CHRISTIAN ESSENTIALS

THE CHURCH

A Guide to the People of God

BRAD EAST

The Church: A Guide to the People of God

Christian Essentials

Copyright 2024 Brad East

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

LexhamPress.com

You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are the author’s own translation or are from the Revised Standard Version (RSV), copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Supplemental prayer material (pages xv–xvii) is copyright 2024 Lexham Press.

Print ISBN 9781683597681

Digital ISBN 9781683597698

Library of Congress Control Number 2024930855

Lexham Editorial: Todd Hains, Claire Brubaker, Abigail Stocker, Adam Shaeffer

Cover Design: Lydia Dahl

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The English translation of Zechariah’s Song, or The Benedictus, on page xviii is from the International Consultation on English Texts (ICET), © 1998. Used by permission. www.englishtexts.org.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The image of Mary on page 151 is of a 13th-century icon of the Great Panagia (Our Lady of the Sign) from the Saviour Minster in Yaroslavl, Russia. Unknown author. Public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oranta.jpg.

CHRISTIAN ESSENTIALS

For my parents, Raymond and Georgine East,

who taught me to love the Church, blemishes and all,

and whose own love for the body of Christ

is surpassed only by their love for

Christ Himself

CONTENTS

Series Preface

Prayers of the People

I Mystery

II Mother

III Chosen

IV Bound

V Redeemed

VI Holy

VII Ruled

VIII Beloved

IX Incarnate

X Sent

XI Entrusted

XII Benediction

Acknowledgments

Works Cited

Author Index

Scripture Index

SERIES PREFACE

The Christian Essentials series passes down tradition that matters.

The church has often spoken paradoxically about growth in Christian faith: to grow means to stay at the beginning. The great Reformer Martin Luther exemplified this. “Although I’m indeed an old doctor,” he said, “I never move on from the childish doctrine of the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. I still daily learn and pray ...