other people to the Lord we are helping the church grow.

By reading the words of the prophets in the old testament we learn Gods laws as He gave them to HIs people. They work for us today if we just follow them and listen as the Holy Spirit guides.
The apostles teach us Jesus words and the ultimate gift of salvation through which we are saved by grace. We cannot earn our place in God's household. He freely gives it to us if we believe in Him. Again - the Holy Spirit is here to guide us.

Jesus Chirst is the way - the only way - to His truth and His light. No man comes to the Father but by Him. If a church isn't based on this - if the people do not listen to God, by way of the Holy Spirit, they are not being part of His church. Jesus must be the cornerstone!

A congregation must be open to the Holy Spirit. He is alive and well. He makes His presence know. It shows! We can feel His presence! Without the Holy Spirit a church will not become the temple of God. The pieces will not be joined together as one. The people must be willing to e formed and fitted together in unity with the Spirit. When this occurs, Christ's Church grows. The church is a living body. It must grow or become stagnet and eventually die. "Bless be the tie that binds (Jesus) our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds (believing in Jesus) is like to That above.

The apostles and prophets contribute greatly to our lives today. They have left us with treasures that will enrich our lives if we are obedient to the WORD.

Jesus serve as the cornerstone to my congregation because he is the head. Jesus is still teaching us and has commission us to teach the gospel.

We are united join together for the glorification of God and not ourselves. We are the Holy Temple where God dwell. For growth to occur we have to be an active part of the temple and what God is doing in His congregation. We are the temple (congregation) for God to dwell in.

The apostles contribute to our lifes today because of their faithfulness to the gospel of Christ we today are the benfeciarys of their wisdom and expierences and most important we are the beneficarys of the holy scriptures of the New Convenant.
They were willing vessels that God used to bring forth his message.
To the life of our congregation they have left us with instructions on how we should act towards each other and how to live Godly lifes.
Jesus is what keeps us all together no matter where we come from race ,nation, status , Jesus is what binds us together. That tie who binds us is our Lord and Savior. He is our glue without him there would not be any church.
The congregation grows by prayer studying the scriptures, being submissive to God and the leaders that he has placed above us. Being sensitive to the Holy spirt and allowing the Holy spirt to lead us in everything we do. Having one focus and that is doing the will of God.

Pastor Ralph, on May 5 2003, 05:19 PM, said:

The apostles and the prophets contribute to my life today through the written word in the Bible. They serve as examples of how a relationship with God through Christ Jesus works. Christ is the cornerstone of all Christian church congregrations in that we as followers of Him have the Holy Spirit inside of us building His church. We grow or rise in to a holy temple in the Lord as we each deepen our relationship with the Lord in our Christian walk and also as we see our lost family members getting saved and entering the Kingdom of God along with us.

It established my faith more in the Holy Scriptures. The prophets' teaching were fulfilled in the New Testamemt. So God is faithful and what he has spoken will come to past! And we know that Jesus is coming back again for his church!

The apostles were taught and trained by Jesus. This combination is awesome!

The life of the congregation should be one of extreme faith! Looking to Jesus the author and finisher. We now can live victoriously becuase of the Holy Spirit.

All that is done and taught in the local congregation needs to be in line with the foundation which Jesus has laid! This really should bring unity to the body.

A congregation grows when it allows Christ to be formed in them! We are the temple of God, a place of habitation for the Spirit of God.

Growth occurs when we are obedient! We become doers and not hearers only. Paul said on one occasion, he that is a babe is unskilled in the word of God.

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. By this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again. You need milk, not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrew 5:11-14

We should desire the sincere milk of the gospel that we may grow thereby (I-Peter 2:2) KJV

I tried to post once: I made an error, but only the error appology showed up.
Let us try again. How do "the apostles and prophets" contribute to your life today?
congregation? In what way should Jesus Christ serve as a cornerstone to your congregation?
In what sense does a congregation "grow" (KJV, NRSV) or "rise" (NIV) into a holy temple in the Lord? In what way does growth occur to bring this about?

Through the inspiring of the Word spoken to the Apostles and Prophets, by the Spirit of the Lord they were led in the writings of the Word. The Word was just as Active in their lives as it should be in Our Lives today. Their life experiences... trials, fires, hardships, storms; circumstances show me the Truth of Flesh, and The Truth of Spirit. How wonderful to know they were and are still today just as Ordinary as I am. Head knowledge of the word will not reflect Renewal of the mind if the word is not active in Heart... not just knowing the Word, but Living the Word... for the Word is Life. If we as believers are One in Him, and are actively seeking in His understanding then we as One in Him will conduct in the same manner.

The HOLY TEMPLE would be Us. Each one of us serve as a Temple for Christ's Dwelling. The Lord is Pure; without sin and Holy. We are only Holy through becoming as He is... Characteristics of God; Likeness of God. While each one of us are Sinners... we are washed by the Blood through Repentence; of a contrite heart. Afterward a person has the responsibility (once committed) to a daily maintenance of Discipline. The only way we are to become in His Likeness (characteristics) would to be to submit to the ONE who says it so simply "perfect that which is in you". We already have His Likeness... the Characteristics of God. He PERFECTS those characteristics which are already there in you. Trials will mold Character unto His Likeness.
Now, by each believer being the Temple... and each of us make up the Body of Christ... therefore He should be the Cornerstone/Rock/Foundation to which we; the body would build upon. He being the Head... Ruler over the Body... abiding in Him and He in us. The Body then will rise to His Likeness... a Holy people.


May the Lord bring continual knowledge, understanding and wisdom to every reader... and may our Trials bring us closer to God. Love in Him, Sunshine.

(Life Application Study Bible)~~EPH.2:20~~The Church is not built on modern ideas,but rather on the spiritual heritage given to us by the early Apostles and Prophets of the Christian Church.
NKLV.~~Yet Christ Himself is the rock foundation on which the whole Church rests.Jesus is the cornerstone,and we as builders of the Church will line up the rest of the structure to the chief cornerstone.I believe this explains to me how we grow or rise into a holy temple in the Lord.
"The chosen stone which is Jesus Christ,and His chosen people joined together.How awesome just to know we are the church and "ONE" foundation,standing together "THE CONGREGATION"AMEN