The Church

The subject of "church" is an interesting study, and will be discussed here briefly.  The word is thrown around rather lightly and often incorrectly in our society today.  Many speak of it as a building, as in the question, "Where is your church?"  And yet we know that it is spoken of differently in the Bible. 

"Church" is a Biblical word.  Jesus introduced the subject in Matthew 16:18.  Peter had just make the declaration that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God."  The Jesus followed that by saying, "...on this rock I will build My church..."  Jesus was not saying that a physical building would be built, but rather, that the institution "ecclesia" meaning gathering or "group" in Greek would be built on the fact that Jesus was the Son of God.

It is interesting to me that Jesus didn't try to form this group during his lifetime.  I would think that anyone trying to start something like this would try to do it in their lifetime.  Jesus chose simply to teach and prepare His followers to build the church after He left them.  It is with this approach that Jesus taught His apostles to wait in Jerusalem after His leaving (Acts 1:8) and, "...you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  The apostles did just that and thus the church was born, beginning in Acts chapter 2.

To be clear, let me restate that the church of Jesus Christ began with the major event in Acts chapter 2 as we see the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles, just as Jesus had promised.  The church was planned and discussed before this, but had not begun.  At the end of Acts 2 we read that the new converts, numbering in the thousands there in Jerusalem, were "praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."

Wow!  What a beginning.  We might note in passing that the word "church" is used in two senses in the Bible, one being the local group, and another the overall group of Christians everywhere.  But they/we are just God's people who are trying to follow Jesus.

And they/we are taught to meet together and work together to accomplish the spreading of the Word of God to others....and to worship.  The church was important enough for Jesus to die for it, and we must show our love for it, as well.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great, God-filled week.