Tuesday Bible Study || 19.05.2026 || The Doctrine Of The Church by Apostle Michael Orokpo: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Why We Must Study the Church

Assumption is the lowest level of knowledge. Anything built on assumption will fail the moment it is challenged. Many believers are excited about things they cannot prove and that cannot impact their everyday lives — and yet they are hopeful about eternity when they cannot demonstrate the veracity of spiritual realities in time. That is not God's plan. God is not afraid to prove the veracity of what he affirms — and it should be provable to the point that it impacts existential, everyday life.

This is why a teaching series on the church — what theologians call ecclesiology — is essential. Most people have been in church, were born in church, have engaged church all their lives, and yet do not know what the church is.

Ten Reasons to Study the Church

1. The Church Is Central in God's Eternal Purpose

   Ephesians 3:10-11 — God wants to use the church as the theater for showcasing his wisdom, his power, his glory, and his purpose before every created being including principalities and powers. Without understanding the church, one cannot understand God's eternal purpose — and cannot reflect his power and grace.

2. Christ Died for the Church

   Ephesians 5:25 — Jesus did not simply die to save individuals. He died so that the church could be born. When he died, the price for sin was paid — the devil could no longer claim believers. When he was buried, they were separated from the world. When he rose, he gave eternal life. When he ascended, he took authority. The moment these four things were achieved, the church was born. If Christ had not ascended, the church would be without authority. If he had not risen, the church would be dead. If he had not been buried, the church would be mingled with the world. If he had not died, the church would be a puppet of the devil.

3. Our Identity Is Hinged in the Church

   Outside the church, there is no identity. The church is the body of Christ — one cannot claim to be part of Christ apart from the church. 1 Corinthians 12:27 — you are the body of Christ and members in particular. Ephesians 2:19 — no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. Without the church, one is a stranger.

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4. Purpose and Functionality Are Defined Within and From the Church

   Outside the church there is no purpose in God — no functionality. Ephesians 4:11-12 — he gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry. All purpose is within the church. Coming to church only to get a miracle or a breakthrough misses this. There is a function. There is a purpose. The church gives a platform to express it.

5. The Church Is the Only Place to Find Truth

   1 Timothy 3:15 calls the church the pillar and ground of truth. Fact fluctuates based on factors — environment can change fact, situations can alter fact. But truth is constant in every environment and under every situation. The world is confused, moved by trends, manipulated by fallen spirits. Only in the church can one find truth that will not change even when the world comes to an end. It is only in the church one can be told that sin leads to hell, that without Jesus there is no life, that savings exist beyond the bank, that this body when removed leaves another life — because there is bios, psyche, and zoe. Universities do not know that. Psychology does not know that. Only the church knows.

6. God's Power and Glory Are Expressed In and Through the Church

   There is no other institution under heaven with the authority to express God's power and glory. When one becomes part of the church, they are apportioned without measure the power and glory of God — to freely express by faith. Ephesians 3:20-21 — unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us; unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus through all ages, world without end.

7. The Church Is God's Family and Kingdom Community on Earth

   Ephesians 3:14-15 — of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. Hebrews 12:22-23 — you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn written in heaven. As part of the church, one has relatives from Zion — connected to the company of God the judge of all, to the spirit of just men made perfect. Moses and Elijah appeared to encourage Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. That kind of connection is available through the church. When in the worst moment of life, angelic beings can show up — because one is in their company. God sits not only as Father but as judge of all — and whoever touches a member of the church, Jesus himself takes it personally, as he did with Saul on the road to Damascus.

8. All Ministry Only Makes Sense in Alignment with the Church

   Ephesians 4:11-12 — every five-fold minister must be in alignment with the church for ministry to be accurate. Every believer must be discipled accurately by the church. If one is discipled wrongly, ministry will be wrong. There is no way to get it right otherwise.

9. Error in the Church Results in Error in Life

   The church is where ideology is formed — about God, about life, about meaning both in time and in eternity. If the nature of the church is unknown, anything that comes in is adopted and accepted. The church is becoming like the world today because many don't know what it is. Worship has become a gig. Modesty has been swallowed by elegance. When the identity of the church is understood, foreign things are identified immediately. Jude 1:3-4 — contend earnestly for the faith, for certain men have crept in unawares, ungodly men turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. There is a sanctity to the church, and if violated, judgment follows. A vision can never be immortalized unless it is institutionalized.

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Apostle Michael Orokpo
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10. Eternity Has No Meaning Outside the Church

    Revelation 19:7 — let us rejoice for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife has made herself ready. The civilization of eternity is actually the church. Its destination is the church — the church is God's final program. The Spirit and the bride say come. If the church is unknown, one does not know where they are going.

The Origin of the Church

The church is not man's idea or invention. The church is God's idea, God's strategy, and God's program. Idea — because God birthed it. Strategy — because it is God's system of invading the earth through heaven. Program — because it is God's structure of propagating his agenda on the face of the earth.

Matthew 16:18 — and I say unto thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Three cardinal markers of the origin of the church:

• It is built on Christ — not on a man, a gift, or an idea. If the emphasis is not Jesus, something is already wrong.
• There is organic spirit life — flesh and blood has not revealed this. If everything is about human strategy, human ideology, human intelligence — something is wrong. When in the church, one must touch the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost must begin to influence life.
• It must constantly advance God's kingdom and disarm the powers of the enemy — the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. If the devil cannot be stopped, something is wrong.

Christ-centered, spirit-powered, mission-oriented — this is the origin and character of the true church.

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The Identity of the Church

The word church comes from two Greek words: ek (out of) and kaleo (to call). The church is the called-out ones. But there is another Greek root: kyakon — belonging to the Lord. So the church is not merely called out — it is called out to belong to the Lord. When one becomes part of the church, the world can no longer be home.

The church is not the building. The building is a product of the civilization of the age. The church meets in a building, but the church is not the building. The church can meet anywhere. The building has a lifespan; the church is eternal.

The Church as a Living Organism

The first category of the called-out people is as a living organism — a living entity. 1 Corinthians 12:27 — you are the body of Christ and members in particular.

As a living organism, the church operates in four dimensions:

• His Body — Ephesians 1:22-23. His life flows into us. What is in him flows into us. This is why the declaration stands that believers cannot be sick — because it is the life that powers him that powers the church.
• His Bride — Ephesians 5:25. There is a love relationship between the church and Jesus. The church submits to him as a wife to a husband. If a person still has to be begged and pampered to submit to Jesus, they do not know they are the bride. The proof of the bride is submission to him.
• His Temple — 1 Corinthians 6:17-20. He dwells in the church. The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost — which is in you, which you have of God — and you are not your own. You are bought with a price. Glorify God in your body. The body is not one's own to do with as desired — it is his house, and must be kept sanctified.
• His Household — Ephesians 2:19. The church is one family with God, interconnected. The person sitting nearby cannot be an enemy — it would be like striking one's own hand. Biological relationships survive on blood — but church relationships are in the spirit and are beyond time. Even in heaven, the connection remains.

The Church as an Institution

As an institution, the emphasis shifts from life to order — governance, structure, and doctrine. Because believers are corporately united, there must be an orderly way of engagement, a structured way of interaction, a well-defined belief system. The church is also a called-out people that forms God's institution on the earth.

1 Timothy 3:15 — that you may know how to behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth. There is an orderly way to behave. A vision can never be immortalized unless it is institutionalized. Order is what enables the glory of God to rest — when everything was set in order in the tabernacle, and as the priests began to worship, the glory descended. The full weight of God cannot be found until the church matures as an institution.

The Church as a Universal Body

The church is also a universal body — the global invisible spiritual union of all believers across all times: past, present, and future. Hebrews 12:22-23 — the general assembly and church of the firstborn written in heaven. Those who were members of the church when it started are still part of the universal body. Those who will be members when Jesus comes are still part. In Russia, in Ukraine, in Iran, in Nigeria — spiritually they are all one family. The church in Russia is one with the church in Ukraine even though governments are at war. Jesus himself said it — when Paul was persecuting the church in Damascus, Jesus appeared and said: why do you persecute me? There was no distinction between the church in the wilderness, the New Testament church, the church in Jerusalem. Universally, one family.

The Leadership Structure of the Church

There are three layers of authority in the church:

• The Head — Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:18 — he is the head of the body, the church, the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have preeminence. Jesus is the universal head and absolute authority of the church. He expresses his headship through the Word and the Spirit. This is why every church uses scripture as authority. The apostles, knowing the church would become fragmented, left established truth in what is called the apostles' creed — the things most surely believed: one God in three persons, Jesus as the only begotten Son, conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of a virgin, lived sinlessly, died for sin, was buried, rose on the third day, ascended and enthroned, released his Spirit to birth the church.
• The Five-fold Offices — Ephesians 4:11. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These are the overseers Jesus himself ordained for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the body. Without these offices, there is no perfecting of the saints and no edifying of the body. Ephesians 2:20 — built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus being the cornerstone.
• Ordained Ministers — deacons, elders, and other subordinate ministers. Acts 6:1-3 — the twelve called the multitude and said it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables; look out seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. Titus 1:5 — ordain elders in every city. 1 Timothy 3:1-2 — if any man desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good work; a bishop must be blameless. These subordinate ministers bring order, governance, and discipleship on behalf of the five-fold.

Submit to the ordained overseers; they submit to the five-fold; the five-fold submits to Jesus through the Word and the Spirit. Hebrews 13:17 — obey them that have rule over you and submit yourself to them, for they watch over your soul. When believers begin to operate this way, they know the church.