Wrap Up Question

[Sawni]

Thank you very much for this study. Our church has been on a major learning curve for the last 10 years. As a result, we have had to learn many of these lessons the hard way--lost 70% of our members. Those of us who have stuck it out have learned that we really are part of one large body, and that we are unified in Christ. I am sorry to see that so many have had bad church experiences--keep looking, you will find a home. God is for us, so who can be against us?

[Sunshine Miller]

I actually enjoyed this Study and learned One very Important Rule:

To Love thy Neighbor as thyself... To Love the Body... all of us make up that Body. Cannot pick and choose the Family God gives to you and We are Family in the eyes of God... "I would not leave you orphans" He said.

To love one's enemy leaves me in a giggle. I realized just now that One's Enemy may just give His/Her life to Christ before their very breath leaves them. We may see many of what we believe to be of our Enemy in Heaven.

I know someone who once was saved, and later came to me and said they were an Athiest. Well, many yrs later they tell me they have asked God for Forgiveness... they never were an Athiest... they just did not care for Debates.

I have seen wicked people come to the Lord and have seen very vile people make peace with God and families. I know that the Power of God is the Ability to Bring Light into the very dark areas of people. We should love them anyway... for one never knows when His Almighty may Shed His Light upon them and they be Saved... standing right along side of us in Heaven.

Loved the Study... Love the Body... Love God... Love everyone's input. With Love in Christ, Sunshine

[chansm]

I understand from this study that I am to sit under the teachings of a pastor so that I may learn more about the kingdom of God, and what he wants me to do with my life. I know that He wants me to serve Him, but I need to open myself for guidance as too what He wants me to do for His kingdom.

I know that the Church is there to serve all human beings, and that all I need to do if I have a need, or know of another person who has a need, is to contact someone in authority within the Church body and they will try to see that the need is met. I also need to be open to assisting in this ministry in any manner God sees fit to use me.

[Anton Msinjili]

I must say that this study of the Vision of Christ and the Church has left me with a totally new image of God. That the power of God can be revealed in the Church globally, in the congregation as well as in the individual christian. To me now the image and the sense of God incarnate (Emmanual) is now clearer.. that God is with His people in the Church body.

With regard to individual lessons, I was left with a gapping hunger to hear more expositions on the topic of "Wifes obeying husbands".. I know Pastor Ralph touched on it in way that was clear that he was in no mood to offend any camp..!Perhaps that was the best way..since it lead me to read more on the topics and find out what other Bible commentaries say..

On the whole these studies are very helpful. We have our own "Church District" and these studies have now formed part of our topics for sharing.. They are wonderful.

[Emy Oliveros]

First, I would like to apologize for not actively participating in the forum but be assured that I did not take the lessons for granted. The reason why I joined in this study is to be enlightened more on my present understanding of the Church in which I am also one of the leaders. God knows how much I lack in this so now I wanted to learn more to be an effective leader knowing His will and plan for the Church and His perspective of every individual believer that belongs to His Body. And I thank you once again Pastor Ralph for the great effort you've given to us. May God's manifold blessings abound in you more!

And now, the convictions that God has formed in me through this "Vision for the Church" Bible study that will make a big difference on how I think about, value and act toward my own local congregation is that God has a plan and purpose for the Church and that He is going to fulfill this through His willing ministers, not of their own might nor power but only by the Spirit of God and with the cooperation of every individual believer being washed with water through the word. We are the Body of Christ with differences in nature and with different functions but we have to make an effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace except for those false teachers trying to tear down and distort the basics of our faith. We are all living stones built together to become the dwelling place of God by His Spirit - fulfilling God's program and not ours and so let us allow the presence of God be experienced in the Church.

The purpose of the ministry is to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. All of us are there for a divine purpose so let us be a part either to equip or to be equipped for His glory. And let us submit to one another out of reverence for Christ as the Head of the Body of believers.

Thank you once again and my gift of appreciation is on its way. God bless you.

[Julie]

That we are all one with Christ, that is how I now think differently about my own congregation, used to I thought that we all were believers and saved, which is true, but, it is deeper then that, we are the body of Christ, so we all need to act like it, everyone has a purpose for the church. Even me:)

We need to respect others believes even if they are differ than ours, if they are one with Christ, for if Our Father convicted you with something and me something differ who am I or you to judge.

Thank You Pastor Wilson for now I know that it is the congregation that needs to be built up brought to maturity not the building, Someone said that "we need to have everything match, or we would not feel right bringing others here" as if they were ashamed, (we have been blessed for the church is fairly new, and the old church is quite beautiful, we even have a building with gym and kitchen, and soon will have a building for the buses) they were talking about the roof matching and the outside exterior matching one has brich the other siding one has metal the other shingles, this is not what matters it is the inside that needs to be built up, that needs to be as one. That needs to be brought to maturity so we can get on with our own ministry.

I have signed onto places to work just due to the outside appearance but when I got inside I found the patience there were unhappy, neglected and even abused, it is the inside that counts not the outside.

[Penny]

This series of lessons came at a good time for me. Our church was on the verge of closing because the Salvation Army didn't have enough ministers in our division and since our church was one of the smallest they were considering closing it. Actually the decision had already been made and they changed their minds due to many prayers and letters being sent. But, I was very discouraged and was beginning to wonder why we even need the church. And then this Bible study started and everything Pastor Ralph taught us and what I read in the discussions confirmed my early belief that I can't be a "lone ranger" Christian. I need the church and the church needs me.

[Listener]

Evaluation Questions The most significant impact of this Vision of the Church Bible Study for me has been the comparison of the relationship of a husband and wife and Jesus and the Church. They became one gave a marvelous revelation to my thiking about my local Church and the Church Universal.

I thought negatively about the local church and its members, about denominations and their "hangups" and not realize I am also being negative about my own body since we are one in Christ. What effects any part of the body effects all.

I now see every one in the Body of Christ as a part of me, My attitudes should reflect the love I have for Christ. In addition to love, my thinking should be one of humility, patience and forbearance. Unity of the Body is now my focus! Christ is not divided!

After the study, I now view the local church, as well as the Universal Church, as God has ordained and prepared for it to be. And that is Oneness in Christ!

There is no respect of persons, denominations, traditional backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, etc. Jesus saves all who would accept Him.

Prayer, obedience and the Word of God should be my focus. Cooperation with the Holy Spirit should be my aim. After all, it is His job to convince not mine. He works where I can not reach. My responsibility is to be an example of the believer!

The Word which is the sword of the Spirit "is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the "breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit , and to joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature]. exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whiom we have to do."

(Hebrew 4:12,13)Amplified

God bless you Pastor Wilson. And God blessed all those who have had a part in this Study. May we be fruitful chilren of Light.

[MaDukes]

The study PROVES what God intended for His Church. How sad it must make Him to see how we tend to get away from His view because we take our eyes off Jesus. Let us all work hard within our own Churches to help them to see this vision and work together to make this vision a reality. May God Bless us all on this most important mission. Special thanks and blessings to Pastor Ralph for being such a faithful servant.

[sthrift]

To pray more

[Midnight]

Hi,

Firstly, many thanks to Dr Ralph and Joyful Heart Ministries for bringing this free Bible study to all around the world.

Ephesians has always had a strange hold on me... I've always been taught that we have to respect our elders. As time went on, learning to pray for those in position, not just in church, but in school and the country, made me realise all the more and showed me how much God can work through prayer.

We cannot truly pray for our leaders if we harbour any hatred or bear grudges of any kind against them. We MUST forgive others, and ourselves as well, so that this will allow this love of God to work through us and we will have that bond of love in the church and we will truly be a family of God where there is love, forgiveness, encouragement, all the fruit of the Spirit that God wants to bless us with.

The church is not a building, but it is the people (borrowed from many pastors & leaders). But oh, how true it is. Often, we think that we just go in and do God's work and that's that, but we get so caught up with doing what we think is God's work (serving in church, for example) that we really truly forget what it means to be a church...

A church that has a vision aligned to God's plan. A church that has support from its members. A church that gives love, joy, peace and hope to the community. A church that shows forgiveness. A church that can truly be called.....God's church.

How can a church align itself to God's plan? That we, individually, submit to God and to the leaders of the church, praying and trusting that God will lead them and that God will show us visions and dreams, thought the young and the old.

God uses the church to carry His great commission "Go and make disciples of all the world". In order to do that, we must live his greatest commandment "To love one another as I have loved you"...

God bless!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Divine power is not a ruling fist, but an open, bleeding hand"

-- Michael Lodahl --

[bjcollin]

What convictions has God formed in you through this "Vision for the Church" Bible Study that will make a difference on how you think about, value, and act toward your own local congregation? Towards the greater Church around the world?

I think that God has used this "Vision for the Church" Bible study to help teach me more about Himself and about true compassion for the church which is His bride. Personally I need to work on compassion toward others and to see the church as God sees the church. This study has also helped me to more fully understand my position in Christ and where we stand in the heavenlies with Him.

[Linda Stanley]

I have learned to that I am not in this alone.That I have brothers and sisters in the church striving all for the same things.We all have diffrent gifts some more powerful than others but I know God uses all of us from the least to the top.I know that I should not mask myself when I am out in the world,I should be open in what Jesus Christ has done for me and the church.Speak out and be bold.use what God has equipped me with to help the church grow.There is a lot I will be faced with and I have a choise, will I obey God,or will I walk with the world.We never know what we will be faced with,I do know that trusting in God and serving God is what it is all about.To me there is know life on this earth if you dont walk with Jesus ,take up your cross,trust in God with all your might believing God will guide and direct you in every thing He asks you to do.I give God all the praise and Honor in my life and over my life.Blessings Linda

[shawn746]

We as a body of Christ are to go out the door and win soul for Christ as our main job. We are to use the body to help/lift up one another. God is Love

Shawn

[Kristin]

Hi,

This has been a great study for me. I have studied Ephesians before but the church has never been a major focus. I learned more about what God's plan for the church was and what my role should be. Church has always been a place where I could go to meet God, worship, fellowship with other believers, and hear good sermons. But I know that God has a much bigger plan for the church. I didn't realize the extent of God's power in the church. He has equipped the church to go out and do the work he has called it to do; ministering to others and equipping believers to be God's witnesses are among the purposes of the church. I know that God is present in the church and that the church is called to be holy and united. Although most churches do not meet this standard, anything is possible through God!

-Kristin

[mindy]

I have become convinced that the church is truly the arms and legs that bear the heart of God in the world. Thank you Joyful Heart for being good bearers.

[Kent Taylor]

I feel that the convictions I had

prior to the course were

reinforced as I went through.

If we as Christians and as church

leaders and member (not just

vocational ministers) take

seriously the message of Jesus

and of this book then we can

do the work Christ has laid out

for us to do

Kent Taylor

[ddames]

Actually, I used some of the material provided when hosting my own small group Bible Study at my house. I really enjoy these studies and look forward to them with great zeal and energy.

This particular message helped to reinforce the message about God's grace, love and mercy. As a result, our small group, and even our Church overall, is a more loving and forgiving unit. We continue to learn over and over that it's not about how many ministries we can join, or how great we can dress up on Sunday morning, or how nice a car we drive to Church, etc. It's about glorifying and worshiping God. We are here for God's pleasure and need to be good disciples, givers, and evangelists every day. God is definitely alive and the Spirit is moving within our Church and many other Churches here in paradise. Lives are being saved and hearts are being healed...all by the blessing and joy manifested in Jesus.

Praise God!

Darrell in Honolulu

[TeresaMO]

About 8 or 9 years ago, I was blessed to be part of a small, dedicated discipleship group in my mid-size church. At the associate pastor's suggestion, we decided to put our collective hearts, minds and limited time into using the exegetical tools we had been learning about (concordances, lexicons, Biblical dictionaries, parallel Bibles, atlases, commentaries, etc.). The book of the Bible that we chose to explore was Ephesians. We learned to use those invaluable tools to glean as much as we were able. It was an effort of love, dedication and pursuit of God's Spirit and Truth. We didn't set a time-limit, and simply took it week-by-week. Some stayed until "completion"*, some came and went and came back again, some decided it wasn't for them at that time. We were at it over a year. Whew! And, you know, it didn't even seem like it. When we looked back to where we had been and how far we had come, it blew us away. None of us was the same. The power and love of the Holy Spirit had caused us to substantially grow in Christian maturity!

(*By "completion", I mean we had reached the end of the book during that study. As many of you surely know, we will never "know it all". There is always more, whether it is to grow, or to refresh and revive. We find that even as we go back to something we solidly took to heart and applied at a particular point in our growth in Christ, and even as the Holy Spirit has guided us into a particular understanding or action at a particular time in our lives, and even as we gain a deeper love of God and others, there is almost always more for us to glean as the Lord opens the "eyes of our hearts".

Regarding this study offered by Dr. Ralph, I just want to say how much I appreciate the effort, heart and dedication that has been put into this. Pastor Ralph has gleaned the "best of the best" for us out of this important writing of Paul's. I subscribed to this study as a refresher, and to gain discernment regarding Joyful Heart Ministries, since I didn't know how this ministry dealt with the Word of God. Although I've found myself not being able to spend the amount of time needed to complete the study, I must say that I endorse this wonderful ministry.

In the glorious and holy name of Jesus Christ, may God bless you and those you serve, Dr. Ralph!

A burned and healing servant of the Most High God.

[Buzzie]

What these lessons have taught me is that we need to stand together, as the Body of Christ. Our church has went thru several changes, this past year: Pastoral, Leadership, and the falling away of some folks. But God has always had that remnant of people. People that will remain and stand regardless what the enemy brings on. And he has been on the attack ever since. As long as we stand united and put on (physically) the Armor of God, we can withstand the attacks. If you take a close look at the Armor, the backside is exposed. That shows that God has not designed any kind of retreat. He didn't plan for His children to back down or retreat. We, the Church, are strong thru Christ. Please pray for our small Church in Indiana. God Bless!!

[hungry]

I hope I am doing this right, but I'm assuming this is to the end question of the Vision for the church study-----Everyone's "answer" is a combination of my thoguhts and feelings---we as the body of Christ are His hands,feet and eyes and mouths----we are to set an example and to bring people to Christ as believers. If we as the church don't do this, then who will? we are called upon to do so little for what He has done for us and what He has asked us to do. We must unite as a body and come together for the good of God, Heaven and to bring souls into the kingdom.....have I completely lost anyone by my ramblings? when I get started I just ramble and lose all thread of conversation.....sorry-----Kathy T

[linda bass]

Participating in the Vision for the Church study has made me realize how important it is for Christians to set aside differences of doctrines and denominations. Instead of splitting into divisions we need to be coming together and getting the gospel out to those nations that have yet to hear it.

This was my 3rd internet bible study and I have enyoyed it immersely. Can't wait for the next one.

Question ?

I was wondering-do you accept suggestions for possible bible study topics?

[linda biloni]

I haven't got to participate in this study due to having house guests. Reading the study, has made me aware of being the temple of God as a church. I have been convicted of not being more active within the community and my church. Also, I need to be enthusiastic about witnessing, not only to people within the community, but within my church.

Brother Ralph, thank you...I apoligize for not answering questions, and I appreciate the time you give to us.

God Bless You

[Tom Nabors]

I grew up in a Christian home and was taught that the Church was an institution necessary for me to be able to grow as a Christian. After leaving home as a young adult I strayed badly from my Christian upbringing inluding no longer attending Church. By the grace, ercy and unbelievable patience of God, I'm back and very involved in my Church.

There are still those I come into contact with who question the necessity of the Church. This study has provided a thorough set of arguments affirming God's calling for us to come together as one powerful body in submission to Jesus Christ. One of the key arguments is the Unity aspect whereby we must acknowledge that while no one person has all the gifts necessary to realize the full power of the Church, each person has gifts that can and must be selflessly given to the glory of God through the Church of Jesus Christ.

The "Misplaced Comma" section in The Ministry of The Church had a strong impression also. I feel I am not nearly active enough in this area. Lord help me from being a coward!

I thank God for you Dr. Wilson and for using you as His instrument to provide this study for us.

[sangra]

The verse which sums up best the conviction which God has shown me over the past five weeks is from Ephesians 5:21 - Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

From now on I will be aware that my thoughts about my fellow church members' 'shortcomings' (I mean from my point of view) must make no difference to my ministry for God. Previously, I would sometimes like to shake some of the people God has given me to work alongside, but now I see them differently and I will love them as I love my self, that is with much more compassion and grace.

My attitude towards the wider church has changed so that I have now come to realise that just as on a small scale a local community forms the Body of Christ, so on a world-wide scale does the Church universal. We all are still part of the One Body, with our different gifts. Our world could do a lot worse than to learn to value unity in diversity.