Introduction: Christ Announces His Assembly

Scripture uses the word “assembly” in more than one way. Sometimes it refers to the Church in its universal character, the whole company of those indwelt with the Spirit of God, and at other times it describes the local expression of that Church, such as the gathering we attend each week. We want to begin with the assembly in this broader sense. In this first lecture we begin by asking, “What is the Church?” to see what God has to say about the Church as presented in Scripture.

To introduce the subject, we begin in Matthew 16, where the Lord Jesus first announces His assembly. At Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples what men were saying about Him, and the answers varied: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. But when He asked, “Whom say ye that I am?” Peter gave that wonderful confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Lord declared him blessed, for such a revelation came not from human reasoning but from the Father in heaven. Then He added, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church,” introducing for the first time that divine structure founded on the Person of Christ as the Son of the living God, against which the gates of hell can never prevail (Matthew 16:18).

The Builder and Foundation

This is the first time in Scripture that the Lord speaks of “My assembly” (or “My church”). The Greek word is ‘ecclesia’, an assembly of those called out. Stephen called Israel “the assembly in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38). The ecclesia in the New Testament refers to a company of believers that have been called out of the World to be a people for the name of Christ. Christ introduces it in Matthew 16, expands it in Matthew 18, but the full truth awaited the finished work of the cross and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Only then could the Church come into existence. Let us notice four key statements:

1. “Upon this rock” — not Peter himself, but the truth he confessed: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The Church rests on the Person and glory of the Son, the One whom death could not hold.
2. “I will build” — Christ’s own sovereign work, not a human project or denominational structure.
Men may form societies; only Christ can build His Church.
3. “My assembly” — a calling-out of redeemed people, Jews and Gentiles alike, to form something entirely new that belongs exclusively to Him. The word is ‘ecclesia’, meaning “called out ones”.
4. “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” — Hades represents the power of death, Satan’s strongest weapon. Because the Church is founded on the Son of the living God, it is invincible and everlasting. Death itself cannot conquer what is built by the Living One.

The Love Christ Has for His Assembly

“Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it.” (Eph 5:25)
“…the church of God, which He purchased with the blood of His own.” (Acts 20:28)
The Church is not only founded by Christ; it is cherished by Him.
He loved it before it existed, gave Himself to redeem it, and now nourishes and cares for it until He presents it to Himself, “a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle.”
The Church is therefore not a mere organization under His authority, but a bride for His affection and a body united to Himself.
3. The Church’s Beginning and End
Its Beginning — Acts 2. The Church began when the Holy Spirit was sent down from heaven. Believers were baptized by one Spirit into one Body, united to Christ the risen Head. From that moment, God had a dwelling place on earth.
Its End — Ephesians 3:21. The Church will endure “unto all generations of the age of ages.” It will forever be the vessel through which glory is brought to Christ.
Formed by the Spirit, redeemed by His blood, and destined for eternal glory, the Church will remain forever distinct and beautiful — the vessel that reflects the honor of Christ.
4. The Divine Origin and Organization of the Church (Transition)
The Church is not organized by men but built by Christ, purchased by His blood, and united by the Holy Spirit.
The mind that conceived it was God’s, not man’s.
Therefore the doctrine and practice of the Church must come from Him and His Word — especially through the servant He raised up to make its truth known: Paul, the chosen vessel to reveal the mystery.
Transition to Section 2 — Paul’s Doctrine of the Church:
Having seen the Church’s divine origin and the promise of Christ who builds it, we now turn to the apostle to whom its doctrine was revealed — Paul — to learn what God’s eternal purpose is concerning Christ and His Church.
Section 2 — Paul’s Doctrine of the Church
(Ephesians 1:10-11; Ephesians 3:3-6; Acts 9; Romans 16:25-26; Colossians 1:23-28; 2 Peter 3:15-16)
1. God’s Eternal Purpose Revealed (Eph 1:10-11)
Paul unfolds the great eternal purpose of God:
1. To head up all things in heaven and on earth in Christ in the fulness of times; and
2. To give Him a companion — the Church — who shares His inheritance and reigns with Him as co-heir.
The Church is not an afterthought or a parenthesis in God’s plan; it is central to His purpose in Christ.
From eternity God intended that His Son should not remain alone, but have a Bride suited to Himself, sharing His life, glory, and dominion.
2. The Revealed Mystery and Its Hiddenness (Eph 3:3-6; 2:14-16)
A “mystery” in Scripture means a truth once hidden in God but now revealed to His saints.
• The Hiddenness of the Mystery
Prophecy had spoken of Gentile blessing and Israel’s restoration (Zech 2:11; Isa 11:10; Ps 72:11; Ezek 37; Rom 11), yet those prophecies referred to earthly blessing under Messiah’s reign. They never revealed the Church.
In prophecy, Gentiles are blessed through Israel; but in the mystery, believers from Jews and Gentiles are blessed equally and together, formed into one new thing—the Church of God (1 Cor 10:32).
God is now calling out some from among the Gentiles (Acts 15:14) and some from among the Jews (Acts 26:17) to form this new creation.
Four passages affirm that the mystery was completely hidden until revealed to Paul: Rom 16:25; 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 3:9; Col 1:26.
• The Substance of the Mystery
The Church is “one new man”—neither Jew nor Gentile, but of twain one—reconciled to God in one Body by the Cross (Eph 2:14-16).
It is a living organism, united to its risen Head in heaven by the Holy Spirit; a company entirely outside all earthly distinctions, formed for Christ’s glory.
3. Paul — The Chosen Vessel to Reveal the Mystery (Acts 9:4-5, 15; 22:14-15; 26:16-18)
When the Lord met Saul on the road to Damascus, He said, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” In those words lay the root of Paul’s entire doctrine — that Christ and His saints are one. To touch believers on earth was to touch Christ in heaven.
From that encounter Paul was marked out as a chosen vessel to carry the Lord’s Name before the Gentiles and to unfold truths hidden from ages past.
He became the Apostle to the Gentiles (Rom 11:13; Gal 2:7-8), entrusted with the full revelation of “My gospel” and “The mystery”.
4. Paul’s Gospel and the Mystery (Rom 16:25-26; Eph 3:8-9; Col 1:23-28)
Paul’s teaching is twofold yet inseparable:
1. “My Gospel” — concerns the believer’s individual standing: redeemed, justified, accepted in the Beloved, and united to Christ.
2. “The Mystery” — concerns the collective truth of the Church: one Body in union with its Head through the indwelling Spirit.
First the soul must be established individually in grace; then it can apprehend the collective counsels of God. Yet both belong together in the full revelation of Christianity.
The Value and Cost of the Mystery
Col 2:3 declares that in Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Understanding the mystery unlocks those treasures.
Peter acknowledged its depth in 2 Pet 3:15-16, referring to “the wisdom given unto Paul” and admitting that his writings contain “some things hard to be understood.” This is the truth for which Paul suffered and labored, striving to make all men see “what is the fellowship of the mystery.” (Eph 3:9)
To grasp Paul’s doctrine is to see Christianity in its full height — Christ in glory, believers united to Him, and the Church as His Body and Bride.
5. The Four Revelations Entrusted to Paul
In brief, Paul was given four distinct revelations that together summarize the Church’s calling, character, and hope:
1. The Body of Christ — its Head in heaven and formation by the Spirit (Eph 3:3, 5-7).
2. The Lord’s Supper — the expression of unity on earth (1 Cor 10:16-17; 11:23).
3. The First Resurrection — the hope of those who sleep in Christ (1 Cor 15).
4. The Rapture — the catching up of living and raised saints to meet the Lord (1 Thess 4:13-18).
These four revelations span the Church’s existence, expression, hope, and destiny — from its formation on earth to its translation into glory.
Transition to Section 3 — The Body of Christ:
Having traced the divine revelation of the Church through Paul, we now look at its first great figure — the Body of Christ — to see its unity, diversity, and living connection with its Head in heaven.

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