What is meant by "the church"?

the New Testament never uses the word Church to describe a building the word that we translate as Church in the original text of the New Testament is the Greek word ecclesia it means the called out ones other words the Bible identifies people who are trusting in Jesus for salvation as a community as all believers everywhere people called out of the world and into a kingdom where the Spirit of Jesus reigns in their hearts from a biblical point of view we don't go to church we are the church the Bible knows nothing of denominations the Apostle Paul rebuked believers for saying that there were followers of particular men has Christ been divided he asked of course millions of Christians love their local church Jesus loves his church Jesus died for us we are his people but when we talk of church it is vital to make a distinction between the people of God and a system an organizational structure that has evolved and is more a work of man than a work of the Spirit the Bible calls us his body Jesus is the head we are members of his body each with different functions yes there is diversity of tasks and diversity of thought but that Christians are sometimes suspicious of one another that there are squabbles and gossip and backbiting tells us that in the minds of too many Christians they don't see their unity in Jesus alone they want conformity to the way they think Jesus himself uh simple truth of the gospel of his death and resurrection is not enough for them and that's not right the church has changed over time how does the Church of today differ from the Church of New Testament writings the New Testament shows believers in Jesus meeting in small groups in homes believers in the groups were either learning or teaching or helping there were no spectators all believers were considered to be priests under the Old Covenant a priest was a man from the tribe of Levi who served the Lord and blessed others in the name of the Lord under the new covenant all believers in Jesus are considered to be priests ministering reconciliation with God to a lost world all believers are priests not some believers who earn a credential from a denomination there are not supposed to be two classes of Christians yes there are leaders god appoints certain people to be apostles meaning those who are sent out to pioneer new areas God appoints others to be prophets meaning those who bring the word of the Lord into situations God appoints others to be evangelists with gifts to lead people to Christ and others to be pastors and teachers to guide Christians spiritually particularly in the Word of God such responsibilities are exhorted not to lord it over others but to lead by example Jesus has said that leaders in the church shouldn't dominate others but should be servants to everyone Jesus also said that leaders in the church shouldn't take titles apostle or prophet or pastor wasn't intended to be a title they are job descriptions Paul said that when he went to Jerusalem to get certain questions settled there was no regard for anyone who had a reputation even James Peter and John were leaders who were reputed to be pillars in the church in other words Paul identified them because they seemed to lead obviously they never had titles and there must have been more in the background than up front there was no formal organizational structure in the early church about 70 years after Jesus Ignatius a leader in the church in Antioch instituted a hierarchy of leadership he based the idea on the Roman system of city government suddenly leaders had status and when there was position and title and status to be had then inevitably people started to compete when there is competition you get ambition and envy surely anyone reading scripture can see that the Bible knows nothing of competition the opposite we are told to regard others as more important than ourselves the biggest change to Christian thinking came 300 years after Jesus when the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire instead of being a persecuted minority humbly serving the outcasts of society Christians became influential impressive buildings came next in the minds of church leaders Christianity was now triumphant and it was administered by a new class clergymen paid professionals centrally controlled through the issue of credentials and titles it continues to this day it's so much a part of the churchianity that people accept as normal that almost no one stops to consider that it's not the model that's on view in the New Testament the change has come about with what are now hundreds of years of traditions the institutionalized corporatized church has acquired power and influence and access to an endless stream of untaxed income and trillions of dollars of property there are a few who have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are what's needed is not Reformation it's not a reforming of what's there not shifting a few things around what's needed is transformation creation of a body that looks completely different in the image of Jesus with love raining and without competition and envy God is not going to be satisfied until it is accomplished the interference of man imposing man's ideas of how to build what is essentially a spiritual organism is going to be brought to an end and that's not easy to contemplate but it is a matter that has to be considered in the light of Psalm 127 unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain who build it it must be the Lord Jesus who builds his spiritual temple and we also have to consider the words of Jesus unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it remains alone but if it dies it bears much fruit gospel is the power of God the power of God is the power of the cross it's by faith in Christ in the supernatural life force of God that is released when a seed is buried dead out of sight the seed isn't prodded and poked it's left to God to put out roots and later to emerge as something completely different not a dead seed but a green plant that carries reproductive life and man can't do that the next session is the power of man the power of God

Channel: thelivingword

Views: 8,651

Rating: 4.8865247 out of 5

Keywords: church, denominations, Christianity

Id: nylFvmomaHI

Length: 9min 22sec (562 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 30 2018