Andrea What is the church? Believers united in Christ. On mission for Christ. Kingdom builders with servant hearts. Sacrificially loving one another, taking care of one another selflessly. Boldly proclaiming the gospel, living life together, walking hand in hand through showing the world who Jesus is by shining His light and showing His love. Making disciples. Being God’s hands and feet. Picking up the pieces of a broken world with God’s love grace and forgiveness. Carrying each other’s burdens all in Jesus’ Name.
Paul Church is not a building, not a Sunday gathering. It is the global body of Christ best expressed at the community level; as outposts of the kingdom. Ideally these outposts contain smaller fellowhips in which life and missions are shared more deeply.
It is a living organism, guided by the Spirit for kingdom puposes.
Stacey For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, But a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (In the volume of the book it is written of me,) To do thy will, O God. Hebrews 10:4-7 KJV This passage shows the purpose of the body of Messiah, he was given an actual flesh and blood body, to be a pleasing sacrifice. And so for us, as the body of Christ we are to lay down our lives a living sacrifice(Romans 12:1)to make the Jew jealous" Romans 11:11
Chuck A community of people gathered around and focused on manifesting the life of the Messiah of Israel through their corporate life.
That’s my short version.
This is my long version.
What is church? First of all the Spirit being poured out on all flesh is a breakthrough prophesied by Joel and others and made possible by the death of the Messiah. That is a very special, very notable, very powerful breakthrough in the body of the Messiah, the community of the Messiah. The community of the Messiah is the down payment of what is to come. We are still stuck in this evil age, so it is not the Kingdom. But its existence is proof that the Kingdom is coming.
What is church - It is a continuation of the awesome power-through-weakness demonstration of God’s ways and God’s life being lived in a hostile environment and showing the power of resurrection life. This started with the promise to Adam and Eve and was refined by the promise to Abraham after the tower of Babel. All the other gods are having their shot at ruling over humans and the Lord God of Israel is calling out a people to make His Name a wonder in all the earth through willing surrender of their will and life to His power. It is the highest call a human can answer. We need each other to encourage and fortify our determination to keep on the narrow path of Life. That gathering, that community centered around and transformed by the Messiah is “church”.
Julie The “church” is made up of both jew and gentile that have believed the good news about the coming Kingdom of God, and they have put thier trust in the shed blood of the Messiah of Israel, who came once as a sacrifice for sins and will come again at the day of the Lord bringing salvation to all who put thier trust in Him…They have been called out of the rest of humanity for His great Name’s sake, to be given the amazing high calling to be sons of God, in which they will inherit eternal life, glory, and the kingdom in the age to come at His appearing. This hope motivates them to forsake thier lives in this evil age and to display the wisdom of the cross to the powers and principalities of this evil age, empowered by thier union with Messiah and the indwelling Holy spirit. Their eye is single on the age to come and live for the glory, honor and praise of the Father, the God of Isreal, the creator of heaven and earth. The churches sole purpose is for the Glory of God….. They are a sojoreigning people giving witness to the coming day of the Lord and the mercy of God displayed at the cross of Jesus in veiw of that day. They are joined in one body (both jew and gentile together) by one Spirit, have one Hope, and one faith (the hope and faith of Israel) under one Lord, and one God, the Father of all. They are known for thier sacrificial love and how they love one another. Thier association with the God of Isreal and His rightgousness make them targets for oppostion in this evil age… this evil age is the time and space appointed by the Father for the preparation of Messaih’s bride (the church) who will be made ready through the regenration of the spirit, the word,fellowship, an the trials of this age……That He might present it to Himself ( at his appearing) as the glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it might be holy and without blame.added 2/7/23 We can hopefully see how just putting together roots of words can lead to trouble.
Butterfly butter and fly
Pineapple apple and pine
Ekkesia called out ones
Ekklesia – One often hears that since this word is built from the preposition ek (from) and the verb kaleo (to call) it means “the called out ones” or something similar. The following fallacy has far too often be preached from the pulpit: “The word which we have for Church in the Greek is ekklesia. It is comprised of two words which together compose the meaning ‘one who is called out’ or ‘the called out ones’. When this word is used in the NT, about 114 times in the Greek New Testament, it is referring to the Church, either universal or local, as the ones who have been ‘called out of the world and into the Body of Christ and now congregate in His churches.’”
As true as it may be that Christians have been called out of the world and into the Body of Christ or Family of God, there is absolutely no indication that this was its emphasis or meaning in NT times. It simply means congregation or assembly and refers to a gathering of people, really any people, yet in the NT that group of people happens to be Christians. This faulty translation could in part be due to the reader misunderstanding the nature of the Greek language used in the New Testament. It is was the common language of the day used by the common man, and not a divine spiritual language with special spiritual meanings particular to the New Testament.
Why does it matter? This "assembly" is not new, (Acts 7:38) what is new about it is we now know who the Messiah is and as a result of what the cross did in real time, the out-pouring of the Spirit prophesied by Joel has now begun. So our assembly is not the rioting mob in Ephesus, because of WHO are assembly is gathered around so I will continue to maintain that Messiah's Community is a much better translation of ekklesia than "church".
For more on this see the book Exegetical Fallacies DA Carson https://www.christianbook.com/exegetical-fallacies-second-edition-d-a-carson/9780801020865/pd/20867?event=ESRCG
Jodi -- What is Church? Admittedly I have been wrestling with this question since you posed it and truthfully the whole of my life. I am honestly not any closer today than I was when you asked, although I think it’s quite worthy to grapple with.
I struggle with the etymology of it because words hold a high value for me. I struggle with how singularly and corporately assemblies have maligned it (that includes me). I struggle with it locally, ever searching for others to run with. Ultimately I truly believe it’s finest hour will be proved out in the darkest days and I fully trust that our King will carry that assembly through exactly as He has promised. I truly believe the true ‘church’ will be the successors of all of the blessed ones who have gone before us in being those who loved their lives not unto death. It seems to me to be quite a fluid word, in Spirit and deed. Thanks for the opportunity to really chew on this. It matters.
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