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Here are a few
random thoughts related to the matter of the church in the
New Testament.
There is an expression of the Body of Christ on the Earth — the
church (Gk. ekklesia—the called out assembly; it stands in
contrast and even in opposition to other forms of society. The NT
designates it by contrasting it to the Jews and the Greeks 1 Cor.
10:32). The “assembly” seems a much better choice than church.
How often the word (singular and plural) is used by different
writers of the New Testament:
1. Matthew — three times.
2. Paul (including Hebrews [which I am inclined to believe
was written by Paul] and Acts [which was written by Luke, Paul’s
companion) — 80+ times.
3. James — once.
4. John — 20+ times. Mainly used in the book of Revelations.
First mention in the New Testament:
1. Matt. 16:18 — here the Lord declares “...I will build My
church...”. We participate in the Lord’s building of the church
according to 1 Cor. 3:10-17. Our participation may result in loss or
blessing depending on what we attempt to put into God’s building. In
the end He will remove whatever is not of Him.
2. Matt. 18:17 — here the Lord shows how the church operates
in dealing with a sinning brother when it cannot be resolved in
private.
Final use in the New Testament: tēs én (city name)
ekklēsías (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14) — of (to) the church in
(city name). In these portions the Lord gives the final
admonitions to particular churches in the New Testament. These are
warnings and exhortations to us, the believers, who are the
constituents of the churches. They guide us in our cooperation and
response to the Lord in His building of the church which He declared
in Matt. 16:18.
The very last verse is Rev. 22:16 which declares that the thing
written in the book of Revelations were for the churches.
The charge to the believers— forsake not the assembling together
(Heb. 10:25)
What constitutes a gathering of the church:
1. two or three gathered into my name (Matt. 16:20).
2. kat’ oikous (Acts 2:46; 20:20 — house to house; or
according to the house.
3. ekklēsía hólē (1 Cor. 14:23) — the whole church comes
together in one place.
4. The NT never shows churches coming together.
Functions of gatherings:
1. for teaching and fellowship (Acts 2:42; 5:42).
2. to break bread (Acts 2:46; 20:7).
3. for prayer (Acts 2:42; 12:12).
4. for messages (Acts 20:7).
5. for building up (Acts14:26).
6. to preach the gospel (Acts 5:42).
7. to testify of the work of God (Acts 15:5, 12).
8. to solve difficulties (Acts 15:22).
9. for the exercise of the gifts (1 Cor. 14).
10. speaking to one another (Eph. 5:19).
11. public reading, exhortation and teaching (1 Tim.
4:13;).
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