Term: Church
Meaning
The word used in English today for "church" comes from the
Greek word kuriakos, meaning "The Lord's." It came to be
used in a phrase like kuriakon doma, "the Lord's house,"
the building where local Christians met.
However, in the New Testament, the word for "church" is
the Greek word ekklesia, which means "assembly." The word
ekklesia appears 92 times in Acts and in the New Testament letters,
where it describes a community of
Christians who have been called and set apart by
God. In the New Testament the word "church" never refers
to a building or to an institution.
General Bible teaching
Numerous images are used to describe the church
in the New Testament.
1. The church as the body of Christ:
Christians are members of Christ's body on earth and are meant to grow
towards maturity. "And he [Christ] is the head of the body, the
church." Colossians 1:18. See also 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians
1:22; 4:1-16.
2. The church as the family of the Father: Christians have God as their
Father and fellow-Christians are brothers and sisters in God's family.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole
family in heaven and on earth derives its name." Ephesians 3:14.
See also John 13:33,34; Ephesians 5:1,2; 1 John 5:1,2.
3. The church as the temple of the Holy Spirit: Christians are described
as living stones in God's holy temple. "As you come to him, the
living Stone… you also, like living stones, are being built into
a spiritual house." 1 Peter 2:4,5. See also Ephesians 2:21,22.
Quote to ponder
"The church is the only institution supernaturally
endowed by God. It is the one institution of which Jesus promised
that the gates of hell will not prevail against it." Church Colson
What others say about the Bible …
"It is impossible to righteously govern the
world without God and the Bible." - George Washington
"The New Testament is the very best book that was or ever will
be known in the world." - Charles Dickens
"Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but
because it contradicts them." - Author Unknown
"Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet-anchor of your liberties.
Write its precepts in your hearts, and practice them in your lives."
- U. S. Grant
