Ecclesiology 101: Delight-Full Unity

When we consider the role of delight in our internal lives, the natural progression is to inquire of joy in our external lives. In this series, our ambition is to reveal what happens when we take that internal delight and make it external; when we take that life-shaping, heart-filling, mind-elating joy that lives within us and we allow it to bind us together as the unified people of God. In our time studying the church, my thesis—my theological claim—around which we will build our ecclesiology is the belief that delight in Christ binds us together. Our delight isn’t merely vertical but horizontal as well. The question that remains, then, is “What do you get when you bring delight in Christ inside of you to delight in Christ outside of you?” This series gives the answer: the church.

All of the lessons and the corresponding notes can be found below.

Ecclesiology 101, Part 1 - Delight-Full Unity: Horizontal Christian Hedonism

Our first lesson explores how delight in Christ does not remain private, but overflows outward to create and sustain the unity of the church through Christlike love. It argues that love is the binding force that knits believers together, making the church the inevitable expression of a people whose joy is rooted in Jesus and lived out in generosity, sacrifice, and shared community

Ecclesiology 101, Part 2 - Worship-Full Unity

Lesson 2 explores how delight in Jesus is both the cause and result of corporate worship, showing that worship is not merely singing but a unified, vertical response of the church to God. It emphasizes that gathered worship forms and expresses the communion of saints, calling believers to sing, reconcile, and delight together as a rehearsal for eternal worship

Ecclesiology 101, Part 3 - Prayer-Full Unity

Lesson 3 explores prayer as both a private, personal pattern and a public, powerful practice, emphasizing that the goal of prayer is not more from God but more of God. Through Matthew 6 and Acts 12, it calls believers to cultivate unhurried, intimate prayer with the Father that overflows into a praying church marked by dependence, unity, and trust in God’s power.

Ecclesiology, Part 4 - Cheer-Full Unity

In our fourth lesson, we will explore the church as a “Cheer-Full Unity,” showing how biblical generosity flows from delight in God rather than a desire to get something from Him. Through 2 Corinthians 9 and Acts 2, it teaches that generosity is both from us for God and for us from God, calling believers to trust their Bridegroom with their resources so His Kingdom is built and His glory is seen.

Ecclesiology 101, Part 5 - Purpose-Full Unity

The church’ delight-full unity manifests in ecclesial practices informed by Scripture. But more than simply being an inward-oriented entity, the church is called to also move outward—easily one of its most important roles. This outward movement is given the name missions. In part 5 of our series on ecclesiology, we will observe the purpose toward which we’ve been united as those called to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19)

Ecclesiology 101, Part 6 - Grace-Full Unity

This lesson explores Communion as a sacred, delight-centered practice that remembers and participates in Christ’s sacrifice while unifying the church around the gospel. It walks through the biblical foundation, major historical views, and Resurrection’s conviction that Communion is “less than literal and more than symbolic,” nourishing believers with the benefits of Christ’s presence and cross.

Ecclesiology 101, Part 7 - Identify-Able Unity: Baptism and Delight

In part 7 of our series on the church, we explore baptism as the identifiable means of union with Christ in His life, death, and resurrection, as well as union with the New Covenant community. Drawing from Scripture, church history, and Resurrection’s theological convictions, we will learn that baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality—one that marks God’s people, calls believers into new life, and leads the church to rejoice in the delight of life united with Christ

Ecclesiology 101, Part 8 - Truth-Full Unity: Scripture and Delight

Our final lesson in this study explores the vital role of scripture in fostering delight within the life of the church through the framework of expository preaching. It emphasizes that sound doctrine, when it faithfully engages both the mind and the heart, leads believers into a deeper presence of God through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit.