A helpful overview:
[The universal church in the world is all true believers in Christ –-"born again" saints, not as ones who only follow some of His teachings and call themselves Christians. Here is a brief overview of God’s saints and testimony –-the "one body in Christ", and can be viewed more fully as described at Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, IL and the web site: biblecounsel.net if one is interested.]
After the Apostolic period, when church truth was lost by religious men with ideologies and organization, which sought elitism and control of man’s conscience ---AD 500 to about AD 1500, God then began a Reformation time to recover the gospel message, which also then resulted in sectarianism by man's innovations. A revival by God in the early 1800's began to recover Church truth which held to Bible-only as intended from the beginning. That testimony has continued to the present, but is mostly rejected by the popular sectarian spirit.
The word translated "church" in the Bible, is the Greek word: ecclesia, which means "assembly" (called out ones). It appears the translators of the Authorized (King James) Version rather used the Greek word: kuriakos (commonly called Kirk and later Church), which means "pertaining to God". Presumably that was to distinguish between God's gathering and the civil and common assemblies; thus we often define the collective testimony as the "called out assembly pertaining to God", or "church".
In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus said: "I will build my assembly (church)", which shows it was yet future. It was not established until Acts 2:41-47. In it's universal and local aspects it is a gathering and fellowship of all God's children ("born again" believers...saints).
The church is presented to us in four ways in the Scriptures:
1. Body of Christ (speaking of unity and position). The intention of God is that the saints should be of "one accord" (Phil.2:2), and "fitly framed together" (Eph.2:21-22) as a building; and God sees us "as one" in Christ, who is the head of His body (John 17:11, 21-23; Rom.12:4-5; I Cor.1:9-13; I Cor.12; Eph.4; etc.). We ought to appreciate that, be dependent on the Head and His care, and show forth the "one body" in the world embracing only the Word or God for the Lord's glory. This does not speak of mergers as today in inter-denominationalism, but unity in the "Word of truth". There is no thought given of sects formed by men ---be they independent little Bible groups, mega-gatherings, or huge religious systems with traditions and various rituals and ceremonies.
2. House of God (speaking of responsibility and condition, not a physical building of men). God expects that all things will be done "decently and in order" (I Cor. 14:40) according to His way, and that we will know how to "behave ourselves in the house of God" (I Tim.3:14-15). He has established His government with the church. In view of the end of all things, God challenges the saints to be faithful, holy, godly and obedient (II Pet.3:10-11). Our interpretations and innovations have no place in God’s testimony.
3. Bride of Christ (speaking of security and relation). The picture of the bridegroom coming in Matthew 25 is a message to be ready to be received, and not left out, but it no doubt is a picture also of the Lord Jesus returning for His Bride ...the Church. John, the baptizer, was the forerunner of the Lord Jesus, and he knew he was with the Old Testament saints, rather than the Church; therefore he spoke of himself as "the friend of the bridegroom" (John 3:29-30). The apostle, Paul, spoke to the saints as "espoused" (given or betrothed) to Christ (II Cor.11:2). In Revelation 22: 17 the Bride calls for the Bridegroom to come and deliver her in view of the perceived coming judgment.
4. Candlestick testimony (speaking of authority and operation and spiritual light). God's testimony in the world is His work in His way, in the place and authority of His will for His purposes. When man presumes to say: Go to the "church of your choice", he opposes the mind of God. God makes it clear it is His testimony (Rev.2:1-5). In Matthew 18: 20 He promises His presence "in the midst" of the gathered saints ...those He gathers, not wherever men choose to gather (see also Deut.12). In the Word of God choosing by man is heresy. The Lord Jesus directs His disciples to the place He chooses (see Luke 22:9-13). God only has one testimony, and believers are called to it (see Rom.1:7; I Cor.1:2; I Cor.16: 19-20; Eph.1:1; Phil.1:1; etc.). The self-will of man sets up his own tables and places of worship like Jeroboam of long ago, which opposed God (I Kings 12-13). Believers in Christ are exhorted to "walk as children of light" (Eph.5:8), for they "are the light" (Matt.5:14-16) by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
All real believers in the Lord Jesus Christ need to be gathered together to worship Him, not in various sects of their choosing, but fully in accord with Scripture as "unity of the faith". One is encouraged to contact Bible Truth Publishers for more understanding and history of this good testimony. – RLD: from biblecounsel.homestead.com
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A VIEW OF THE CHURCH
By R. L. DeWitt, rev. 10/11
By R. L. DeWitt, rev. 10/11
[The universal church in the world is all true believers in Christ –-"born again" saints, not as ones who only follow some of His teachings and call themselves Christians. Here is a brief overview of God’s saints and testimony –-the "one body in Christ", and can be viewed more fully as described at Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, IL and the web site: biblecounsel.net if one is interested.]
After the Apostolic period, when church truth was lost by religious men with ideologies and organization, which sought elitism and control of man’s conscience ---AD 500 to about AD 1500, God then began a Reformation time to recover the gospel message, which also then resulted in sectarianism by man's innovations. A revival by God in the early 1800's began to recover Church truth which held to Bible-only as intended from the beginning. That testimony has continued to the present, but is mostly rejected by the popular sectarian spirit.
The word translated "church" in the Bible, is the Greek word: ecclesia, which means "assembly" (called out ones). It appears the translators of the Authorized (King James) Version rather used the Greek word: kuriakos (commonly called Kirk and later Church), which means "pertaining to God". Presumably that was to distinguish between God's gathering and the civil and common assemblies; thus we often define the collective testimony as the "called out assembly pertaining to God", or "church".
In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus said: "I will build my assembly (church)", which shows it was yet future. It was not established until Acts 2:41-47. In it's universal and local aspects it is a gathering and fellowship of all God's children ("born again" believers...saints).
The church is presented to us in four ways in the Scriptures:
1. Body of Christ (speaking of unity and position). The intention of God is that the saints should be of "one accord" (Phil.2:2), and "fitly framed together" (Eph.2:21-22) as a building; and God sees us "as one" in Christ, who is the head of His body (John 17:11, 21-23; Rom.12:4-5; I Cor.1:9-13; I Cor.12; Eph.4; etc.). We ought to appreciate that, be dependent on the Head and His care, and show forth the "one body" in the world embracing only the Word or God for the Lord's glory. This does not speak of mergers as today in inter-denominationalism, but unity in the "Word of truth". There is no thought given of sects formed by men ---be they independent little Bible groups, mega-gatherings, or huge religious systems with traditions and various rituals and ceremonies.
2. House of God (speaking of responsibility and condition, not a physical building of men). God expects that all things will be done "decently and in order" (I Cor. 14:40) according to His way, and that we will know how to "behave ourselves in the house of God" (I Tim.3:14-15). He has established His government with the church. In view of the end of all things, God challenges the saints to be faithful, holy, godly and obedient (II Pet.3:10-11). Our interpretations and innovations have no place in God’s testimony.
3. Bride of Christ (speaking of security and relation). The picture of the bridegroom coming in Matthew 25 is a message to be ready to be received, and not left out, but it no doubt is a picture also of the Lord Jesus returning for His Bride ...the Church. John, the baptizer, was the forerunner of the Lord Jesus, and he knew he was with the Old Testament saints, rather than the Church; therefore he spoke of himself as "the friend of the bridegroom" (John 3:29-30). The apostle, Paul, spoke to the saints as "espoused" (given or betrothed) to Christ (II Cor.11:2). In Revelation 22: 17 the Bride calls for the Bridegroom to come and deliver her in view of the perceived coming judgment.
4. Candlestick testimony (speaking of authority and operation and spiritual light). God's testimony in the world is His work in His way, in the place and authority of His will for His purposes. When man presumes to say: Go to the "church of your choice", he opposes the mind of God. God makes it clear it is His testimony (Rev.2:1-5). In Matthew 18: 20 He promises His presence "in the midst" of the gathered saints ...those He gathers, not wherever men choose to gather (see also Deut.12). In the Word of God choosing by man is heresy. The Lord Jesus directs His disciples to the place He chooses (see Luke 22:9-13). God only has one testimony, and believers are called to it (see Rom.1:7; I Cor.1:2; I Cor.16: 19-20; Eph.1:1; Phil.1:1; etc.). The self-will of man sets up his own tables and places of worship like Jeroboam of long ago, which opposed God (I Kings 12-13). Believers in Christ are exhorted to "walk as children of light" (Eph.5:8), for they "are the light" (Matt.5:14-16) by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
All real believers in the Lord Jesus Christ need to be gathered together to worship Him, not in various sects of their choosing, but fully in accord with Scripture as "unity of the faith". One is encouraged to contact Bible Truth Publishers for more understanding and history of this good testimony. – RLD: from biblecounsel.homestead.com
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