JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q6. Loving the Church - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q6. (Ephesians 5:28-30) In what sense should we love the Church because it is our own body? Because we are part of it? What will that kind of love produce in our actions? Why do we need to repent of despising the Church and begin to love her aright? Exposition

To Nurture; with a Tender Heart... a whole lot of Respect and Love.

This made me think of the Word Preserve. I have never Depised the church since it is made up of All who Believe on the Name of Jesus. I have issues regarding those who Fail to Preserve the Body as the Word has spoken to preserve it... that I believe will be dealt with at the coming of Christ.

I like to think that One would put aside the Fleshly Differences and rely upon the Pureness of God and His Word to carry out His Will... so instead of arguing a point... I choose to rely on Him and His Word and that means to Love as He Chooses to Love... this is not always as easy as it is said. This is a daily maintenance of asking Him to show me how to love ... and when I had to stop doing something for someone that I thought was out of Love, He revealed to me I was actually hindering them. Understanding is something the whole body is need of today.

Actions really do speak louder than words... but the Word has to produce the fruit within us in order for our Actions to made manifest. Even as one who is Disorderly all the time: we should treat them as we would want or desire to be treated... we pray that in time one would also come to the Knowledge of Jesus and hope for that change to manifest in them.

We as members of the church are one in body with Jesus Christ. The church also is holy because of her union with Christ. We must love with the agape love of Jesus and when we do this we will walk, act, talk, as Jesus did. We cannot achieve this level of love on our own but must love through Jesus in order to love in this way. We must see people as Jesus did and love them as they are. Only than can we be His representatives on earth. If we see the church as Jesus does we will see her as a glorious church and act like she is.

We love the Church because it is our own body. Since it is our own body, we will love it for no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the Church. We love the Church because we are a part of it, too.

That kind of love will produce great transformations in our ways, renewed and enlightened mind or thinking, and breakthroughs in life.

We need to repent if we despised the Church but I must say that I always have a deep reverence to the Church which is the Body of Christ. I always look forward to see what God can do to His body in the power of the Holy Spirit through the submission and obedience of all the believers. I love the Church because this is where the family of God is, and she is the bride waiting for the return of her groom.

God bless you Pastor Ralph for all the things that you are doing for the brethren all over the world. My our richly supply all your needs and your ways in Jesus name!

We are one body and one spirit with Christ. The fact that the church is holy because she is united with Christ should shape our thinking in regards to our own congregations and the universal church. The church can't be satisfied with self-absorbed traditions that keeps the church of Jesus from becoming all that she can be. The church needs to become in fact and in deed the visible representation of Christ on earth.

Q6aThe sense in which we should love the Church because it is our body is by carefully protecting and cherishing it as Christ does. And we are one in Him

Q6bYes, becuse we are part of Christ's Body.

Q6cThis kind of love will produce a profound action by reshaping our thinking about our own congregations and the Church Universal and bring about the Unity God has ordained.

Q6dWe need to repent of despising the Church and begin to love her aright because we are Christ's -- His glorious Bride and we are visible representatives of Jesus Christ on earth.

The glory of the Lord needs to be manifested by the Church to the world. After all we were created for His Glory -- a Glory not to be hid but to be visible -- a light that shines upon a hill. What we do or do not do affects the Body because we are ONE.

Pastor Ralph thank you for this study.
I am going to write about a weekend missions trip to
NYC. You may think this is not about the body of Christ.
But I will try to tell you why I think it is all about the body.
We lead teams from our city to New York City, for a weekend
mission to the homeless. Friday night we are on the streets praying for
and ministering to the homeless people. Saturday we help a church or Para
church organization some where in the city . Saturday night is again on the streets. Sunday we attend a Church and return home.
I have meet homeless that when I ask if I could pray for them they say
let me first pray for you . They praise and thank God for sending us to minister to them.
One Saturday we were at a drug and alcohol treatment house. We did a service and bible study with this group of men. At one point in the service everyone in the room was standing with there arms raised praising God and the tears were running done everyone’s face.
Sunday at church the sanitary holds 4000 people and if you don’t get there 30 minutes before starting time you don’t get a seat. Most of the members are of different races, the melting pot of NYC.
Why is this about the body? Because every trip I go on I am so blessed by the believers I meet . They are serving God and they are so willing to reach out to strangers of a different race. The body is not just are little group that we meet with on Sunday. The body of Christ is all believers. I know we all say we are brother and sisters in Christ.
Is this just lip service?
Or do you ask it out in your daily walk. Have you hugged a homeless person and thank God for there service to the body. Have you ever had a Spanish-speaking grandmother say Santos Gloria because you gave her soup and bread for her family?
If we just stay in our little group we can become narrow minded and judgmental.
I suggest you visit other Churches worship with them. Help other Churches with there
Outreach or programs you will be blessed and you will be acting Christ like.
God bless you all
Ron

We should love the church for it is Christ body and it is our body we are the bride.
Despise which means to look down on in contempt-a lack of respect, to hate, see as worthless, to scorn. I do not despise the church, but I do feel I need to repent for I do not quite understand some things in the church and I pray that I will be enlightened.

[QUOTE]The body is not just are little group that we meet with on Sunday. The body of Christ is all believers. I know we all say we are brother and sisters in Christ.
Is this just lip service?
Or do you ask it out in your daily walk. Have you hugged a homeless person and thank God for there service to the body. Have you ever had a Spanish-speaking grandmother say Santos Gloria because you gave her soup and bread for her family?
If we just stay in our little group we can become narrow minded and judgmental.
I suggest you visit other Churches worship with them. Help other Churches with there
Outreach or programs you will be blessed and you will be acting Christ like.
God bless you all
Ron

THANKS RON

"Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the Church," a command given for a husbands towards their wives .Since we are the bride of Christ which is the Church then we must guard that bride which is the body of believers .In order to accomplish this, we must love each other as Christ loves us .We must be so unitied in love and faith,so bonded in love and faith that as one suffers the whole body suffers and if we all part take of that suffering ,then that love bond will see victory over any abstacles that befalls the body. The Church is the body of Christ and we must guard that body by our faith and love for one another ,and the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail.

(Ephesians 5:28-30) In what sense should we love the Church because it is our own body?

Our bodies need nourishment and we must cherish them .. We can use this same sense, for the church.

Because we are part of it?

We take care of our bodies because they are part of us .. We should see the church in the same way.

What will that kind of love produce in our actions?

It will produce a sense of moral responsibility where the church is concerned.

Why do we need to repent of despising the Church and begin to love her aright?

I do not think most despise the church, I know I do not. I do despise the false doctrines and the reputation the church has received in this day and age.

Dear Buffalo...

I like to read all of what others have posted... you may want to re-read what is in Pastor's Exposition... I also know that the Body is made up of ALL who Believe in Jesus... no matter where the meeting of Fellowship takes place.

Pastor's Exposition did not Limited the Body to be of One Group.

These questions are to Help us to Think and Help us to Discern and learn. What you have posted is Correct: regarding getting out there and being in fellowship without limiting yourself to One Group.

Love in Christ, Sunshine


(honestly, I have never met the Pastor... but the expo did not refer to limitations)

We should love the church as we love ourselves. We care for our bodies, we nourish them and give them the necessities of life. We do all we can to bring no harm to our bodies. In the same matter we should care for the church. We should anticipate it needS, doing our part to make it all it can be. We should see and love the church as Jesus does. WE ARE ONE!

In what sense should we love the Church because it is our own body?
When we understand this fact, we realise that it is our responsibility to feed and care for the Church as we do our own bodies. It is not someone else's responsibility - it is ours. We can no longer justify not becoming involved in some way.
What will that kind of love produce?
We cannot justify friction within our own community nor between our Church traditions, because if we hurt another part of the Body, we also harm ourselves.
Why do we need to repent of despising the Church and begin to love her aright?
We want what Christ, the Head, wants for his glorious, resplendent Church - perfection. We will achieve this by allowing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - in other words, the Spirit of Christ to live in us, work through us and touch everyone we come in contact with.

Thank you very much, Pastor Ralph for leading us through this study and thanks also to the others who have shared their insights with me. I have learned a lot.

We are "one body", with "many parts"; Once we come to realize this, it's not so hard to love...with Christ-like patience and actions. Like any other family, we'll find there are members we may not "click" with...Remember "Uncle Harry"? (we've all got one in the family!!) he drives everyone crazy at family reunions with his same old jokes, same old stories..same ole "same ole"....Guess what? He's still family, and I bet if someone outside the family talked about him, you wouldn't like it one bit! Well that's the way we are...family; We may disappoint each other at times, we may even "drive each other crazy on occasion, but we still love each other! The love Jesus has placed in each and every one of us, for His body (our "family") is eternal; Eternal...that's a loooong time, to know, that we will be together! On a personal note, let me say how much I have enjoyed this study, and the new friends, in Christ, I've made. I'm sorry to see it come to an end. May God Bless, and Keep You All!

Does anyone know when the next Bible study is?

Julie...I haven't received any word of a new study, yet...so I've decided to go back, to one earlier (I didn't get to do) So I already signed-up for the one on "Gideon"....If there is a new one, I'd like to know also!! anyone know?

We should love the church because it is our own body.We as the church are one body in Christ Jesus.We should realize the church is our own flesh and we become one.We are family! The mystery,a sacred secret revealed,is that Christian marriage parallels the union that exists spiritually between Christ and His Bride,"The Church". We are the Church.We should love the church just as Jesus Christ Loved us.He loved us so much he suffered and gave his life for us,So the Church can exist.It was only through his love and death the church was born.He bore all the sins of the world,cleansed us and gave us life.We can come into a new life.We can enter into a new birth"The Church"

We sould love the Church as our own body by taking care of the interests of the Church at heart. That kind of love will produce sacrificial and self-giving actions in our services to the Church. We need to repent because we have not pursued Christ's vision for the Church instead we have pursued our own small visions. In addition, we have not love with the same sacrificial and self-giving love that we ought to have.


Thanks Pastor Ralph for the Bible study which has openned my eyes to a number of things you raised. Thanks also for your encouragement to keep me going on with the study. Looking forward to the next one. Greetings to all the saints who love the Lord out of pure hearts.

We should love the Christ's Church because it is our own body. We will nurture all members as we would ourselves wish to be nurtured. We must be the best disciples for Christ we can be in order that all will believe. We are not to judge those around us and when we find ourselves doing so, we must pray for ourselves for forgiveness and act in positive ways, not condemning others. We are to be living examples of God's love. Love never fails. It is more effective than many words of rebuke or chastisement advice.

We will lay down our lives for each other as Christ did for us. We will help those who need us. We will love and nurture all those around us, ministering to each other as we can. We will work to keep a positive attitude, one filled with love, Christ's lovel

We need to repent of despising the church - both the church at large and our own individual church. If we cannot forgive our fellow Christians and love them as they are there is no hope. How can we even think of loving and forgiving others? We MUST love our church and work to bring it back to life in Jesus Christ.