The New Testament Church, Who Owns It?
http://www.yesumulungi.com/index.php/discernment/415-the-new-testament-church-who-owns-it.html
Kato Mivule | April 26, 2010
Is the Church of Jesus Christ a building, an organization, an empire, or a people separate and consecrated to Him? Man has tried to turn the Church of Jesus Christ into an institution but we take a look at some scriptures that speak about the Church in the New Testament.
Interestingly in His first statement or 'first mention' about the term 'Church' Jesus Christ refers to the Church as “my Church”...
Mat 16:18 KJV And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
We find the word 'Church' first mentioned by Jesus Christ in the Book of Matthew and interestingly Jesus Christ refers to the Church as HIS CHURCH and not man's church. Right at the time that Jesus Christ introduces the concept, the idea, and the construct of the term 'Church', He establishes His Authority over it and total ownership by calling the Church, “My Church”.
This is a very important concept to understand as many folks throughout the centuries have tried effortless to exert human authority and ownership over the Church of Jesus Christ, from prophet, priest, and politician, all have worked and still work at establish themselves at head of the Church.
The result of disregarding who owns The Church has been the birth of churches that belong to men and not Christ and it is being proven today that such churches that claim to be headed by Jesus Christ yet deny His authority and ownership are being predominated increasingly by, fleshly ideologies, worldliness, sin – the very gates of hell.
Men have built churches that are not the Church of Jesus Christ but churches of mere men in which flesh and blood prevail rather than The Holy Spirit - The Spirit of Truth. A number of commentaries do not even attempt mention to whom the Church belongs but rather pat much attention to the functionality of the Church, which is not a bad thing but the question remains as who governs the functionality of the Church and from where does the Church get its marching orders from.
Yet the very Church of Jesus Christ will be victorious and the very gates of hell will not prevail against it. This does not mean that the Church of Jesus Christ will not face challenges, in fact the Church of Jesus Christ will face enormous challenges and in that the very gates of hell will launch onslaughts against her but will not prevail because she is built on this Rock – Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God.
A look at some Bible Dictionaries with a historical perspective give us an insight on the meaning of the term “Church” and the emphasis on its meaning of “called out”...
“...Although ekklesia soon became a distinctively Christian word, it has its own pre-Christian history; and to those, whether Jews or Greeks, who first heard it applied to the Christian society it would come with suggestions of familiar things. Throughout the Greek world and right down to New Testament times (compare Acts 19:39), ekklesia was the designation of the regular assembly of the whole body of citizens in a free city-state, "called out" (Greek ek, "out," and kalein, "to call") by the herald for the discussion and decision of public business....” “...According to Mt 16:18 the name ekklesia was first applied to the Christian society by Jesus Himself, the occasion being that of His benediction of Peter at Caesarea Philippi. The authenticity of the utterance has been called in question by certain critics, but on grounds that have no textual support and are made up of quite arbitrary presuppositions as to the composition of the First Gospel. It is true that Jesus had hitherto described the society He came to found as the "kingdom of God" or the "kingdom of heaven," a designation which had its roots in Old Testament teaching and which the Messianic expectations of Israel had already made familiar. But now when it was clear that He was to be rejected by the Jewish people (compare Mt 16:21), and that His society must move on independent lines of its own, it was natural that He should employ a new name for this new body which He was about to create, and thus should say to Peter, on the ground of the apostle's believing confession, "Upon this rock I will build my church."...” [1]
The Church therefore has to do with a people who are 'called out' and separate from worldliness, sin, and evil, including the religious traditions of men that suppose to act as intermediaries between man and God.
Interestingly I found Fausset's Bible definition and commentary on the term 'Church' as one of the few that ascribe ownership and headship of the Church as to Jesus Christ...
“...From the Greek kuriakee, "house of the Lord," a word which passed to the Gothic tongue; the Goths being the first of the northern hordes converted to Christianity, adopted the word from the Greek Christians of Constantinople, and so it came to us Anglo-Saxons (Trench, Study of Words). But Lipsius, from circus, from whence kirk, a circle, because the oldest temples, as the Druid ones, were circular in form. Ekkleesia in the New Testament never means the building or house of assembly, because church buildings were built long AFTER the apostolic age. It means an organized body, whose unity does not depend on its being met together in one place; not an assemblage of atoms, but members in their several places united to the One Head, Christ, and forming one organic living whole (1 Corinthians 12)...” [2]
There is very good reason as to why we refer to her as “The Church of Jesus Christ”, this is because she belongs entirely to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ owns her, Jesus Christ exercises His Full Authority over His Church. This means that His Word, His Name, His Power, His Lifestyle, His Will, His Teachings and Doctrines constitute His authority and therefore cannot be discarded in any terms by those who claim to lead or any form of stewardship in The Church of Jesus Christ.
Further more Strong's Dictionary gives us a more powerful definition of the Church of Jesus Christ...
G1577
ἐκκλησία |ekklēsia |ek-klay-see'-ah
From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): - assembly, church. [3]
From Strong's definition we see that the Greek term for Church that Jesus Christ used in the text is 'ekklesia' meaning a calling out, an assembly of saints called out...
So, the question is being called out from what? Of course called out and separate from sin, worldliness, religion, and traditions and philosophies of men. So, called out to do what? We are called out to follow Jesus Christ, walking that narrow and difficult path, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ to Heaven. Interestingly the Roman Catholic Church is locally refereed to as the 'ekelezia' in Uganda were I come from.
Therefore we see that The Church of Jesus Christ is not a building, not simply a gathering of folks singing church songs, not a fellowship to simply socialize but it is an assembly of saints who have been called out...the ekklessia – the called out ones...called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ as the head of His Church.
The question then is what type of assembly are you attending? Is Jesus Christ Head over that assembly or is it men who have rejected the authority of Christ for the sake of traditions of men? Have you accepted the call to be 'called out' from worldliness, sin, evil, and traditions of men? Or is your assembly still embroiled in the traditions of men, worldliness and sin?
To be continued...
Notes
[1] Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Definition for 'CHURCH'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". bible-history.com - ISBE; 1915.
[2] Fausset, Andrew Robert M.A., D.D., "Definition for 'Church' Fausset's Bible Dictionary". bible-history.com - Fausset's; 1878.
[3] Strong's Concordance, Number G1577
