What does EKKLESIA really mean?

Peter Johnson said:

Background:
I am struggling with the modern idea and use of the term 'Church', as used by Church leaders, especially in the way they tend to control perceptions about who people are before God and each other, and how people may see themselves as individuals and together.

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Peter,
If we are to understand how God views ekklesia, then we should not be too concerned about how men may either pervert that truth or promote it. Our focus should be on Scripture (Acts 2:47 KJV) Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
αἰνοῦντες τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἔχοντες χάριν πρὸς ὅλον τὸν λαόν ὁ δὲ κύριος προσετίθει τοὺς σῳζομένους καθ' ἡμέραν τῇ ἐκκλησία (Stephanus Textus Receptus)
As noted below it means an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

Strong's Concordance

ekklésia: an assembly, a (religious) congregation

Original Word: ἐκκλησία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ekklésia
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-klay-see'-ah)
Short Definition: an assembly, congregation, church
Definition: an assembly, congregation, church; the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

HELPS Word-studies

1577ekklēsía(from1537/ek, "out fromandto" and2564/kaléō, "to call") – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.

[The English word "church" comes from the Greek word kyriakos, "belonging to the Lord" (kyrios).1577/ekklēsía ("church") is the root of the terms "ecclesiology" and "ecclesiastical."]

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1577: ἐκκλησία

ἐκκλησία,ἐκκλεσιας,ἡ (from ἔκκλητος called out or forth, and this from ἐκκαλέω); properly, a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly; so used

a. an assembly of Christians gathered for worship:ἐνἐκκλησία, in the religious meeting,1 Corinthians 14:19, 35;ἐνταῖςἐκκλησίαις,1 Corinthians 14:34;συνέρχεσθαιἐνἐκκλησία,1 Corinthians 11:18; cf. Winers Grammar, § 50, 4a.

b. a company of Christians, or of those who, hoping for eternal Salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake; aa. those who anywhere, in city or village, constitute such a company and are united into one body:Acts 5:11;Acts 8:3;1 Corinthians 4:17;1 Corinthians 6:4;Philippians 4:15;3 John 1:6(cf. Winer's Grammar, 122 (116)); with specification of place,Acts 8:1;Acts 11:22;Romans 16:1;1 Corinthians 4:17;1 Corinthians 6:4;Revelation 2:1, 8, etc.;Θεσσαλονικέων,1 Thessalonians 1:1;2 Thessalonians 1:1;Λαοδικέων,Colossians 4:16; with the genitive of the possessor,τοῦΘεοῦ(equivalent toיְהוָהקֲהַל,Numbers 16:3;Numbers 20:4),1 Corinthians 11:22; and mention of the place,1 Corinthians 1:2;2 Corinthians 1:1. Plural,αἱἐκκλησίαι:Acts 15:41;1 Corinthians 7:17;2 Corinthians 8:19;Revelation 1:4;Revelation 3:6, etc.; withτοῦΘεοῦadded,1 Thessalonians 2:14;2 Thessalonians 1:4;τοῦΧριστοῦ,Romans 16:16; with mention of the place, asτῆςἈσίας,Γαλατίας, etc.:1 Corinthians 16:1, 19;2 Corinthians 8:1;Galatians 1:2;τῆςἸουδαίαςταῖςἐνΧριστῷ, joined to Christ (seeἐν, I. 6b.), i. e. Christian assemblies, in contrast with those of the Jews,Galatians 1:22;ἐκκλησίαιτῶνἐθνῶν, gathered from the Gentiles,Romans 16:4;τῶνἁγίων, composed of the saints,1 Corinthians 14:33.ἡἐκκλησίακατ'οἶκοντίνος, the church in one's house, i. e. the company of Christians belonging to a person's family; others less aptly understand the phrase of the Christians accustomed to meet for worship in the house of someone (for as appears from1 Corinthians 14:23, the whole Corinthian church was accustomed to assemble in one and the same place; (but see Lightfoot on Colossians 4:15)):Romans 16:5;1 Corinthians 16:19;Colossians 4:15;Philemon 1:2. The nameἡἐκκλησίαis used even by Christ while on earth of the company of his adherents in any city or village:Matthew 18:17. bb. the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth; collectively, all who worship and honor God and Christ in whatever place they may be:Matthew 16:18(where perhaps the Evangelist employsτήνἐκκλησίανalthough Christ may have saidτήνβασιλείανμου);1 Corinthians 12:28;Ephesians 1:22

Hi peter,

I, too, am confounded in the way that the world at large uses the word 'church'. As I understand 'ekklesia', it is body of people who are called out for some singular purpose. An 'ekklesia' can be a group of soldiers called out to go to war against another nation or peoples. An 'ekklesia' can be a group of people called out to be members of the Lion's club or Rotary.

I believe that Jesus uses the term, and Paul and the other writers of the new covenant, to define the body of people who believe him. Our small denominational gatherings are merely a small part of that body and many who are a part of that small denominational gathering may well not be a part of the 'ekklesia'. They may all well be referred to as 'christians' because they are seen to gather with such a group, but I've never been one to confuse who are a part of the 'ekklesia' with those who are a part of Christendom.

I base this on Jesus' words to his disciples that on the day of His Father's judgment that many will stand before him decrying that they drove out demons in his name and did great miracles in his name. It seems painfully obvious to me that these people will have been identified and called 'christians' while living on the earth, but they are just as obviously not a part of Jesus' 'ekklesia'.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

When I think of church I think of assembly. Jesus said when two or 3 are gathered He was there in their midst.
Of course God doesn't think in terms of denominations when he thinks of the church, that's a human means to organize.
So any and all church meeting is only part of the church. When a family of believers gets together they are also a church
that can pray, worship, study God's word or play ball. God is there. Which of course is the main thing, we want God to be with us
in all our activities.

The confusion here is, I have come to believe, either a misleading concept of or a lack of distinction between ecclesiastical and ecumenical concerns. Both are integral to the Church as they serve crucial purposes in the Body of the Bride, yet often one is overblown in scope to the extent that it is inimical to the most efficacious use of the other. Let me take all of the preceding out of it's packaging:

-Ecclesiastical concerns.

The Ekklesia is simply the family of God. It cannot be summed up in any one earthly institution. The Lord, in His tremendous creativity and beneficent will, made for Himself a diverse family. We all share in common the Image of God, and yet we all possess spiritual gifts of our own. The Ekklesia has bounds that are even beyond our imaginations, being directed by the Spirit to accomplish exceptional things through the principles of the Word that we weren't even explicitly instructed to do.

Miracles happen. Spiritual gifts are proliferated. The Gospel is proclaimed all the time in private, and also in disparate regions beyond the immediate reach of the ecumenical system. Without direct prompting from the Letter of the Bible we discern through the Spirit what He finds pleasing and accomplish it. When believers gather together in any number Church is there, it is happening.

Brother Lawrence is inviting God into his kitchen. He is with us everywhere.

-Ecumenical concerns.

God has set in place an orderly structure to the Church. He calls people to serve Him as clergy and binds the laity to love the clergy, and vice versa. Clergymen keep the wolves at bay and care for the flock. Laypersons step into the equally magnificent role of supporting the clergy, and storing up the spiritual treasures they receive from the clergy in order to pour out the gifts of God in the community. The clergyman is just a solitary soul, but the flock is many.

Clergymen need peers. Associations are not formed to prop up one denomination as if to say "hey, look at our beliefs, and how much better we think they are than other Christian's beliefs", rather they are formed in order for the clergy to keep itself in check, and organize to maintain Orthodoxy.

The laity needs the clergy. They aren't privileged with as much time in the Scriptures and need help steering clear of pitfalls. They are the very joy of life for the clergy, as is the clergy for them. As it is becoming and even glorious for the wife, as the symbol of the Bride of the Lamb, to be submissive even though she is extraordinarily designed and possessive of her own talent, it is similarly lovely how the laity does it's best to support the clergy (that is, of course, unless the clergy is in grave error). This does not demean the laity, it uplifts the laity and exalts God.

While the benefits of ecclesiastical thinking are in the principles of the Word, the benefits of ecumenical thinking are the faithful keeping of the commandments of the Lord Jesus.

-Both concerns meet.

The two here are capable of sour and sweet meetings. They are sour together when the ecumenical side of the Church denigrates the value of it's companion and stifles it through excessive zeal. It is similarly problematic when the ecclesiastical side plants seed carelessly, and can lack self awareness and the zeal for Orthodoxy that is necessary to keep worship undefiled, and properly reverence the teachings of the Lord as anything but commonplace.

The communion between the two elements is sweet when the Church is gently bridled and generously fed slack at the same time. In that happy group all spiritual gifts are appreciated, while certain callings are recognized. The shepherd and the flock gaze at one another lovingly, steering a clear course together, all the while that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Peter Johnson said:

WHAT is the justification to support any claim that a group of Christians meeting together, formally or informally, other than in a purposefully organised and directed 'local church meeting', is ABLE to be, or NOT to be understood as being a gathering of a/the ekklesia, with the inherent identity and functional responsibility of ekklesia?

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Peter, any meeting of two or three in Christ's name is a church, in that He is there with them (Matt 18:20). Now with that said, there are plenty of meetings that don't conform to the above statement--the after church coffee hour, the idea of going out with a bunch of friends for lunch after church. Hardly ever is the Name of Jesus invoked (save for grace), and the talk is almost always gossip.