1. Jesus’ final words upon earth were some commands that we are to obey. Some of those words are in Matthew 28:18-20, and verse 19 says we are to go and __________ all nations.

He then goes on to tell us to baptize those people. As we

have seen from our previous study on baptism, a person

2. Mark 16:15 says we are to go into all the world and preach the ____________ to every creature.

3. According to Matthew 22:36-39, the greatest commandment is to love God. Next to that, we are to love our ________________ as ourselves.

4. Luke 13:3 says, “except ye ____________, ye shall all likewise perish.”

- What is the duty of the local church?

1. Matthew 28:19 says that after we teach them (how to be saved, and then they respond), then we are to ______________ them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

2. Acts 2:41 says that they that gladly received the word (trusted Christ as Savior), were then ________________.

Note: The previous course on baptism shows that the first command after we are saved is to be baptized. It also shows that only ordained pastors and deacons are to do the baptizing. So a clear duty of the local church is to see that these new converts are baptized.

- What is the duty of the local church?

1. In Matthew 28:20, the third and final command of Jesus is that we, “teach them to observe ______ things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

a person after he has trusted Jesus as Savior, and has

been baptized. There is much more to learn about

Note: Romans 12:1,2 points out the importance of finding, “what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, ________ of God.” (The “will of God” is what God wants to accomplish through your life, and also what will make you the most fulfilled in life.)

3. Ephesians 4:11-16 shows the purpose of the spiritual gifts of church leaders: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the __________________ of the Son of God.” (vs.13)

Note: After we teach a person how to have eternal life, we need to then teach him how to live a life here that will please God.

- What is the purpose of the local church?

1. Acts 1:8 says we are to be witnesses, “both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the __________.”

2. According to Matthew 28:19, we are to go and teach all ______________.

3. In Mark 16:15, the Bible says, “Go ye into all the __________, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

the world! But how can one person do it all alone?

4. According to Luke 10:1, Jesus appointed ______________ men to go before Him, by two’s, into every place where He would come.

5. Luke 10:2 says that we are to pray to the Lord that He would send forth __________________ into His harvest.

6. In Mark 5:1-19, we find a demon-possessed man meeting up with Jesus. The man gets saved, and then asks Jesus if he could go with Him (that would be missionary work). But Jesus said in verse 19, “Go ________ to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee.”

7. Acts 11:22 says that the ____________ which was in Jerusalem sent forth Barnabas (as a missionary) to go as far as Antioch.

8. According to Acts 13:1-3, the church at Antioch was told to “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the ________ whereunto I have called them.”

9. The work God called them to is described in verse 5: “And when they were at Salamis, they ________________ the word of God.”

go preach the gospel, and God has called men to do that.

The church then recognizes God’s call upon their lives,

10. According to Philippians 4:15, no ____________ communicated with Paul on his missionary journey concerning giving and receiving except the Philippian church.

11. Verse 16 of that same chapter shows that they sent money “once and __________” to meet Paul’s need.

12. Verse 17 shows that this is one way that “fruit may abound to your ______________” (in heaven).

13. Verse 19 says that when we support missionaries, God then promises that He will “supply all your ________ according to His riches.”

Note: The Bible example is to support missionaries through your local church. It will bring about God’s blessing in this life to meet your needs, and it will also lay up rewards for you in heaven. (See also Matthew 6:19-21).

 

- What is the duty of the local church?

1. According to I Corinthians 11:23,24, the bread symbolizes Jesus’ body, “which is ____________ for you.”

broken body for us. Today, companies are preparing little

square or round crackers that are a convenient size to use

for the Lord’s Supper without having the mess of breaking them.

This is one time when convenience encourages

Note: An unbroken cracker does not picture the Lord’s broken body for us any more than sprinkling pictures the “death, burial, and resurrection” that baptism is to picture.

This is but another example of how deceitful sin is (remember Hebrews 3:13?). The devil wants us to forget how the Lord was beaten and broken for us.

2. Matthew 26:27 then shows that Jesus “took the ______, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it.”

3. Verse 29 of that same chapter says that the juice in the cup was from the “fruit of the ________” (it was grape juice).

but simply made grape juice. In John 2:10, if the words “well drunk” meant that the

crowd was “intoxicated with alcohol,” and if Jesus made more alcoholic wine for them,

then what you would have is Jesus helping a bunch of drunken people get more drunk!

That would sure seem like a strange thing for Jesus to do when I Corinthians 6:10 says

that a drunkard shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If Jesus would have made

Such a thing would have made Jesus a sinner, and unable to be the Savior. But that was not the case, because Luke 19:10 says that Jesus came to seek and ________ that which was lost.

Jesus never made or drank alcoholic wine — and neither should you (please see Bible Course #109 for further discussion on this).

4. I Corinthians 11:33 says, “when ye come ________________ to eat (the Lord’s Supper), tarry (wait) one for another.”

The dying person does not need a symbol of Jesus’ blood (which the cup represents) he needs the real thing! And he can have Jesus’ blood applied to his soul by simply calling upon the Lord to save him (Romans 10:13).

The worst thing that a backslidden person could do would be to take the Lord’s Supper. For this very reason, I Corinthians 11:30 says that many are “weak and ____________ among you.”

Second, this shows us that all of the congregation is to be served before anyone eats of the elements, or drinks of them: “tarry (wait) one for another,” I Corinthians 11:33 says.

    a. This means that the congregation is NOT to walk up in front of the church one by one to partake of communion.

    b. This means that everyone is to wait to eat the bread or drink the cup until everyone has received theirs also. Then, everyone is to eat or drink at the same time (usually when the pastor or deacon in charge makes a motion to do so).

- What is the duty of the local church?

1. Matthew 22:36-38 says that the greatest commandment is to “________ the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

2. Part of the early church gatherings included “praising ______,”

according to Acts 2:47.

REVIEW:

1. One duty of the local church is to tell others how to be __________.

2. After they are saved, it is our duty to teach them that they should be ________________.

3. After we teach a person how to have eternal life, we then need to teach him how to live a life that will ____________ God.

4. Another duty of the local church is to send out and ______________ missionaries.

5. Giving to missions will never bring you peace if God has called you to ____.

6. Broken bread is to be used in observing the Lord’s Supper, because it is to picture Jesus’ broken ________.

7. __________ juice is to be used in the cup when observing the Lord’s Supper.

8. The greatest commandment (and thus the greatest duty of the local church) is to “________ the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”