C.A.C Sunday School Manual For June 13 and 20, 2021, Lesson Eleven : Topic - Administration of the early Church
C.A.C Sunday School Manual For June 13 and 20, 2021, Lesson Eleven : Topic - Administration of the early Church
Read previous CAC Sunday School Manuals here
CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH WORLDWIDE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
THEME: GOD IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF MAN (II)
(KINGDOM OF GOD FAMILY)
Unit: Three
In Jesus and The Church
Date: June 13 & 20, 2021
Lesson: ELEVEN
TOPIC : ADMINISTRATION OF THE EARLY CHURCH
Memory Scripture
Praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved
(Acts 2:47).
God has never at a time left His Church without relevant gifts and leaders, right from the take off the Church for its smooth running. May such not be lacking in our churches. Amen.
BRIEF COMMENT
The first Church that was officially launched in fulfillment of Christ's declaration in Matt. 16 experienced some unimaginable boom, physically, spiritually and otherwise. The leadership of God through Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, and Holy Spirit, the Seal of the Church, is evident as the HolyGhost-birthed institution shows signs of wellness and growth (Eph. 1:13,14). What are some of these signs? According to our Memory Scripture, firstly, the Church was together praising God, secondly, having favour with all the people, and thirdly, the Lord added to the Church daily. A healthy and growing Church under the leadership of the Holy Spirit cannot but have robust worship life ...praising God. Secondly, such a Church will maintain a healthy and mutual relationship within its fold, and with the people outside, to whom she evangelists: ...having favour with people. This will always have cumulative effects on the growth of the Church, numerically. Thirdly, all things being equal, the good image of the Church plus the will of Christ to grow His Church will lead to boom: ...the Lord added to the Church daily...
IS this the situation in your local church? cannot be better than the level of control and leadership she enjoys from the Lord. Therefore, to have a similar or better experience than the first Church, the Church today must cooperate with God as He leads His Church through the Holy Ghost, via human leaders appointed by Him. Your Church will never experience stunted growth any longer, in Jesus' name.
Devotional Bible Readings For Week One
Mon. 7: God Takes Jesus Away (Acts 1:9-11)
Tue. 8: God Will Send His Promised Spirit (Luke 24:49)
Wed. 9: God Sends Pentecost Power Eventually (Acts 2:1-4)
Thur. 10: God Launches The Church (Acts 2:14-16)
Fri. 11: God Makes Converts Through Peter (Acts 2:37-42)
Sat. Great Multitude Added To The Church (Acts 2:43-47).
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
1. God launched the Church and continues monitoring and administering its overall growth, development and uniqueness.
2. God ensures that the Church, grows to the full stature of Jesus Christ, because He owns and launched it, and ultimately, the Church shall be presented to Him without any blemish. Endeavour to be a member of this ecclesiastical body!
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Matthew 16:13-19
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
AIM: To reveal God as the Sole Owner and Administrator of the Church, the body of Christ, through the Holy Spirit via human heads.
OBJECTIVES: At the end of this two-weeks lesson, readers should:
i. be able to show God as the power and authority behind the evolvement and continuous existence of the Church;
ii. better appreciate God's reign in the Church through her accredited Head, Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit;
iii. be able to identify the various under-leaders of the Church appointed by God to be His accredited representatives; and
iv. be able to defend that the gifts and offices in the Church are purposely meant to grow the Church and lead her to fulfilling God's purpose, not for frivolities or personal gain.
INTRODUCTION
TEXTUAL SOURCE: ACTS 2-6; ROMANS 12:3-8; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-31; EPHESIANS 1:18-22; 2:11-18; 4:1-16
We are forever grateful to God for all His goodness and mercy to us in sending His timely and down-to-heart messages to us through the instrumentality of His Word in the Sunday school. We have successfully considered ten lessons in this series. This one is the eleventh. Previously, we considered: GOD IN THE POLITICS OF THE FIRST CENTURY, Where we saw God as He worked through the Roman Government to fast-track the fulfillment of the Scripture pertaining to the life, ministry and crucifixion of the Messiah, and the growth of the early Church.
This week, we go straight to the administration of the early Church. The Topic highlights God in the administration of the early Church; how Christ is the Head of the Church where Jews and Gentiles are brought together as members of His body. Also, in the second part, discussed are the facts that God gives the Church gifts and offices, and how He works through church leaders. These two sub-headings come under CHRIST'S SPIRIT APPOINTS UNDER-LEADERS.
May the Holy Spirit assists us to cooperate with the loving and merciful God who launched the Church as the body of Christ and considered us worthy to be members of that glorious ecclesiastical body, in Jesus' name. Amen.
INTRODUCTION TO EACH DIVISION
This is a two-week lesson, which is divided into two (I and II), with each division further divided into A and B, respectively.
DIVISION I: CHRIST THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH
Two crucial issues would be particularly discussed in this section. The first is Jews and Gentiles United in Christ, and the Second is Jesus Christ Reigns in the Church. The first one refers to the leadership of God through Jesus Christ, who synchronised the two bodies that were initially far apart, through His death and resurrection. He formed the two into one holy body of His as He destroyed whatever had been barricading the two. Having done this, God, through Jesus begins to reign supreme in the church, the body of Christ and Christ being the Head.
DIVISION II: CHRIST'S SPIRIT APPOINTS UNDER-LERDERS
This second section deals particularly with the appointment of human heads to run the affairs of the Church, by God. God would not come down in person to administer and manage the Church. It is obvious He would employ human representatives to do the task. This would be considered under two separate sub-headings: Give the Church Gifts and Offices, and Works through Church leaders.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. CHRIST: THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH
A. JEWS AND GENTILES UNITED IN CHRIST
B. JESUS CHRIST REIGNS IN THE CHURCH
II. CHRIST'S SPIRIT APOOINTS UNDER-LEADERS
A. GIVES THE CHURCH GIFTS AND OFFICES
B. WORKS THROUGH CHURCH LEADERS
LESSON EXPOSITION
I. CHRIST: THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH(Ephesians 1:18-22; 2:11-18)
The head is so significant in the body. A headless body cannot be easily identified, if identified at all. Christ, as the head of the Church, is the life of the Church, and gives the Church identity. He connects the Church to her Owner and Sponsor, God, and ensures proper leadership that leads to growth and development as can be witnessed.
A. JEWS AND GENTILES UNITED IN CHRIST (2:11-18)
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity..., so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace (vv. 14, 15).
i. The early Church was launched by God on the day of Pentecost in fulfilment of the prophecy of Jesus (Matt. 16:18; Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:4) and according to His eternal purpose.
ii. The Church. God's arrangement and integral part of His eternal programme, is God's representative here on earth, playing the roles that the Hebrew nation once played (Isa. 42:1ff). God expects the Church to really be there for Him.
iii. vv. 11-13: God brought both the Jews and Gentiles together under one umbrella --- the Church. How did this happen? In Christ Jesus, the enmity, wall of partition is destroyed, and through His blood, He broker an everlasting peace.
iv. vv. 14-18: God, being God of peace, and Jesus, His Son, the Prince of Peace, brings the Gentiles who were once strangers to the commonwealth of Israel and of God, near, and reconciled both the Jews and Gentiles to Him to form a new body --- the new creation (2 Cor. 5:17-20).
v. No one could have imagined that these two different (once parallel) people groups could be managed together to become one united people (the Church). Only God, the Superintendent of heaven and earth could have done that.
vi. The Almighty God had done everything possible to make the Church what He wants it to be, and relentlessly, He continues to work for the good, growth and eventual greatness (exaltation) of the Church. Ensure you are part and parcel of this God-favoured body (Eph. 5:25-27).
B. JESUS REIGNS IN THE CHURCH (1:18-22)
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Eph. 1:22,23).
i. God ordained Jesus to be the Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22; Phil. 2:9; Heb. 1:5-14) and the Chief Cornerstone, so that His eternal purpose would be fulfilled (Eph. 5:23).
ii. Eph. 1:18-22: Paul caught the revelation of the mighty power of God in Jesus, through His resurrection and exaltation, and wanted all believers to have a similar understanding that God raised Jesus and placed all things under Him, including all angels (Heb. 1:1-14).
iii. vv. 20,21: God lifted His obedient Son (Phil. 2:8) far above all principality, and power... (v. 21), God having seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places (v.20).
iv. v. 22: And gave Him to be head over all things to the church... This speaks of the authority, control, influence and lordship that God the Father has given Jesus Christ, not just as the head of the Church but more than that, head over all things to the church.
v. ... all things... here includes thrones, power, named and unnamed things, both in heaven and on earth, principalities, including devil and his hosts, etc.
vi. Phil. 2:9: confirms the divine well-deserved, exaltation (glorification) of Jesus Christ. God the Father, the Administrator of all things, including the redemption of man, has highly (indescribably) exalted Him above ALL, having brought all things under His feet. Are you in good terms with Him?
vii. God, the Owner of all things, including the Church, decided to make Jesus the head of all things, Church inclusive, to show forth His power, authority and glory that surpasses all things. A true member of God's Church recognises the headship and Lordship of Jesus Christ, nothing else!
LESSON DERIVED
1. God in Christ unprecedentedly united the Jews and the Gentiles and formed a new ecclesiastic body --- the church, according to His eternal plan.
2. God highly exalted His obedient Son, Jesus Christ, by putting all things, without exemption, under Him. As a believer, you share in His authority.
WORK TO DO
Discuss the administration of the Church by God with respect to the finished work of Christ on the cross. Any lesson for us today?
SUGGESTED ANSWER TO WORK TO DO
God owns the Church and officially birthed it on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. But prior to the experience at Pentecost, Jesus had declared that He would build His Church. The Church that would be built on Christ, the Rock, would not come into existence until Christ had gone to the Cross and eventually ascended to God (Matt. 16:16-19; Acts 2:1-4).
He sent the Holy Spirit to birth, monitor and administer the Church, which is His body (John 16:5-11).
The death of Jesus united the once parallel Jews and Gentiles, and so formed one formidable body, the Church, through the unification (Eph. 2:14-18).
As a result of Christ's submission, He was highly exalted and made the Head of all things, Church inclusive (Eph. 1:22; Phil. 2:9-11).
C.A.C Sunday School Manual For June 13 and 20, 2021, Lesson Eleven : Topic - Administration of the early Church
Reviewed by Muyiwa Abodunrin (Muyilight)
on
June 13, 2021
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Reviewed by Muyiwa Abodunrin (Muyilight)
on
June 13, 2021
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