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Around the country, more people are beginning to grasp the understanding of ekklesia. I am committed providing ‘all things ekklesia’ to you. It amazes me how so many are writing and proclaiming this message from so many diverse corners in the Body of Christ.
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Last week, my friend Russ Wagner posted an interesting blog that I am reposting with his permission. Its unique title caught my attention; A Word is Worth A Thousand Pictures. Obviously, you are familiar with the opposite way this is declared. Russ, cleverly reminds us how the common word ‘church’ has pigeon holed us into a system that Jesus never intended. Enjoy
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A Word Is Worth A Thousand Pictures
By Russ Wagner
A word is worth a thousand pictures. Yes, I know I said that wrong. Usually we say, "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words." But in this case, I want us to think about just one word and the many pictures that are associated with that word in our mind . That word is "CHURCH." When you say the word, "CHURCH" what images come into your mind? My mind instantly goes back to a little cross-road-town in Northeast Indiana. When I say the word "CHURCH" I picture the Country Church where my family first met Jesus in 1954. I have very pleasant memories of Godly Sunday School teachers who sacrificed their lives to teach me, as a child, the truth of God's Word. I clearly see in my mind the picture of a fiery evangelist standing in the pulpit and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I see lost souls bending low at the alter and getting right with God. I see myself, standing in that very same pulpit, ninteen years later, to preach the Sunday Morning Sermon as their Pastor. These are all wonderful memories...wonderful pictures in my mind. But what if these pictures are not at all what Jesus meant when He said, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18 NKJV) What if He really did not say He would build His "CHURCH?" Well, I can tell you with absolute certainty that He did not say, "I will build My Church." What He did say is, "I will build my EKKLESIA." What is that you ask? Is that not the word from where we get our word "Church?" Actually, it is not. Our English word "Church" comes from another Greek word, "Kuriakon," and it means, "the Lord's" or belonging to The Lord. This word is used only twice in the New Testament: 1.) In I Corinthians 11:20 where it refers to "the Lord's Supper. "Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper." 2.) In Revelation 1:10 where it refers to "the Lord's Day." "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as a trumpet." In both cases it is used as an adjective to describe the owner of the "supper" and the "day." i.e.: The Supper and the Day belong to the Lord. It is not until the 4th Century, during the reign of Constantine in the Roman Empire (306-337 A.D.), when Christians began to take over formerly Pagan Temples and use them as meeting places that we begin to see the word "Kuriakon Oikos," which translated means "The Lord's House." As Christians moved into buildings to use as places of worship of their God, they dedicated those buildings to the Lord. Thus, they became, "The Lord's House." In German the word is KIRCHE, in Anglo-Saxon the word is CIRCE, and in Middle English the word is CHIRCHE. In Modern English we say CHURCH. But that is not what Jesus said He would build! That is what we have built! If you look up the word, "CHURCH" in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary You will find it is:
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These dictionary definitions accurately describe what we all have come to know, love, and cherish as the "CHURCH" that we attend. But once again, this is not what Jesus said He would build! This is what we have built! Jesus did not say, upon this rock I will build my "Kuriakon Oikos"....the Lord's House. He said, "I will build my EKKLESIA." So what does, EKKLESIA actually mean? Stay tuned to this Blog and we will discover together what Jesus said He would build. By the time this study is over, we may want to develop some new pictures in our mind.
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About Our Guest Blogger
From 1972 to 2001 Russ was a Pastor and Church Planter. He started 7 churches in Washington, California, Indiana, and Colorado. From 2001 to 2013 Russ trained and coached Christian Leaders in "start-up" ministries. Though he is often seen with his head in the clouds, his feet are always firmly planted on the ground. He can be found most weekends playing on their lake or fishing with his eight grandchildren. Currently, he is leading a nationwide sales and customer service team here in the U.S.A. for an offshore website design and development team based in India. He is also leading KIng of kings, a fellowship of believers in Columbia City, Indiana. For more information: https://omegakingdomministry.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-word-is-worth-thousand-pictures.html
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