what is a church?

[year2027]

God first
More on what a Church is!
01-11-2011
As I search what a church is today and the past I must look the great man that taught us the word and others that try to stop its movement. Since Adam would be our starting point as most know we must see that there a different from Adam the first and Adam the second. Adam was man, that begin this mix and Jesus Christ was the Adam that frees us from this mix.

Jesus Christ taught us love where Adam only brought us into haven moral obligation to sin while free us from sin but I must began with my understanding. Martin Luther born November 10 1483 and he nail his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 to the Roman Catholic Church door which begin everything or freedom from religious slavery. He was mark and avoided by his pope and he excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.

But he not first man that was mark as an outlaw John Huss was born in 1321 and he was the burn at the stake for his believes. Martin Luther was just the one they could not stop the freedom that he begin. In 1604 was work was begin 1611 bible because of the Hampton Court Conference where a new English version was conceived in response to the perceived problems of the earlier translations as detected by the Puritans, a faction within the Church of England.

But there were earlier bibles just not that England had control of what in them or what is not part of them. Which bible did Martin Luther take a part in is something in is something we can know. Martin Luther published booklets but no complete bible was ever published by Martin Luther ever otherwise what in the bible is God’s but one has no complete work of God in any book.

Gladys Aylward was born in London in 1904 she was not a missionary but she was parlormaid where she eared the money to go to China because she believe God needed her there. After about month work she eared enough money to travel to China where Jenny Lawson was a missionary of China.

Gladys Aylward receive d a new name in China "Ai-weh-deh," which means "Virtuous One" because her love for the people. In the spring of 1938, Japanese planes bombed the city of Yangcheng but she lead 100 children to safely over land and across rivers and mountains. Gladys Aylward did not free the bible but she free the children who could learn God word.

Dr Peter Marshall was born in Coatbridge (North Lanarkshire), Scotland May 27, 1902 and died January 26, 1949. But he was known as the America's greatest preachers and Pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., and Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. Were he told them “in God we trust was printed on the thin dine as well the dollar” them being the bankers.

Catherine Wood Marshall was born 27 September 1914 and died March 18, 1983 but she stood for woman right. She in said, “Woman would have to step down” because she given respect in bringing the Christ child if they wanted the same as men. Woman would lose man open a door because was above man but to be equal they would to step down to have equality with man.

After a lot deep thinking I came to see there more God word than what in a small book no matter what name we give it. From Martin Luther to Jesus Christ the word is in the heart of man or love he has for his brothers. Love is what in common with God and mankind making the two one kind because the image we share.

Because nothing is stronger than the love we have our God and our brothers who like ourselves are join heirs with Christ the first begotten from dead. We share in this glory has we know we will rise like Christ rose. Thank you with love and a holy kiss Roy.

God First
What does God like?
01-13-2011
God does not love power because he lets us have free will to believe in him not believe in him. It is my person choice to believe in God or not to believe in God otherwise I make decision myself. God does not push himself on people but do the pushing why I will never know.

God does care if you are an Atheist, Jew, Muslim, Christian, Homosexual, Straight, Monk, Hindis, or what ever you believe in because freedom to pick for yourself. God does what one reads it to each person them self. Does God care if you do not worship him because matter of choice.

Yes the Israelites follower God around but it their choice follower God or find out of wilderness them self. Yes God gave them Laws to live by but they did not have to listen to God and some they did not. We all live some laws no matter who we are and where we live and when we live.

Man pushes laws on us because they think they know best but God gets the blame but we have free choice to obey them or not. While God gives us free will man wants to play god they want our money but wanted our money he can get it his self. We go church a man tells us give him our money because need it but that not of God.

Mothers are God like in many ways they love and want the best for us that why they warm us stove is hot at times. Otherwise they teach us not fear the stove the stove god but respect the stove because it could burn you. Fathers watch over us as because are always good like a God would do by warning us some danger.

The reasons our mothers teach us is because they love us and reasons our fathers watch over us because love us. God enjoying seeing the love between our love ones and wants the same kind of back. So what does God like seeing love in us for him and everyone other thank you, with love and a holy kiss Roy?

 

[Christownsme]

A church is THE church, the bride of Jesus the Christ. Perfect and without blemish, fashioned together as a body that needs every other part of the body. The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the Head of the Body. Think about that. His body is the church - all true believers make up His body. How? By the crucifixion and death where he drew all men to himself and bore all mens' sins. When it was raised up again, He was glorified, and when his church meets up with Him, it too shall be glorified.. Church in unity with Christ in unity with the Father in unity with us in unity with the Holy Spirit. Glorious, yes.

Hint: don't think any longer as the church as this church and that denomination and so forth.. read ICorinthians 1:10-17.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

A church is THE church, the bride of Jesus the Christ. Perfect and without blemish, fashioned together as a body that needs every other part of the body. The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the Head of the Body. Think about that. His body is the church - all true believers make up His body. How? By the crucifixion and death where he drew all men to himself and bore all mens' sins. When it was raised up again, He was glorified, and when his church meets up with Him, it too shall be glorified.. Church in unity with Christ in unity with the Father in unity with us in unity with the Holy Spirit. Glorious, yes.

Hint: don't think any longer as the church as this church and that denomination and so forth.. read ICorinthians 1:10-17.

Thank you! Yes, you are so correct that the church is the Body of Christ. So many believe this in theory, but still think of the church as an institution that is run like a business and that is associated with a building, programs, sporting events, concerts, etc. We, the people of God who are true believers in Jesus Christ are the church and God says that where two or three are gathered together in his name He is there in their midst, so you only have to have 2 people together gathered in the name of the Lord for it to be called "church." The NT church met together daily from house to house and in public (out in the open) for the purpose of sharing food together (or communion), fellowship (like mindedness, encouragement, edifying the Body, etc.), teaching and prayer. Those are the essentials. The early church did not have one preacher per congregation. They had elected elders and some had pastoral responsibilities, yet when they met together, the whole Body participated in the use of their gifts, and that is how it is supposed to be. It is not supposed to be like going to the theatre for a show where we, the congregation, are the spectators and the main participants are those on the platform. It is supposed to work like a body with all its parts functioning as God intended, not as man chooses.

 

[year2027]

God first

thanks Christownsme and Sue

Christownsme - yes church is the body of Christ but it basic meaning a group of people coming together for a purpose in our case it to worship God

Sue -- in the bible a is used stone person if you look how in Greek the word used but if want what people think that different from person to person

with love and a holy kiss Roy

 

[Philosopher61]

The Church is the body of Christ, we are the Church. Now if your asking what is religion....that one might take a while.

 

[year2027]

God first

thanks Philosopher61

Church --- The English word "church" has various meanings. Webster gives the following definitions for the word church.

1. a building for public Christian worship. 2. a religious service in such a building. 3. (sometimes cap.) a. the world body of Christian believers; Christendom. b. any major division of his body; a Christian denomination. 4. a Christian congregation. 5. organized religion as distinguished from the state. 6. (cap) a. The Christian before the reformation. b. the Roman Catholic Church. 7. the profession of an ecclesiastic -V.C. 8. to perform a church service of thanksgiving for (a woman after child birth). [Go RI(a)on (DOA) the Lord's house).(1)


Today the word church has a wide variety of meanings from referring to a building to performing a religion service. Although we need to understand the modern use of the word it is of little significance in understanding the use of the word the New Testament. It is essential that we understand its original meaning as it was used in New Testament times. In order to establish a New Testament church we must first know what the word "church" means in Scripture.

In our English Bible the Greek word, "ekklesia" is translated in most places "church." The word "ekklesia" is found in one hundred and fifteen places in the New Testament. It is translated in English one hundred and thirteen times "church" and the remaining times it is translated "assembly." In classical Greek the word "ekklesia" meant "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly."(2) The word as used in the New Testament is taken from the root of this word, which simply means to "call out." In New Testament times the word was exclusively used to represent a group of people assembled together for a particular cause or purpose. It was never used exclusively to refer to a religious meeting or group.

An examination of the Greek word "ekklesia" reveals that the word is properly translated into English as the "assembly" or "congregation." It is used to refer to a group of persons that are organized together for a common purpose and who meet together. Brown states the word was used as early as the 5th Century B.C.:

I. (a) ekklesia, derived via ek-kaleo, which was used for the summons to the army to assemble, from kaleo, to call (--. Call). It is attested from Eur. and Hdt. onwards (5th cent. B.C.), and denotes in the usage of antiquity the popular assembly of the competent full citizens of the polis, city. It reached its greatest importance in the 5th cent, and met at regular intervals (in Athens about 30--40 times a year, elsewhere less frequently) and also in cases of urgency as an extra-ordinary ekklesia. Its sphere of competence included decisions on suggested changes in the law (which could only be effected by the council of the 400), on appointments to official positions and -- at least in its heyday -- on every important question of internal and external policy (contracts, treaties, war and peace, finance). To these was added in special cases (e.g. treason) the task of sitting in judgment, which as a rule fell to regular courts. The ekklesia opened with prayers and sacrifices to the gods of the city.(3)


It should be noted that the word "ekklesia" was used to denote the meeting together of a special assembly. Brown further defines the word as to it political characteristics:

Thus ekklesia, centuries before the translation of the OT and the time of the NT, was clearly characterized as a political phenomenon, repeated according to certain rules and within a certain framework. It was the assembly of full citizens, functionally rooted in the constitution of the democracy, an assembly in which fundamental political and judicial decisions were taken.

. . . What is noteworthy, however, is that the word ekklesia, throughout the Gk. and Hel. areas, always retained its reference to the assembly of the polis. In only three exceptional cases was it used for the business meeting of a cultic guild (cf. H. Lietzmann, An die Korintlier, 9, 4). Otherwise it was never used for guilds or religious fellowships. These were referred to by such expressions as thiasos, cultic assembly to worship a god; lit, contract of partnership, but in this context a fellowship which held particular feasts (heorte), to which each participant contributed; koinon, lit, that which is in common (--. Fellowship, art. koinos); or synodos, which meant a group following the same --. way, i.e. the same teaching. Significantly, however, none of words found its way into the NT. (4)


Brown shows that the normal usage of the Greek word in New Testament times was understood to simply mean a called out or special assembly. The word does not seem to have been used to refer to secular fellowships in New Testament times. In the New Testament era, society used such words as thiasos and synagoge to denote fellowships. More particular Brown says that the word synagoge was used to denote the place of meetings.(5)

In the New Testament the word could refer to different kinds of assemblies with the context of the word or the use of a word modifier explaining who was meeting. For example, in Acts 2:47 the context of the verse tells who was meeting, "Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:41 specifically identifies these people who were meeting as those who were saved on the day of Pentecost. Another example of a modifier being used to identify who was assembling is Acts 8:1 "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem." The assembly in this case was the believers in Jerusalem.

The English dictionary reveals that the English word "church" which is used in our English Bible is taken from the late Greek word "kyridakon" not"ekklesia."(6) The Greek word "kyridakon" is not found in the New Testament and only came into being in the 16th Century long after New Testament times. Thus the English word "church" cannot be translated back into Greek because there is no word in the New Testament Greek that is the equivalent of the understanding of the English word. More will be said on this later.

As stated earlier the word "ekklesia" in itself does not explain who is meeting, but only that a group is to assemble. The context of the passage tells you who is meeting. For example, the word "ekklesia," is used in Acts 19:32,39,41 and demonstrates this word was used to refer to a civil assembly of local towns people of Ephesus which included idol makers. Acts 19:24-25 records that a man named Demetruis, a silversmith who made idols, called all workman of like occupation together for a meeting. The reason for the meeting was to discuss the problem that they were having with people who were being saved and who were abandoning their idols which was hindering their businesses. Verse 39 says, "the assembly was confused." The word "assembly" is the Greek word "ekklesia" and is the same word that is translated elsewhere in the New Testament as "church." Here the "ekklesia" was a meeting of idol makers and the word is properly translated "assembly."

Another example is found in Acts 7:38 which refers to the nation of Israel that was congregated at Mt. Sinai as the "church in the wilderness." The word translated "church" is the Greek word "ekklesia." It is incorrect to refer to Israel as a church and the word should be properly translated "assembly" or "congregation." It is confusing to refer to the Nation of Israel as a church which could be misunderstood to support Amillennialism.

In most places in the New Testament the word "ekklesia" refers to a local assembly of believers in Jesus Christ and should be accurately translated "assembly" or "congregation." Brown states that the word is limited in use to a particular geographical location:

The ekklesia has its location, existence and being with the definable geographical limits. The apostle thus writes of the ekklesia te ouse en Korintho, the church which is in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:2), indicating both that it belongs to the people of the place and that it has a new and different quality. This is also true when he speaks of the ekklesia Thessalonikeon (1 Thess.1:1.(7)


Brown recognizes that the word "ekklesia" made specific reference to a group meeting in a particular geographical location. This would doubtlessly preclude using the word to refer to a universal or invisible body of believers.

Paul who used the word more frequently than any other New Testament writer clearly understood the word to mean an assembly or congregation who met locally together. Brown comments:

Paul always understands ekklesia as the living, assembled congregation. This is expressed particularly in 1 Cor. 15 (vv. 4f., 12, 19, 23, 28). It is only in the meeting and living together of the members that love, described in 1 Cor. 13 as the supreme gift, can be made real, just as it is only in this way that the other God-given gifts can be recognized and
acknowledged.(8)


The New Testament believers met in rented halls and in the homes of people. They had "elders" or bishops which were called of God and given the oversight of the local or individual congregations (Acts 20:28). A hierarchal church government outside the local assembly is not to be found in Pauline writings.

Some conclude that the word can also apply in a limited manner to an invisible or universal church. The Arndt-Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon refers to two such uses. The first is to "the church universal" and uses Matt. 16:18, Acts 9:31, 1 Cor. 6:4, 12:28, Eph. 1:22, 3:10, 21, 5:23ff, 27, 29, 32 as New Testament references of such use.(9) However, it can be argued that Matthew 16:18 is referring to Christ founding the institution of local churches, not to the establishment of a universal church. Christ could have used other words but instead used the word "ekklesia" which limited the meaning to an assembly that comes together.

In Acts 9:31, "ekklesia" is plural and is referring to local congregations geographically located "all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria." In Revelation 2-3 Jesus addressing each of the seven churches in Asia concludes each message with statement "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." The word churches is plural meaning it was addressed to all the individual churches. If there was a universal church then Christ would used the singular word "church" which would have been responsible for correcting this issues in all the churches under it. However, by using the plural word clearly Jesus was making the point He was addressing individual churhces because He did not establish a one church system. 1 Corinthians 6:4 also refers specifically to the church at Corinth and has no application to churches outside that city. The context of 1 Corinthians 12:27-28, in particularly verse 27 "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." Note that verse 27 is a reference is to the "body of Christ" which is the correct term for all believers universally. The phrase "members in particular" seems to refer to membership in a local assembly, which would conclude that verse 28 is also referring to the local "ekklesia" and the believer would be a member. The same argument can be made for Ephesians' passages to refer to local assemblies and not to a universal "assembly" (ekklesia) which would be impossible.


with love and a holy kiss Roy