God's Church: "Church" Sounds Greek to Me!
Sounds Greek to Me!
Actually, it sounds Greek, English, and Hebrew to us… Let me explain:
The English Word
The English word "church" means "belonging to the Lord." The only two uses of that word in the New Testament occur in 1 Corinthians 11:20 (referring to the Lord's Supper) and Revelation 1:10 (referring to the Lord's Day).
1 Corinthians 11:20 NASB "Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper..."
Revelation 1:10 NLT "It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast."
The word came to be used to refer to other things such as the place or people or denomination or country related to the group that belongs to the Lord.
The Hebrew Word
The Hebrew word means simply an assembly and is usually translated in the Septuagint by ekklesia. However, it does not necessarily refer to a religious assembly (Gen. 28:3; 49:6; Ps. 26:5), nor even to a congregation of human beings (Ps. 89:5), though most often it does refer to the congregation of Israel.
And Now the Greek Word
The Greek word, ekklesia, meant an assembly and was used in a political, not a religious sense. It did not refer to the people but to the meeting; in other words, when the people were not assembled formally they were not referred to as an ekklesia. The word is used in this same secular Greek way two times in the New Testament (Acts 19:32, 41).
Acts 19:32 NASB So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly (ekklesia) was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together.
Acts 19:41 NASB After saying this he dismissed the assembly (ekklesia).
When the Greek word is used in the New Testament, it takes on much richer and fuller aspects to that basic secular meaning. For example, the people themselves, whether assembled or not, are the ekklesia. Nevertheless, the word as used in the New Testament still retains the basic meaning of an assembly and does not take on a supposed theological meaning (based on the breakup of the word into its two parts, "call" and "out of") a "called out" people. If the word is going to be translated on the basis of etymology, then it should be translated "called together" not "called out". We are “called out” individually to join Christ, and now are “called together” to serve Him.
And Serve Him we will…. to the glory of God. Looking forward to seeing the called together this Sunday to worship as we do life with the living Lord.
Pastor Mike
(602) 510-5563
"I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." -Jesus
