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I. THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD ekklhsia (ek klay sia)
A. The Word "Church" Never Occurred in The Greek Language
- Without exception, the word translated "church" in the New Testa-
ment is ekklhsia.
2. The Greek verb from which ekklhsia derives is a compound word
formed by combining two Greek words: a. The first word is ek , a preposition which means "out of" or "out from within." b. The second word is kalein , which is the infinitive form of the verb kaleō , and means "to call."
c. Therefore, the noun ekklhsia is accurately translated as "the
called out (ones)" or "assembly."
3. The word ekklhsia, in New Testament times, was a common term
for a meeting of officials who were called to discuss the business or affairs of a free state.
- This word always described a visible assembly of citizens who were normally called out from among the other citizens by the town crier.
5. Therefore an ekklhsia was a local, visible assembly of citizens cal-
led out from among the other citizens to discuss the business of the government entity.
B. The Term ekklhsia Is Not a Religious Term
1. Each Greek city had an ekklhsia or city council.
2. The term ekklhsia was understood, without exception, as an as-
sembly.
- Acts 19:24-41 states this principle: For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver
shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. 25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. 26 Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. 27 So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship." 28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" 29 So the whole city was filled with confusion, and rushed into the theater with one accord, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's travel companions. 30 And when Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. 31 Then some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent to him pleading that he would not venture into the theater. 32 Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, and wanted to make his defense to the people. 34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, all with one voice cried out for about two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" 35 And when the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: "Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? 36 Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess. 38 Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a case against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. 39 But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being called in question for today's uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering." 41 And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.
age brought into England in the fifth and sixth centuries by the German invaders and there developed. The word church was then circe. The mistake made about this time was to associate the words, Lord's house (the meeting place of the assembly), with the congre- gation" (Ibid.).
- At this time in history, the official religious institution of England was known as the Church of England. Clearly, King James (that great Bible scholar!) believed there was no
difference between the word "church" and the biblical word ekklh-
sia; he, therefore, ordered his translators to translate ekklhsia as
"church." It must be noted that this improper translation was made, not to clarify the meaning, but rather to force the words of the Bible to fit a tradition of the Church of England.
- Therefore, instead of a term all could easily understand ("assemb- ly," which is neither mystical nor invisible), the mystical word "church" was used.
- This "small" change has led to much misinterpretation of Scripture today.
D. A Good Definition of the Lord's Ecclesia (ekklhsia)
- "A local, visible assembly of saved, scripturally baptized believers, called out and covenanted together for the purpose of giving glory to the Lord through obedience to His Word."
- This definition automatically rules out the concept of an invisible, universal "church" made up of ALL believers.
- All who have been saved by the grace of God are members of the "family" of God.
- To be a member of the "Lord's assembly," however, requires more than the new birth: it requires commitment, presence and par- ticipation in the "assembly." II. THE KIND OF CHURCH THAT JESUS BUILT
A. This Is The Only Scriptural Pattern
- If the above definition is correct, then it must match, exactly, the assembly that Jesus built.
- Jesus Himself established His assembly during His personal ministry on earth.
- Since Jesus started His assembly during His personal ministry, a close examination of Scripture is required. a. John 1:35-42 state: Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, What do you seek? They said to Him, Rabbi (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), where are You staying? 39 He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas (which is translated, A Stone). b. The scene changes from the Jordan River to the Sea of Galilee where Matthew states in Matthew 4:18-20: And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. c. These men were already saved and had been baptized by John the Baptist. d. The job of John the Baptist was to prepare a people for the Lord as stated in John 1:23:
established.' 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
The assembly which Jesus started had all of these things, given by Jesus Himself while He was still on the earth. His assembly was clearly started BEFORE the Day of Pentecost.
Thus, it must be concluded that Jesus built His assembly during His personal ministry, and the above definition conforms to the character and nature of that assembly.
As a footnote, it must be noted that the events which happened on the Day of Pentecost, constituted the once-and-for-all-time em- powering of the Lord's assemblies. Jesus had given His assembly His authority before He ascended back to heaven, yet He empowered them on Pentecost. B. The Teachings of The Lord's Assemblies
1 Timothy 3:15 outlines the teachings of an assembly of Jesus Christ: These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; 15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
The only thing that remains is to discover the source of truth. a. Jesus stated in His prayer in John 17:17: Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. b. Paul wrote to Timothy the words in 2 Timothy 2:15: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. c. Paul further stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous- ness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work.
- Therefore, a true assembly of Jesus Christ must adhere strictly to the only source of truth, the Bible. "When modern ecclesiology is examined, one is struck by the lack of emphasis placed upon the Word of God. Indeed, even when the Word of God is mentioned, there is very little emphasis placed upon hermeneutical and contextual examination of the text. This type of preaching and teaching, that is so prevalent today, violates the admonishment that Paul gave to Timothy in the above reference" (Dewayne Hoppert, Free , 1999, p.220).
- There is no room for compromise on this point. Believers are not authorized to make any "improvements" in the Word of God. Thus, the work of the believer, especially in a New Testament assembly, is simply: (1) Learn the Truth; (2) Live the Truth; and, (3) Teach the Truth to others. 5.This fact rules out the unscriptural notion that all saved people are part of the Lord's assembly. a. Some teach that salvation is a free gift without any works what- soever, yet others teach some other contingency or "good work" to obtain or keep eternal life. b. Some teach that a saved person can never lose his/her salvation, yet others teach that God will revoke eternal life for certain undesirable behaviors. c. Some teach there is a literal place of eternal torment for the unbeliever, yet some teach that such a concept is only figurative and not to be taken literally. d. Some teach and practice immersion as the only mode for scriptural baptism, yet others practice sprinkling or pouring.
- Certainly teachings so opposite cannot all be true!!
- Therefore, it must be concluded that assemblies that do not teach the truth cannot be scriptural assemblies.
true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay? But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it. 16 So they brought it. And He said to them, Whose image and inscription is this? They said to Him, Caesar's. 17 And Jesus answered and said to them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at Him. (2) Paul stated in Romans 13:1-7: Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
- While these three goals may be desirable by believers, Satan has used these worthy goals to distract true assemblies of Jesus Christ from their God-given task.
- No matter how great the social problem, that is never the priority of the local assembly.
- God understands the social ills of this world are rooted in the sinful hearts of man.
- Therefore, the only way to positively change the condition of the
world is for the hearts of men to be changed!
- The only thing that can change the hearts of men is the proclama- tion of the Gospel accompanied by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.
- Therefore, this is the job of New Testament assemblies: a. Acts 1:8 states: But 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. b. Simply stated, the work of a New Testament assembly is not hard to determine, for Jesus gave the orders in Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [as you all go] therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.
- No other institution, board or organization has the authority and power to accomplish this great work.
- May God grant His assemblies the faith and courage to keep their focus on their number one priority! D. The Ordinances of New Testament Assemblies
- There are only two ordinances which the Lord gave to His assemblies. a. The ordinance of Baptism as seen in Matthew 28:19: Go [as you go] therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, b. The Lord's Supper. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26:
another assembly.
- In the "religious" world there are three basic forms of "church" government: a. Episcopal: rule by a hierarchy of Bishops. b. Presbyterian: rule by a board of Elders. c. Congregational: a democracy where each member has an equal vote.
- Yet, the God-assigned government of New Testament assemblies is not a democracy, rather it is to be a Theocracy! a. Acts 1:21-26 gives an account of a poor attempt at the practice of a Theocracy: Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection. 23 And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen 25 to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. 26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. b. An assembly of Jesus Christ has no right to seek the will of a majority of the members, rather she must seek the will of God if she is to be pleasing to God.
- While the duty of New Testament assemblies is to conform their actions to the Word of God, there are some questions regarding "ways and means" which are not specifically addressed in the Bible. The members, therefore, should pray and then wait for God to reveal His will in all such matters. Some of these matters are: a. Calling a Pastor. b. Deciding where to send a Missionary.
c. Buildings, property and finances.
- It is wonderfully refreshing to know God always has the perfect solution to any problem that one of His assemblies may face; further, He desires to lead His assemblies to that perfect solution if they will only ask and wait upon Him. F. The Reward of the Lord's Assemblies
- For those Scriptural assemblies which remain true and faithful to the Lord, and those members of those assemblies who remain true and faithful, there will be a special reward in Heaven.
- The highest reward for believers will be the selection, by Jesus Christ, to be a part of His "Bride."
- Two Scripture references will be used to demonstrate the reality of this special honor: a. Ephesians 5:25-27 states: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. b. Revelation 19:6-9 states: And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.
- Clearly, not all "churches" have been totally faithful to the Lord and His Word.
- Just as clearly, not all members of Scriptural assemblies have been
ON THE WORDS BAPTISM & CHURCH
"Much misunderstanding in Christianity has been caused by the misinter- pretation of certain key words in the King James translation. For example, the Greek word 'baptizw' ( baptizo ), which means to immerse or dip, was not translated at all; rather it was simply transliterated as the word, baptize. This seemingly insignificant oversight has caused much confusion among English speaking Christians today. An accurate translation of the word in its literal sense of, 'to immerse or dip,' could easily be understood without confusion. The word, 'baptize,' however, now is frequently under- stood as including 'sprinkling or immersion.' The meaning of the word, however, does not allow the idea of 'sprinkling.' "The next word that has caused much confusion is the Greek word 'ekklhsia' ( ekklesia ), which the King James translators translated as 'church.' There are not many language students who fail to understand the meaning of 'ekklhsia' as assembly. At first glance, this change does not appear significant; however, instead of the word 'assembly,' which could be easily understood as 'a local visible assembly,' the word 'church' has taken on a new meaning that is almost mystical in character. This erroneous con- cept of a 'church' teaches the possibility of an invisible, universal church. This difference will be made clear as the study unfolds...." (Dewayne Hoppert, Free , 1999, pp. 191, 192). Note: To transliterate a word is simply a matter of converting its original letters into the corresponding letters of another language. Transliteration is not translation.
KING JAMES' INSTRUCTIONS TO THE KJV TRANSLATORS
A set of rules governing the translation of the King James Bible translation was prepared by Richard Bancroft. Bancroft was the Bishop of London and a high-church Anglican. King James "recommended" these fifteen rules be "carefully observed." Rules #1 and #3, in particular, impacted the transla- tion of the Greek word ekklhsia: "1. The ordinary Bible, read in the church, commonly called the Bishop's Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the original will permit.... "3. The old ecclesiastical words to be kept; as the word church, not to be translated congregation, &c...."
