The Church:
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
Church is called:
Christians: Acts 26:28 1 Peter 4:16 (only 3 ref.) Acts 11:26: "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."
1 Corinthians 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
Colossians 1:24 "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church."
Romans 8:14 "those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
Bride of Christ: Isaiah 62:5 Revelation 19:7
"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors" 2 Corinthians 5:20
"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints" 1 Corinthians 14:33, 69 ref. OT and NT
"God's household, which is the church of the living God" 1 Timothy 3:15
"to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven." Hebrews 12:23
" you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood" 1 Peter 2:5
"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?" 1 Corinthians 6:15
Sends Missionaries: Acts 15:3 The church sent them on their way. Acts 15:22
Church Names:
the church at Jerusalem, the church in Cenchrea, the church at Antioch, the church of God in Corinth, the church of God
"Greet also the church that meets at their house." Romans 16:5
The place of worship is not important now: John 4:20
Formal Ministry is activities organized by the local church body to reach out to others and to worship God.
Informal Ministry is the acts and deeds of individuals that happen naturally and spontaneously thru believers.