{
 "id": "basics-canon-church-local",
 "question": "What is the biblical definition of a local church and its role in spiritual growth?",
 "answer": "The local church is the geographic assembly of saints, where believers gather for the purposes laid out in passages such as Hebrews 10:25; 13:7–17; and Ephesians 4:11–16. It serves as a base from which believers are sent out to carry truth into Satan's world and to which they return to recover from the wounds of battle. The local church is the training ground for spiritual advance, service, and the application of God's Word, without which no believer can achieve designed spiritual greatness. Every believer is baptized by the Holy Spirit into union with Christ at salvation, making them part of the Body of Christ regardless of local attendance. The Church's two-fold mission is evangelism and edification, accomplished through unique spiritual gifts given to every believer. Spiritual growth cannot happen apart from the local church, where gifted teachers equip the saints for the work of service, setting believers in order according to their need so each one finds and functions in his spiritual gift. As all the gifts function, the believers edify and strengthen one another, and the whole body is built up so it can do what the Church is meant to do—evangelize and tell the world about Jesus Christ.",
 "url": "/faq/what-is-the-biblical-definition-of-a-local-church/",
 "unit": 5,
 "lesson": "5-canon",
 "lesson_title": null,
 "question_type": "canonical",
 "tier": 1,
 "faq_class": "doctrine-canonical",
 "aeo_questions": [
  "What is the definition of a local church and its role in helping Christians grow spiritually according to the Bible?",
  "How does the local church contribute to Christians' spiritual development, and what are its primary goals?",
  "What is the local church's purpose, and how does it prepare believers to serve and spread the gospel?"
 ],
 "topic_anchor": "Church, local",
 "derivation": "derived-canonical",
 "source_authority": "authoritative",
 "author": "Gene Cunningham",
 "book": "The Basics",
 "source": {
  "doc_id": "btbm-01-TheBasics-8-10-24",
  "ref": "The Basics — Church, local (canonical doctrine)",
  "book_page": [
   65,
   154
  ],
  "segment_id": "the-basics__canon__church-local"
 },
 "scripture": [
  {
   "display": "Matthew 16:15-18",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    77
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Matthew 28:19-20",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    84
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Acts 2:42",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    77
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "1 Corinthians 12:4-31",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    84
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Ephesians 1:22-23",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    77
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "John 7:37-39",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    84
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "John 14-16",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    84
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Acts 1:8",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    84
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Ephesians 4:11-16",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    84
   ]
  },
  {
   "display": "Hebrews 10:25-31",
   "osis": null,
   "book_pages": [
    84
   ]
  }
 ],
 "topics": [
  "Body of Christ",
  "Edification",
  "Evangelism",
  "Greatness",
  "Growth",
  "Local church",
  "Salvation",
  "Satan",
  "Service",
  "Spiritual gifts"
 ],
 "topics_context": [
  "Church",
  "Evangelism",
  "Race of life",
  "Power and Holy Spirit",
  "gifts of God",
  "Spiritual gifts"
 ],
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  151,
  152,
  153,
  154
 ],
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     "Indwelling",
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     "Kingdom of God",
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