[TruthTalk] Understanding Church

[David Miller]

I am starting to write a monthly article for our church newsletter concerning the home church ministries which I oversee in our local church.  Right now we have six homes opened for home church meetings.  The following is a draft of my first article that I wrote this morning.  It is meant to help people who are unfamiliar with home church and are familiar only with the institutional tradition to have a better appreciation for participating in home church.  I welcome feedback from anyone who cares to comment.  Thanks.   Peace be with you. David Miller.   Home Church Ministries Understanding Church            The concept of church is something many of us think we know pretty well, but if we were to explore the Biblical meaning of this common word church, it is likely that our minds would be challenged.  Although the word church is used well over 100 times in the King James Version (KJV) of the New Testament, William Tyndale, who is called frequently the Father of the English Bible, does not use the word church even once in his translation.  The Greek word usually translated as church in the KJV is ekklesia.  The word literally means, �called-out� and refers to an assembly of people called out for a particular purpose.  Tyndale was a Reformer and believed that the word church had an ecclesiastical meaning which was absent from the meaning of the original New Testament word ekklesia. Therefore, he consistently translated the word ekklesia as congregation as opposed to the KJV which sometimes translates ekklesia as church and sometimes translates it as assembly.  Tyndale�s perspective is supported by the observation that ekklesia is the word used in Acts 19:32, 39, & 41 to refer to an evilly motivated assembly of the people of Ephesus who were upset at the preaching of Paul and his companions.  What English speaking person would ever use the word church to refer to the unlawful assembly mentioned in these passages?  Clearly, our modern concept of church differs from the first century believers� understanding of the word ekklesia.           The Biblical writers seem to have a specific purpose in using ekklesia to refer to the Christian congregation of believers because there was another Greek word available which had more of an ecclesiastical connotation.  It is the Greek word sunagoge which is usually translated as synagogue.  James uses this word sunagoge to refer the Christian assembly in James 2:2, but usually this word is used in other places of the Bible to refer to the assembly of Jews gathered together on Sabbath day for prayer and reading of Scripture.  The use of the word ekklesia instead of sunagoge to refer to the assembly of believers relaxes ecclesiastical meaning.  It draws our attention away from the institution as the foundation of the congregation and focuses us instead upon the people, the actual congregation itself.  With the advent of the church of Christ, God was not establishing a new religious institution to replace the Jewish religion.  Rather, God was creating a new religious organism with Christ as its head.  God was establishing a community of believers being called out of this world for a specific purpose, the purpose of continuing the ministry of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.           Throughout history, people have tended to focus more upon the institution of Christianity.  Institutions seem more tangible.  We put individuals in charge of the institution, support them, and then we want to sit back and watch the institution work.  It is natural for people to rely upon institutions, but really it is the relationship of believers one to another that defines the church of Jesus Christ.  If we can see that church really is about the congregation, the people themselves in relationship with one another and working together as one body with Christ as our head, then our perspective of the ekklesia (the church) that Jesus Christ and the apostles established will be more in focus.  Having the proper perspective here, seeing the church as a living organism of which we are a part instead of seeing the church as an institution, will enable us to be more Biblical and fulfill the will of God concerning our role in his church.          One way in which this organism called church is vitalized is by meeting in homes.  Acts 2:46 says that the first century believers continued daily with one accord �in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house.�  If you are serious about church, please see your participation in the home church meetings to be as necessary for the health of the church as eating and drinking.  Home church is the place where you can be a blessing as well as receive a blessing.  I will be writing more about this from a Biblical perspective in future articles.