Grace Bible Church Gillette, Wyoming

Grace Bible Church

4000 E. Collins Rd. P.O. Box #3762 Gillette, WY 82717 (307) 686-1516

- Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 -

ECCLESIASTICAL VIEW OF THE CHURCH:

THE LOCAL EKKLÊSIA (CHURCH)

(Various Scriptures) 10/21/12

Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming

Pastor Daryl Hilbert

I. THE LIVING EKKLÊSIA (CHURCH)

A. The Greek word for church in the NT is ekklêsi,a which is made up of two Greek words, ek - “out of” and & kale,ō “to call.” So it could be said the church is made up of those who were “called out by God” or the “called-out ones.”

B. Though “church” can refer to a building or even an ecclesiastical organization, it particularly means the living organism of all who have placed their faith in Christ’s atonement and have become members of His body through the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:23; Col 1:18; 1Co 12:13). The corpus of living believers could be called the Living Ekklêsi,a (Church) and are shown in many NT passages (Mat 16:18; 1Co 10:32; Eph 1:22; Eph 3:10). If one were to include all believers in this age, either living or present with the Lord, it could be called the Universal Ekklêsi,a (Church) (Eph 3:21).

II. THE LOCAL EKKLÊSIA (CHURCH)

A. There is another concept of the church where the Living Ekklêsi,a (Church) congregated and constituted the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church). The Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) is the gathering of true believers for the purpose of regular and organized worship.

B. This gather was called an ekklêsi,a which also means “an assembly or meeting place.” In a generic sense it was a gathering of citizens (Acts 19:32) or legal gathering (Acts 19:39). But it was also used for the assembling of Israel (Deut 9:10; 2Ch 7:8; Ezr 10:1) as well as the assembly of NT churches (Acts 18:22; Gal 1:22).

C. What constitutes an ekklêsi,a as the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church)? Is it merely any gathering of any number of believers for any purpose? Did Jesus mean that when any two or three believers gather it constituted a Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) in Mat 18:20?

1. First of all, Mat 18:20 was not defining what is an ekklêsi,a, but rather was referring to discipline within the church. The “two or three” refer to the witnesses in vs. 16 who become confirming witnesses in the process of Church Discipline.

2. Secondly, there are distinctions of the NT ekklêsi,a which constitute what an ekklêsi,a is and does. The gathering of believers most certainly can produce biblical fellowship, edification, and encouragement. But the mere gathering of believers of any number does not automatically constitute a Local Ekklêsi,a (Church).

3. The Lord is always present with a believer whether alone or in a group of believers (Mat 28:20).

III. THE DISTINCTIONS OF A LOCAL EKKLÊSIA (CHURCH)

A. It Existed as an Organized Establishment

1. There are numerous distinctions, purposes, and involvement in the Scriptures that constitute what is an actual Local Ekklêsi,a (Church).

2. Primarily we see the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) was structured , organized, and established, so that certain purposes could be accomplished, especially organized worship. This is much different from mere gatherings of believers.

a) God is a God of order and the church is structured and orderly (1Co 14:33).

b) Churches were established in every city (1Co 1:2; 1Th 1:1).

c) Churches were established in every region (Rom 16:16; Gal 1:22; Rev 1:4).

B. It Possessed Organized Leadership

1. Important to any organized group is the structure of appointing and maintaining leaders according to Biblical principles.

2. Leadership and Biblical qualifications for such leadership was paramount in the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) and part of its normal order of business.

a) Appointing elders was the first order of business (Acts 14:23).

b) Appointing elders “set in order” (epidiotho,ō - set straight) the church (Tit 1:5).

c) Paul communicated his concerns to the elders of the church (Acts 20:17).

d) Spiritual qualifications for elders were a major emphasis (1Ti 3:5ff).

C. It Included Authoritative Accountability (Church Discipline)

1. The Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) was not established to become the ecclesiastical police. However, Christ, as the Head of the church, His body, does demand Christ-like conduct within and without the church.

2. A structured guideline is given by our Lord to the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) in regard to those who profess the name of Christ, but habitually and willfully refuse to live according to Christ’s principles.

a) The Church was one of the final steps in Church Discipline (Mat 18:17).

b) The Church was to remove the sinning believer from the Church (1Co 5:12-13).

D. Its Purpose was to Worship and Pray

1. Certainly one does not need to come inside a church just to pray, but there is a special sense when the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) and its leadership pray on certain occasions and for certain purposes.

2. The Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) is a place where prayer requests can be made and the whole body prays for them.

a) The elders of the church are called on for prayer for the sick (Jm 5:14).

b) The elders of the church in a sense were ordained by prayer (Acts 14:23).

c) The whole church prays as a spiritual group for needs (Acts 12:5).

E. Its Purpose was to Teach And Instruct

1. One of the main purposes for the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) was to teach the “apostle’s teaching” (Acts 2:42), who were given the truth of God by revelation.

2. Teaching and instruction took place to edify the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church)and keep it from false teaching.

a) The apostles taught the same truths to all of the churches (1Co 4:17; 7:17; Acts 16:5).

b) The apostles taught God’s truth to the churches in their letters (Col 4:16; 3Jo 1:9).

c) Teaching God’s Word in the church edifies the church (1Co 14:12).

d) Teaching God’s Word instructs proper conduct for the church (1Ti 3:15).

e) Teaching God’s Word keeps the church from false teaching (Eph 4:11-14).

F. It was Involved in Ministry

1. The Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) was involved in ministry by sending out individuals approved by the church for ministry.

2. The Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) was strengthened by being involved in ministry and hearing reports of the great things God was doing.

a) The church sent out ministries and missionaries (Acts 15:22).

b) The church was encouraged by hearing ministry reports (Acts 14:27; 15:3-4).

c) The church was strengthened and engaged in evangelism (Acts 16:5).

G. It Included Spiritual Gifts

1. Spiritual gifts are given to individual believers who make up the Living Ekklêsi,a (Church).

2. However, the main exercise of spiritual gifts is to be in the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) in order to spiritually build up both the Living and Local Ekklêsi,a (Church).

a) God appointed spiritual gifts in the church (1Co 12:28).

b) God appointed spiritual gifts for the church (1Co 14:23).

c) Instructions are given concerning the use of gifts in the church (1Co 14:28).

H. It Included Giving And Meeting Needs

1. The Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) becomes an organized way in which finances can be collected.

2. The Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) was involved in giving to other churches and individuals in ministry and in need.

a) Collections were taken in churches for special needs (1Co 16:1; 2Co 8:1).

b) Some churches were reproved for not giving (Php 4:15).

c) Churches financially supported individuals in ministry (3Jo 1:6).

I. It Included the Ordinances

1. The Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) was a format for the exercise of Church Ordinances.

2. Church Ordinances were given to the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) to be carried out for the strengthening and testimony of the Christ and His church.

a) The church met together to partake of the Lord’s Supper (1Co 11:18-22).

b) The church baptizes believers when they are saved (Acts 2:40-41).

IV. THE PLACE OF THE LOCAL EKKLÊSIA (CHURCH)

A. The Early Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) Met in House-Churches

1. There is no question that the Lord is more concerned about the believer’s heart in worship than the place of worship. But the place of worship was an important aspect of the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) both practically and spiritually.

2. The only record we have from Scripture is that the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) of the early church met in homes (Rom 16:5; 1Co 16:19; Col 4:15; Phm 1:2 cp. Acts 12:12) (The only exception being Acts 2:46, where they continued with one mind in the temple).

a) The house-church was not to be the rule for all churches of all generations. Rather the reason quite simply was that in most cases numbers and resources were low.

b) Furthermore, much of the early church history shows that the church was under persecution and not permitted to meet openly and publically. The church was not permitted to publically worship until aprox. A.D. 260 when Emperor Gallienus ordered an edict of toleration. In all reality, it was not until the A.D. 313, in the Edict of Milan by Constantine that the church truly was given freedom and safety to worship publically, which included having their church properties returned without payment. To promote Christianity, Constantine built several Christian basilicas for the purpose of public Christian worship.

c) The oldest known house/church (it was both a house and a church in separate room) in transition was Dura Europos on the Euphrates River in eastern Roman Syria. In approximately A.D. 240, it was a remodeled from a house to house and a church which included a round room for assembling and a baptistery room.

B. The Model for Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) Buildings was Israel

1. The model of the Local Church for the early Jewish believers would certainly have been the Jewish Temple. It was God Himself who gave the Israelites this model. It began with the instructions to construct the Tabernacle (Exo 25:9). This mobile place of worship appears to be specifically tailored for the wandering Israelites in the wilderness (Acts 7:44). It was God who put it in David’s heart to pursue a permanent house of God (1Ch 17:1 cp. Acts 7:46). So David’s son, Solomon, built the Frist Temple of the Lord (1Ch 17:11-12 cp. Acts 7:47). God sanctioned the house of the Lord by consuming the burnt sacrifices and filling it with His glory and presence (2Ch 7:1).

2. However, because of Israel’s disobedience, God allowed them to be taken into captivity and the Temple was destroyed (2Ki 25:8-10). Yet Israel’s release, under the direction of Ezra and Zerubbabel, the Temple was rebuilt (Ezr 5:2, 11; 6:15, 17). Years later Herod built a Temple with the Jews in mind. This Temple was not only an important part of Jewish worship in the time of Jesus, but Jesus Himself worshipped at the Temple (Luk 2:27, 46; Mat 21:12; 26:55; Jn 2:16; 7:14).

3. It would have been quite natural for the early church to desire a Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) in larger buildings where a large number could assemble.

V. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

A. Both the Living Ekklêsi,a (Church) and the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) are major parts of the mindset of God and the Scriptures. Failure to give them their proper significance is to miss God’s plan and program for the church’s worship and ministry.

B. To allow attitudes of anti-institution, anti-organization, anti-authority, or anti-church is to promote an unbiblical representation of worship and ministry. This does not mean that there will not be problems within the organization of the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church), but these will never outweigh the spiritual benefit gained by the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church). God planned and modeled the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) as a place for regular assembling for worship, edification, ministry, and encouragement for the Living Ekklêsi,a (Church).

C. The Contemporary House-Church Movement is certainly not an unbiblical movement without particular benefits (individual participation, intimate fellowship). But these can have disadvantages as well as internal problems. To insist that the House-Church Movement is the only biblical format for worship is to misunderstand God’s purpose for the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church), God’s sanctioned model of the Local Ekklêsi,a (Church) in the OT, and the history and situation of the early church.