August 22, 2022 MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH
Ephesians 2:19-22 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you are also being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
Hebrews 10:24-26 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
In our day, there is a general misunderstanding of what the church is and how it is to function. Sadly, for many, the church has been reduced to a building, a place to go on Sunday morning; for many, church is a social gathering; and for some, attending church is a tradition. To add to the problem, today, because of divisions and disagreements, there are numerous denominations and ‘churches’ who compete for members by having the biggest and best buildings with charismatic leaders and the best programs. (Do not take this as being critical of individuals or churches.) However, when you study the church in the New Testament, you find that it is far different from the ‘church’ we see today. The Greek word for church is ekklesia, which is defined as ‘an assembly’ or ‘called out ones.’ The root meaning of church is not that of a building, but of people. In the early church, the church was believers meeting together where they were taught and instructed what it meant to be followers of Christ. The church was a way of life; often, the church met in homes. We desperately need a reboot, or a mind shift of how we view church. I know we cannot go back to the days of the early church; but I do believe that we can discover and embrace the basic meaning and design of church. (To return to the basic concept of church may seem radical in some respects.) One major adjustment needed in today’s church is that of leadership. In Ephesians 4, we see that God gave several different gifted leaders to lead the church and to equip believers; today, these various gifted leaders are non-existent-with the exception of teachers and pastors. The idea of the pastor being the one in charge is not found in scripture. Certainly the role of pastor is important, but the pastor is to be one of a team where one may serve as lead pastor. I often ask how do we go about experiencing church as portrayed in the scriptures. For starters, let us understand that church is not a building, but people; that God instructs us to meet together where we share life and encourage one another; that we seek out and identify the called out leaders as we see in Ephesians 4:11; that we realize that we are not complete within ourselves-we need the input of others. 1 Corinthians 12. God is about building His church. Let us search the scriptures and learn about what church really is-then begin to implement what we learn. The scriptures say much about His church and how it functions. We may not see much influence of the church in our society today-that should tell us something-but nonetheless, His church-His people is the most powerful force in this world and we will see the day when His church will truly be the light for the world. We are the ekklesia, the called out ones; we are of God’s household; we have been placed into the body of believers-the church; we are being built together into a dwelling place of God; and we are to meet together and receive from each other, and provoke one another to love and good works. May God put in our hearts the desire to learn of Him and His design for the church and may we find ways to function as the body of Christ in the day in which we live.
1 Corinthians 1:12, 25 “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.” “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care for one another.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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