Or we could say, that the information on this web page is what the Bible has to say about the Church. Man has added perspective but what man says may interfere with God’s truth. One can never go wrong by simply building on what the Scriptures has to say about a subject. Let’s not let this escape us!

Does the church look like this?

Or this?

What is the Emergent Church.

Doug and Jeanne Crabb own and maintain this web site. You R welcome. Feel at home here and browse.

The Supreme Head and Lord of the Church is Christ. Jesus Christ was the first to mention the church and did so in Matthew 16:18. Jesus illustrated the beginning of the Church when He said that He would build it and hell could not deter the process. Each of the twelve disciples were to know and understand this. Peter was not assigned a position of supreme authority by Christ. Paul deals with Peters poor leadership in Galatians chapter 2. In Matthew 16 there are two Greek words for stone that used in the dialogue between Peter and Christ. Peter is petros (little stone) in s verse 18. Jesus meant that each disciple was a little stone. Jesus said that He would build His church on Petra a large stone, (Himself) a stone like bedrock which is by illustration is a good foundation for a very large building. When Jesus spoke about this it was a significant event in the region of Caesarea Philippi which was about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee at the base of Mt. Hermon. Jesus would often escape with His disciples and would communicate to them the important things for His mission on earth. The church still future then is one of the great features of Christ’s work still going on in the world today.

The Corner Stone: In Ephesians 2:19-22 we see a further monumental statement by the Holy Spirit (recorded by the apostle Paul) regarding this foundation, It would have Christ as the Corner Stone (bedrock as mentioned above) the next layer on top of that foundation would be the immediate building blocks, the apostles and prophets. This church has a given name in verse 19, “God’s household” and in verse 21, “a holy temple” (there are other given names in the New Testament for Christ’s church). This church would be “a dwelling of God in the Spirit, vs. 22.” Christ does not dwell in brick and mortar buildings He dwells in the lives of those who are redeemed, Galatians 2:20. This is one verse of many.

The Foundation: There are a lot of things to think about in these scriptures but the most significant to understand is that Christ is the cornerstone and head of the church. If we can keep this in mind it gives a clean fresh approach to what the church is about of whom every true Christian is a part. Membership to this church is by divine selection.

Christians or true disciples evangelize to inform people about God’s forgiveness and new life. The Father transfers qualified sinners out of the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of His Son. This is clearly spoken to in the NAS and NKJ Bible in Colossians 1:12-14.

At the top of the Evangelism page there is an information PDF file that can be opened about how to get into God’s Kingdom. Read it carefully. Please ask a question if you desire.

Run the Race!

E-SWORD is a Bible Study tool. Free download

Escape For your Life!

Most Bible references on this web site are from the NAS Bible

The Church Leadership: The New Testament only speaks of three categories of believers in the church. They are saints, deacons and elders. Paul writes to churches with these believers in them noted in Phil. 1:1. In the following sections information on these three categories of believers will be expanded.

Saints are not necessarily only associated with the football team in New Orleans. Hageeos (an English spelling of a Greek word) means one who is morally blameless (because he is forgiven). A consecrated individual or one who is set apart from the sinful world system includes all people in every church from the point of salvation. After redemption the individual belongs to the Lord. Because of the two previously mentioned personal matters of the individual defining the saint, God has declared the redeemed individual holy. This is a position because of imputed righteousness, a righteousness from Christ. This is the reason for the new believer to live differently than before. He will live a quiet, godly and righteous life. This saint naturally progresses in his spiritual life and walk with the Lord in future years. As this person becomes mature in the Lord, the Holy Spirit will lead and guide the individual and burden the heart to become involved for Christ as a servant of the Lord. Now because the saint has been faithful and has grown he or she may begin to function as a deacon or an elder if the person desires this work (being led of the Holy Spirit) and meets the qualification for it as laid out in the Bible.

Deacons: A church in a community can become a complex place for God’s people to gather and carry out biblical designed function. Thus someone must come forward as called of the Lord and take on necessary responsibility. Deacons are servants regarding the physical needs of the church. Read Acts 6 and discover the reason for choosing the first deacons and the nature of their high qualification laid out in that chapter. Other lists of qualifications are found in 1 Timothy and Titus. They must be able to fulfill the rigors of the service of God in and among God’s people on a physical level. In Acts 6 you may note one chosen was Stephen. In Acts 7 you see the powerful sermon Stephen preached, great conviction fell on everyone there. So a deacon is a real man of God.

Elders are the spiritual backbone of the church. In the qualifications for elders given in the New Testament he must have a godly character and have specialized spiritual gift to function as a spokesman in and among the saints. The term “elder” has more to do with the character of the spiritual leader while the term “overseer” has more to do with the work that he does among God’s people. The saints are to submit to the elders as they manage and take responsibility in leading the flock of believers. Take time to find the qualifications for elder/overseer person in I Timothy and Titus.

No person ever perfectly qualifies for these high calling of God positions in the church. In humility and grace they move forward to manage together the house of God. Note that in every case there was always more than one elder. The group working together with the Holy Spirit and God’s Word in heart and hand provides strength and wisdom that one person has inability to accomplish.

The Technical Gifts of the Church: In Ephesians 4 there are, can we say, technical gifts given to the church. These will be evident in mature men of God to be His specialized people to lead the assembly of the saints. Saints must be equipped to do the work of the Lord. Elder and deacon prospects must be discipled and trained to carry the work of God into t he next generation.

Any material may be used on this site. Please do not alter it and then claim that it came from Doug Crabb or the Big Escape web site.