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So far in this series we have considered the church as the Body of  Christ, His fullness (Eph. 1:22-23), which is composed of us, the believers in Christ, as His many members (Rom. 12:4-5), who have been born anew with the divine life to become the genuine children of God.

All of these matters are in the spiritual realm, and are somewhat mysterious. But, based upon these spiritual realities, we must go on to enter into the practical experience here on the earth of the genuine New Testament church fellowship. So, in this episode we consider the church as God’s family (Eph. 2:19) and the fellowship of God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Cor. 1:9)

Note: To download the pamphlet we are using as the basis for this study, you can go to this page: “What Is God’s Purpose for the Church?” To view the pamphlet online, go to the “Look Inside” page.

Length: 57 minutes

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RESOURCES

Pamphlet: “What Is God’s Purpose for the Church?”

Previous Episode in this Series:
#129: “The Church (1): The Fullness of Christ.”
#130: “The Church (2): The Body of Christ & His Many Members”

Video: “How I Became a Christian.”
Video: “How I Found the New Testament Fellowship.”

Books

J.N. Darby: “The Nature and Unity of the Church”
Witness Lee, The Life and Way for the Practice of the Church Life
Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Church Life
E.H. Broadbent, The Pilgrim Church

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BIBLE VERSES REFERENCED
IN THIS EPISODE

Ephesians 1:22-23: The Body, the fullness of Christ.
Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13: The many members of Christ.
John 1:12-13, 3:3-8, 2 Peter 1:4: Born anew with the divine life and nature.
Ephesians 2:19, 1 Corinthians 1:9: God’s family and the fellowship of God’s Son.
Revelation 1:10-13: The golden lampstands.
Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:17-21: The apostle’s two prayers.
Ephesians 1:5: Not adopted, but placed as sons.
1 John 1:1-3: Called into the fellowship of life.
Romans 8:9-10: Without the Spirit, we do not belong to Christ.
Matthew 7:13-14: The narrow gate and narrow way.
Romans 14:1, 15:7: Receiving the believers.
Psalm 1331-3: The commanded blessing of life on the saints in the genuine New Testament fellowship.

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Recorded…
in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, 10 April 2025