True Church Defined
Matthew 16: 18
After a cursory review of social media, and with people that I personally know, many people are making conscious decisions to stop attending church. To summarize why many of the people that I have encountered no longer attend church, it boils down to experiences with people—from the pastor to the parishioners.
The purpose for this teaching is to define the meaning of church from a biblical perspective.
There are many expressions of church, but not every church is an actual church in accordance with scripture defines as Christ’s Church. As a result, people become victimized by the lack of bible teaching, erroneous teaching, abuse, control, and cultic behavior—all in the name of church.
The word church, which is translated ekklesia, which means called out. An ekklesia is an assembly. Any gathering or congregating of people can be an ekklesia, including a town hall meeting. Acts 19:39 refers to Moses and the church in the wilderness. In this verse, the use of the term church is not referring to Christ’s church, but an ekklesia—the gathering of Israel into the wilderness.
The point: just because you attend a gathering of people that are professing faith in Christ, that are an organized Christian group, or even assembled in a building designated for Christian worship, doesn’t mean that it is Christ’s Church.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus inquires with his disciples concerning his identify among men. He then asked the more direct question, who do you say that I am? Simon responded, Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God.
Jesus responses to Simon is key: Not only does Jesus confirm that Simon had given the right answer, but he acknowledges that Simon’s knowledge of who he is did not come by way of human teaching, but divine revelation.
He then changes Simon’s name to Peter, which means rock/stone. During this time period a name denoted a description of the person’s character. For Jesus to change the disciple’s name from Simon to Peter, it denoted a change in the character of Simon.
When Jesus says that upon this rock I will build my church, he’s not saying that Peter will build the church, but that Christ’s church will consist of a people that having received divine revelation concerning who Christ is, it will result in a change in their character.
If any man be in Christ he is a new creature/creation, old things are passed away, all things are made new, 2 Cor. 5:17.
Christ’s church is made up of a people that have been transformed, regenerated, which means to be born again, made over, and made better. Collectively, the entire body of those that have been regenerated are what the scripture refers to as the Body of Christ, which is Christ’s Church, and Christ is head of the body.
When you study the 2-3rd Chapters of Revelation, you’ll learn the following about Christ’s Church:
It is made up of a body of people, universal, that are loyal in the midst of persecution.
It is made up of a body of people, universal, that capitalizes on every door [opportunity] that God opens. They’re not praying about it, meeting about it, or waiting for a committee to vote on it. When God opens a door they enter therein.
It is made up of a body of people, universal, that hear Christ’s voice in their spirit. They are called out of the gathering assemblies, called out of empty professing churches, called out of lukewarm Christian Organization Groups, and into His Church.