Teens and Christ
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Lesson 3 of 4 · 8 min

The Church and the Sacraments

Why Christianity is not a solo project.

A people, not a building

The New Testament word for church, ekklesia, means an assembly. Christians are described as a body, a family, a temple and a people — images that assume belonging rather than attendance.

Local churches gather around the teaching of Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and the breaking of bread, and they exist for worship, formation and mission.

Baptism and communion

Baptism marks entry: dying and rising with Christ, publicly identified with him. Communion (the Lord's Supper, Eucharist) is the recurring meal that remembers his death, feeds faith and points forward to his return. Traditions differ on the details; nearly all agree these practices were given by Jesus and are meant to be shared.

Key passages

  • And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

    Acts 2:42

  • Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together.

    Hebrews 10:24-25

  • For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

    1 Corinthians 11:26

Reflect

What would it look like to move from attending a church to belonging to one?

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Next: Everyday Discipleship

Where this came from

We're not experts — these are the sources we used while researching this page. Read them yourself, keep digging, and hold us to them.

  1. [1]The Holy Bible — Blue Letter Bible interlinear and lexicons

    Primary source for every lesson; Strong's and BDB/Thayer entries for word studies.

  2. [2]The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (381) — full text and history, Britannica

    The doctrinal frame for the lessons on God, Christ and the Spirit.

  3. [3]N. T. Wright, lectures and articles archive (NTWrightPage)

    New Testament scholarship drawn on for the gospel, kingdom and resurrection lessons.

  4. [4]Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican) and the Westminster Confession of Faith

    Consulted side by side wherever a lesson describes how different traditions teach a doctrine.