EKKLESIA

 

Definition

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it” (Mt 16:18). The first appearance of the word, Ekklesia, is found in Jesus’ appointment of Peter. You can click on the word above to see its meaning, but simply put, I am going to share two practical applications of the definition; the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. How do the world and the average Christian define Ekklesia? “A Church is a building used for public religious services, usually referring specifically to those for Christian worship and events such as weddings, funerals and baptisements.” Which definition is correct; Peter as the body and bride of his Lord and Savior or the world’s viewpoint that the church is brick and mortar sitting unused six of seven days during the week? Whichever definition you chose will determine to which one you belong.

The Rock

Peter’s name is the mascFuline (he was a man) version of the word “petra,” which is not only the greatest Christian rock band of all time but also the word used in Mt 16:18, “Upon this petra I will build My church.” This word is also used in Mt 7:24, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the petra.” It ought to be clear then that the principle interpretation of the word “church” is the singular Spirit-bearing man or woman who walks like Jesus did by hearing the Word of God and putting it into practice. Is it any wonder then that Jesus didn’t commission us to “Go and build a church,” but to instead “Go and make disciples… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19,20)?

Our Body His Temple

Peter later writes in his epistle, “As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood” (1Pet 2:4,5). We are not only the church building but we are also the church’s priests! Ephesians 2:22, “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” He has given us of His Spirit that we might be His church, the dwelling in which He inhabits this earth. Though He indwells us individually, He commissions us collectively, gifts us selectively and commands us to fervently edify one another with love. We are His Body; each part called to do a work that ensures the mission of the whole. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1Cor 12:27).

Body Parts

“From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph 4:16). It’s quite pitiful how we often align the various denominational congregations we call “church” into various parts of Christ’s body and then say, “Let each church do its work.” We are each individually a part of His body, just as we are a part of His church, and must therefore fulfill our function for the collective growth of the whole. A “toe” provides balance for the body’s walk but is as much overlooked as the liver or pancreas even though its duty is as important as the eye, hand or heart. As the church individually andcooperatively, we must realize that each of us is an important ingredient to the growth of other Christians who depend upon us for our “work.” Those body parts who do not work are like branches that do not bear fruit. Jesus says, “It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for the whole body to be thrown into hell” (Mt 5:29). We don’t want to be that needless part.

The Bride

“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body… for we are members of His body” (Eph 5:23, 30). Not only is the church the body of Christ but we are also His bride. If the body illustrates how we individually work for the collective edification of the whole then the metaphor of the bride teaches us how the whole benefits the individual. “Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are His. And why one? Because He was seeking godly offspring” (Mal 2:15). The Lord has joined the church to himself because He seeks spiritual reproduction, individually, as is the nature of those created in His image, and not collectively, as is the practice of the current Congregationalist. Paul continues in Ephesians 5 to tell us that the duty of the wife is to “submit” and “respect” her husband and so also is it the duty of the church to obey and worship its Lord and Savior. As the bride of Jesus, we ought to come together as a church to make spiritual reproductions of Christ; many “petras” resembling the living Rock of our Savior, and not merely to express verbally a love we are not willing to reciprocate habitually. How do we live as the church of God? Find a Peter and train him to be like Jesus. After all, that’s what our Husband has commanded.