What Is Church?

As soon as that word "church" is mentioned into your mind springs the picture of a building all neatly laid filled with people each Sunday.

Every one of these building are in the hands of a some sort of organisation with a man given names.

Ask ten people what "church" means to them and you will probably get ten different answers.

This picture does not matter if you are asking those who confess they belong to Jesus Christ or those in the world.

One sees this from the outside, one walks in it and neither have questioned it. One has the tools to question it the other has no interest in doing so.

A fellow brother was discussing with me one day "his church" and I asked of him could he show me where in the Word of God that it says Jesus said to form an organisation and build a building to house the flock.

He could not and my reply to him was that this means every denomination, organisation is unscriptural (meaning not according to the Word of God). Not only did he get offended, he became visibly angry.

Lets turn the pages of the Word of God and see this word written and the context it used.

Acts 14:27  And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

1 Corinthians 14:23  If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

The terms "church" and "ekklesia" denote (1) an assembly of (2) a certain kind of people who (3) are collected or grouped together based upon things held in common and (4) having responded to a common call.

The true Church was called out of this world, out of religions, creeds, customs, beliefs and traditions and for nearly 2,000 years almost everyone has been looking in the wrong place for God’s Church.

To quote a brother in the Lord - Tom Lamb;

"There is nowhere in the New Testament where buildings can be justified being called the church outside the religious sense.

Also, nowhere in the New Testament are Christians commanded to, or have been recorded building meeting edifices. In fact, for the first three centuries there is no historic record of Christians building sanctuaries.

It was only over a period of time when the distinction between the clergy and laity developed, when the clerics gained more monopoly, did edifices start to be erected to house their fraternities.

The more hold they gained over society through religious politicking, the more power, the more money they wielded to build bigger and better monuments.

With the view of spires and steeples, along with the sound of bells, commandeering their dominance over cities, advertising the fact (I mean lie) they were "in tune" and "the way" to God."

I am not here to give a complete study on this subject, it is up to each one of us to study the word of God for ourselves and not be like little robots and believe everything any man preaches to us.

I encourage you will all that I am to cry out to the Lord. Give Him no rest till you find the answer to this question "What Is Church"

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