Jesus Built One Church – Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22-23
Universal Church & Local Church
- Universal church – all the saved (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 5:23)
- Local church – Christians (members of the universal church) coming together in local groups (Hebrews 10:25)
Some Degree of Uniformity among Local Churches – 2 Timothy 1:13; 1 Corinthians 4:17
What to Look for in a Local Church
- Proper name – Romans 16:16 (cf. Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:23)
- Proper worship – John 4:24
- Proper message – 1 Timothy 3:15
- Proper work – 1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 4:11-16; Acts 4:32-35
- Proper organization – Acts 14:23; 1 Peter 5:2; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-13
