Search results
Oct 22, 2019 · “Church” is the translation of the Greek term ekklesia, and is used in the New Testament to identify the community of believers in Jesus Christ. It literally means “assembly,” “congregation,” or “meeting.”
- Communion
The Roman Catholic Church grew in power and split with the...
- Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is an important figure throughout the Bible....
- Communion
"Church is the English translation of the Greek word ekklesia. The use of the Greek term prior to the emergence of the Christian church is important as two streams of meaning flow from the history of its usage into the New Testament understanding of church.
- The Origin of The Church
- The Nature of The Church
- The Church as The People of God
- The Church and Its Mission
The people of God began with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. He created them in his image, which means that they are created in fellowship with their Maker (Gen 1:27). Even though they rebelled against him, he did not reject them but promised to send a Redeemer (3:16). Later, God called Abraham from a family of sun-worshippers and enters into a...
The Church Universal and Local
The word “church” (ekklesia) in the New Testament refers to the church in its many manifestations. The term can refer to churches meeting in homes (1 Cor. 16:19; Phlm. 1–2), to city-wide or metropolitan churches (Acts 8:1; 20:17), corporately with the churches in a specific Roman province (Acts 9:31; 1 Cor. 16:19), and on a few occasions to the whole ecumenical church (Acts 15:22). But the most common uses of the term can mean either the universal or local church.
The Universal Church
Sometimes “church” is used to depict what some may call the universal church, which speaks of the unity of all believers everywhere, both living and dead (Eph. 1:22; 3:20–22; 5:27). The church in this sense is not identical with any one local church, denomination, or association. It is not entirely visible to human beings and refers to the total of all believers from all places and all times.
The Local Church
Most of the time in the NT the “church” refers to the local church, the gathered community of God’s people who are covenanted together to worship the triune God, love one another, and witness to the world (Acts 14:23; 16:5). This designation is the main usage of the term “church”; the Bible emphasizes the church as a local group of identifiable believers committed to Christ and each other, working together to glorify God and to serve his mission. The local church is the primary center of fell...
Under the old covenant, Israel was a mixed community, comprised of believers and unbelievers. In the New Testament, the church is the people of God under the new covenant. While evangelicals differ on how to interpret covenant and define how children of believers relate to the church’s membership, there is wide agreement that the New Testament emph...
In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus gives the Great Commission to his disciples, which becomes the marching orders for the church. He begins by asserting that he is the exalted Son who is Lord over all, both in heaven and on earth, and over all nations (28:18; see also Dan. 7:14). The universality of the commission is striking; Jesus has all authority, dire...
In the King James Version Bible, the English word church appears in the New Testament but not the Old Testament. This simple word church has an interesting background and far reaching meaning. The focus here is how the word church was used prior to the New Testament.
Jan 28, 2021 · The use of the term in the Old Testament in referring to the people of God is important for understanding the term ‘church’ in the New Testament. The Holman Bible Dictionary, in its article "Church," explains the background of the word church:
Feb 23, 2011 · When the early Christians understood themselves as constituting a church, no doubt exists that they perceived themselves as called out by God in Jesus Christ for a special purpose and that their status was a privileged one in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:19).
Jun 3, 2004 · Throughout the history of the church there have been several different, yet basic forms of church government. These include: (1) Episcopalian; (2) Presbyterian; (3) Congregational, and (4) Non-government.
