Over the last several months our church leadership has been working its way toward presenting a “Mission and Focus” document to the church for approval next Spring.  What I have realized in this process is how many real issues there are in understanding what the Bible says about the church.  Really, the New Testament from Acts-Revelation is fundamentally concerned with the life of local churches.  What truths are here?  Where do we see clear principles for our own application to today’s church?  Where are the lines drawn between sin and liberty?  Is there one way to do church, or are there many ways?  In this series, I am going to carefully work through the New Testament from Acts through Revelation with a particular view toward what the New Testament tells us about the church.  In particular, I will be focusing on a few foundational issues.  First, what is the purpose of the church?  Second, what is life in the church supposed to look like?  What are the marks of the early church in its life together and should these marks also be true of the contemporary church?  What is the structure for leadership in the New Testament church?  What are the roles of men and women in the church?  How did the early church worship?  Sometimes, the conclusions I will draw will come from positive examples.  Sometimes, conclusions will come from rebuke (when Paul rebukes a church, the focus will be on what Paul is urging the church toward rather than what the church is failing to do).  My text in this study will be the Bible.  I have been through six years of theological study and have read many books on church life but have never had a course specifically and only about the church.  Life as a Pastor has driven me to the Word.  I am committed to seek to be biblically-faithful in my life and ministry.  If this is to happen in relation to the church, I must study these things thoroughly and carefully.  I don’t want to fall into the ditch of legalism by making normative that which the Bible does not make normative and I do not want to fall into the ditch of license by disregarding what the Bible makes normative.  I am sharing all this with you for two purposes.  First, I hope to show how you can approach problems or questions in your life by going to the Scriptures before going to Google or to the Christian bookstore.  Other resources are not wrong and I am sure at points in this study I will need them.  But more than anything I need to study the Scriptures and be guided by what the Bible says rather than something I have imposed on the Bible from outside sources or some bias I am bringing to the table because of my background.  Second, I hope this series will help you think about the church more clearly and biblically.  My goal is to work through the New Testament as it relates to the church and then at the end to take a few articles to systematize the things I’ve found with regard to the issues I mentioned above.  I expect new issues or points of emphasis may arise from this study.  I will be thankful if that is the case, because I want to know more of Christ and His plan for the church.  Feel free to comment if you are following along.