The Nature of the Church: The Church as Ekklesia I. Introduction A. The nature of the church has been a contentious issue in the history of Christianity B. We can see in history a progression of thought regarding the church going from an assembly of believers to an organization/institution wherein the organization itself saves C. Roman Catholicism has developed entirely based on the idea of the church as an organization in which salvation dwells 1. Not only that, the buildings in which Roman Catholics would assemble took on a "holy" quality and to this day many think of buildings when they think of a "church" D. The Reformation and later individuals did much to recognize that the ideas of the church as the source of salvation and the supposed sanctity of church buildings were false, yet to this day in most denominations the New Testament conception of the church is not recognized E. Buildings still have "holy" value, and the belief persists that the church represents more than the body of believers F. The New Testament reveals that the "church" is not a building nor an institution that in and of itself can dispense salvation but is simply the collection of believers; in other lessons we may explore some of these concepts further, but at this time let us examine the terms used to define the "church," both in English and in the New Testament II. The Term "Church" A. Let us first look at the English term "church" B. It may come as a surprise to many that the word "church" is never in the New Testament! 1. the word derives from the Middle English "chirche," which itself derived from the Old English "cirice;" compare also the Scottish "kirk." 2. These words ultimately derived from the Greek "kuriakon" (The letter "c" is foreign to Greek, and we often use "c" for Greek "k"s), the neuter form of the adjective "kuriakos," which means "of the Lord," and normally paired with the Greek word "doma," which all together gives us "the house of the Lord" C. We can see, then, that the word "church" is defined most accurately according to its etymology as "the thing of the Lord," or, with the idea of the "kyriakon doma," "the house of the Lord." D. While the "church" in the New Testament is certainly the thing of the Lord, the New Testament term for the "church" does not have this definition, as we shall see. Where, then, did the term come from? 1. The term "church" was established as an English term and was preferred in the sixteenth and seventeenth century Bible translators not for its accuracy but to protect the interests of the Anglican church 2. The situation is similar to that regarding the transliteration of "baptism" as opposed to translating it "immersion" E. We see, therefore, that the term "church" provides inaccurate denotations of the "church" of the New Testament; how should we look at the "church" in the New Testament? III. The Term Ekklesia A. The word translated in English as "church" is the Greek term ekklesia B. What does ekklesia mean? 1. From what I have seen, the majority of persons who comment on this term break it apart into its constituent parts and make its definition from them; if we do this, we get the Greek preposition "ek," meaning "from, out," and the Greek verb "kaleo," meaning "to call." 2. The ekklesia, then, is "those called out" 3. This definition is suitable for comparisons to Biblical truths as found in Colossians 1:13, Colossians 3:3, etc. that we were called out from the world and translated into the Kingdom of His Son 4. I do not dispute the validity of the idea that we have been "called out" from the world into Christ, but the term ekklesia by the first century CE had taken on its own meaning distinct from its origin: an assembly C. Ekklesia as assembly 1. In Acts 19:22-41, we read of the account of the riots in Ephesus 2. The pagans saw their livelihood being stripped from them by the emergence of Paul's teaching on Christ, and therefore rioted in the city 3. It is interesting to see that in Acts 19:39 and Acts 19:41 there are references to the "assembly--" the ekklesia--;and neither of them refers to the "church!" 4. What do they refer to? 5. The assembly in Acts 19:41 refers just to a collected crowd without inherent organization 6. Regarding Acts 19:39: In the development of the Greek city-states of the Classical period-- beginning roughly in the eighth century BCE and perfected by the fifth century BCE-- we can see in many of these city-states the existence of an ekklesia that functioned in government 7. These assemblies represented the collection of male citizens of the city-state and would have some part in the decisions of governance 8. In some city-states, like Sparta, the ekklesia functioned as the final determiner of what the elders and the kings wanted 9. The most famous ekklesia, of course, was in Athens, and by the fifth century BCE it held the most power in the whole city 10. We can see from Acts 19 that the concept of the ekklesia as the assembly in which decisions of local governance were made D. Seeing, then, that the first century world would have seen the ekklesia as an assembly like the ones used in governance of cities, how can we understand the church of the New Testament as an ekklesia? IV. Applications of Ekklesia A. It should first be noted that the use of the term ekklesia by Jesus and then by the Apostles is significant in its connotations 1. Most religious systems of the day operated on a distinction between priests and the people, the existence of mystery cults, and significant stratification within religions 2. The idea of the ekklesia, however, is not as hierarchial B. We also should not take the comparison too far 1. The Greek ekklesia, after all, represents a political institution whose purpose is to draft laws and establish policy 2. The ekklesia of Christ, however, is a spiritual collective of persons in Christ Jesus who are to obey the laws already established by Him 3. We can, nevertheless, gain insight into the nature of the "church" by looking at the Greek ekklesia C. The Greek ekklesia consisted of "equal" persons 1. The ekklesia in Athens represented the assembled citizens of Athens on a given day-- and they all were equal 2. Granted, citizens were only males, but it is rather revolutionary to have a system where the poorest man and the richest man, the man with the least land and the man with the most land, both have votes of the same value 3. Yes, there were often "cults of personality" that developed, and factions generally existed between various groups affiliated with one or two strong speakers, yet nevertheless the equality of the ekklesia is notable in an otherwise stratified world D. The ekklesia of Christ consists of "equal" persons 1. We must first recognize that in the establishment of the ekklesia Christ determined to have elders who would shepherd the flock and deacons to serve it (1 Timothy 3) 2. Nevertheless, that elder and that deacon are just as amenable as the youngest Christian to the law of Christ and every soul has equal value in the sight of God and within the ekklesia 3. Galatians 3:28: within the ekklesia there are no distinctions between genders, races, ethnicities, or cultures 4. We do see in Christ's ekklesia often "cults of personalities" around preachers or elders, and this ought not be E. The Greek ekklesia allowed participation by all 1. It was possible for any man to stand up and speak regarding the issues of the day 2. Most generally elected not to, but the capability did exist for anyone present in the ekklesia, which is also notable F. The ekklesia of Christ allows participation by all 1. Again, we must first note that Christ did set apart some roles for men that require authority and that women should overall be silent in the assembly (1 Timothy 2:11-15, 1 Corinthians 14:34) 2. Nevertheless, all members of the ekklesia are called upon to sing praises to God, pray to Him, to hear the lesson, to partake of the Lord's Supper, and all are encouraged to participate in whatever capacity they can in the work of Christ 3. Again, in much of the work of Christ many elect not to participate, and this also ought not be G. The Greek ekklesia continued generation after generation, with the younger learning from the older and they in turn teaching their young 1. Although it generally varied in power, the ekklesia in Athens continued for hundreds of years 2. As fathers considered it important to have their say in government, they would take their sons when at the appropriate age and would instruct them in the ways of the ekklesia 3. Different strong personalities came and went but overall the ekklesia managed to maintain its authority at least in civic affairs H. The ekklesia of Christ, while always maintaining Christ as its head, continues generation after generation, with the younger learning from the older and they in turn teaching their young 1. One of the critical responsibilities of parents is to instruct their young in the admonition and obedience of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) 2. If the children see that their parents consider it important to assemble as the ekklesia and to obey God in all matters, then they also will follow in that path 3. It is also critical for the people of God to maintain the ekklesia as having Christ as its head and the elders as equals shepherding the flock on the basis of their wisdom and experience, and never invest in a man any form of authority over the whole ekklesia (Matthew 23:8-10) V. Conclusions A. We have seen from these examples that the term ekklesia was well-suited to define the collective of the children of God B. We have allowed our English term "church" in many ways detract from the idea of the Greek (and Latin) term ekklesia; take your Bible and read the word "assembly" as opposed to "church" whenever the latter is seen and you can begin to appreciate the purpose of Christ with His Assembly C. The "church" is far from the highly organized instrument of salvation of the Roman Catholics or their concept of the holy building D. It is the assembly of saints who come together as equals before their Lord Jesus Christ to participate in His worship and obedience and the instruction of the younger generation to follow in His steps E. The Athenian ekklesia was limited to citizens of Athens, and it was very difficult for anyone from other communities to become a part of this group F. The ekklesia of Christ, however, is not so difficult to enter, and all men and women are called regardless of race, previous religion, ethnicity, culture, or gender G. One can be counted as one who helps to comprise the ekklesia of Christ if he has believed in Christ, confessed Him before men, repented of his sins, has been immersed in water for the remission of his sins, and who obeys Christ in all things H. Ephesians 4:4 is clear that there is only one body and Colossians 1:18 tells us that this body is the ekklesia; if we can help you in any way become a part of that ekklesia or to return to that ekklesia, let us as we stand and sing