A church, chapel, or just church, is basically a building, typically a church building, used regularly for Christian religious services and other Christian events. The word is also used to describe the broader community of Christians that share the faith. It can be used to describe a particular area in which Christians gather for church activities, social gatherings, and more. It can be used in any community or neighborhood where people of like belief gather.
Every church must have a meeting place or church hall. This is usually the main room where all church events take place. This area should have comfortable seating as well as plenty of windows so that the congregation can enjoy the outdoors while listening to the inspirational words of the biblical scriptures. People of all ages and walks of life attend church because they are attracted by the biblical truths shared within the church. Those who attend do not only understand the biblical teachings but are able to apply those principles in their lives.
In Acts of Apostles, Paul and Silas were martyred on the Damascus road. Here they made an appeal to fellow Christians to join them in their cause against the pagans. They had left Jerusalem to go to persecute the people of God in the city, which included the leaders of the local churches. They knew that God was fighting against local churches because pagans had taken control of most of the city. The two missionaries remained in prison for several months while the fight progressed. When they were freed, they brought great news to the community of Jerusalem that the elders had chosen them to be bishops in the new church that was to be built in their hometown.
The Bishops were appointed by the Holy Spirit to preside over the church in Jerusalem. Bishops would have a written constitution that was later referred to as the infallible rule of the church. The infallible rule outlined the qualifications required for a Bishop including tithes, baptism, and the office of teaching. All church leaders were required by the church to uphold this rule. However, it is important to note that the infallible rule of the church applies to all followers of Jesus regardless of denomination.
A new testament also known as the everlasting gospel, outlines the teachings of Jesus to believers. This includes the message of salvation through grace through faith. Believers are taught that Jesus gave them the gift of eternal life through His death on the cross. Sincere followers of Jesus must accept Christ and live by his teachings, if they want to be saved from eternal punishment such as hell.
The church must follow both the teachings of the Old Testament and the teachings of the New Testament. The church fathers wrote books that outline the Christian beliefs and practices. They wrote commentaries that uphold certain church beliefs. Many times these churches were tolerated by earlier generations of Christians before modern times when the church was officially established. When the church became very powerful, it had almost religious significance which was tolerated by previous generations of Christians until modern times when this sense of church/state separation became more evident.
The teachings of the bible are not only limited to local church but extend to national church as well. The church fathers established the idea that there can be no universal church because there is only one Testament for everyone. Each person in the world is given their own Bible, which is unique to them. The church also teaches that salvation is by grace through the grace of Christ and not through the works of men.
In order to be a member of the church, a person must believe that he is saved by grace through the grace of Christ. Every believer is saved by grace through their own personal Saviour. Every church member is therefore born a Christian and is anointed with the Holy Spirit, who is the life and light of the believer. The Bible is the divine Word of God and all scripture is God’s word written for the church. Every Christian should be interested in learning more about the biblical church and how they can participate in services.