5.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• The church is the family of God.
  - Once we were far away from God, but in Jesus Christ, God has adopted us as his children.
• The church is the army of God.
  - In this world, we are in a war against Satan and his powers.
• The church is the light for the world.
  - The world is a dark place.
  - God made us to be different from the world.

5.2 Ephesians 2:13, 18–19←⤒🔗

^2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

…

^2:18 so that through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

^2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,

© NET Bible

5.3 Ephesians 6:10–20←⤒🔗

^6:10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.

^6:11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

^6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

^6:13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.

^6:14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,

^6:15 by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace,

^6:16 and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

^6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

^6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

^6:19 Pray for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak – that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel,

^6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.

© NET Bible

5.4 Matthew 5:14–16←⤒🔗

^5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.

^5:15 People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

^5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

© NET Bible

5.5 Introduction←⤒🔗

Maybe you have already done the Bible Study “What is a Christian?” Then you know that:

• A Christian is a child of God.
• A Christian is a soldier.
• A Christian is a light.

In this lesson, we will look at all three of these truths together. This time we are going to focus on the church, not only on a Christian’s own life.

In Lesson 4, we saw that the church is the body of Christ. Because of that, the church is also the family of God, the army of God, and the light of the world.

5.6 The Church is God’s family←⤒🔗

Once we were far away from God (Ephesians 2:13). It is our sin that separated us from God. God is holy and he cannot have sin near to him.

But Jesus Christ died to take our sins away. Through him, God adopted us as his children. He gave us his Spirit. Now we have full access to God (Ephesians 2:18).

Think of a child who is loved by her father. She can go to her father any time. She does not need to be afraid. She knows that her father will listen to her. Her father will do what is best for her. Even if she does something wrong, her father will forgive her. We have such a Father in heaven.

The church is the “household” of God (Ephesians 2:19). We are all part of one family. That is why we call each other “brother” and “sister.” God is our Father and Jesus Christ is our Elder Brother (Lesson 3). We are not strangers or orphans anymore. We belong to God’s household, to God’s family – forever!

5.7 The Church is God’s army←⤒🔗

The church is in a war. Our passage from Ephesians explains what this war is. It is not a war against people, but against Satan and his powers (Ephesians 6:11–12).

Satan hates the church. He is always attacking it with his lies and his temptations.

When you become part of the church, Satan will also attack you in your personal life. That is why the book of Ephesians gives many nstructions for your personal life: your marriage, your relationship with your parents and children, and your work (Ephesians 5-6). 

In this war, the church must “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). In Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit, God gives us everything we need for the war. We have God’s full armour (Ephesians 6:11). We have the truth, we have salvation, we have the gospel, we have faith, we have the Word of God. We also have the right to pray. If God’s church holds on to these things, then it will be strong. Then Satan can do nothing to harm it.

5.8 The Church is God’s light for the world←⤒🔗

In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the light of the world.” This sounds very strange, if you know the disciples. Think of Peter, who made so many mistakes. Think of John and James, the brothers who tried to be the most important.

The disciples were sinful people. But Jesus said that they are the light of the world!

On that day, Jesus was not speaking only to his twelve disciples. He was speaking to all his followers who were sitting around him (Matthew 5:1–2). His words are meant for his whole church. We, his church, are the light of the world!

When do you need a lamp or a fire? You need it at night time, when it is dark around you. Why does God make his church a light? It is because the world around us is dark. People in the world do not know God and they do not know that God’s judgement is coming. They live in darkness without knowing it. Satan is blinding them.

Jesus Christ came to be the light for the world. Now that he is in heaven, his church is the light for the world. We should not become dark like the world. Then we will be like a light that is put under a cover (Matthew 5:15). To let our light shine, we must be different from the world.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Jesus teaches us how we must be different from the world. For example, we must not love money, we must love our enemies, and we must listen to everything that Jesus says.

As believers, we belong to God. That makes us different from the world. The world does not know God and will not make life easy for his children. But we are not alone in the fight. God gave us to each other, to love and help and pray for each other. Together, as a church, we are his family, his army, and his light for the world.