The Church.
“The Church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all things in every way.” Ephesians 1:22b.
Meaning Of “Church”.
Strong’s Concordance defines “ekklesia” (ek-klay-see-ah), the Greek word for “Church,” as a calling out, a meeting especially, a Christian or Jewish religious congregation ( consisting of members on earth or saints in heaven or both) or assembly.
And according to the Vines dictionary, “Church” has two applications to companies of Christians.
(A) The first application is to the whole company of the redeemed throughout the present era. The company of which Christ said, “I will build my church” Matthew 16:18. And it is always in the singular.
(B) While the second is to a company of professed believers. And it is always in the plural concerning churches in a district.
From the above definitions, we see that the Christian “Church” is:
(a) the gathering together of believers in Christ.
(b) referred to as “Church,” “Churches,” “Church at,” and “Church in.”
(c) a spiritual entity or the Mystical Body of Christ when referred to as the “Church”. And consists of all the “churches.”
(d) the physical gathering together of believers in Christ at a particular location when referred to as “Churches,” “Church at,” and “Church in”.
Beginning Of The Church.
There are two major views on when the Church began.
The first view suggests that the Christian Church began immediately after the resurrection and temporal ascension of Jesus Christ as He breathed on His disciples (Peter included) to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. John 20: 21-22.
While the second view suggests that the Christian Church began on the day of Pentecost, immediately after Christ’s final ascension. When Peter preached and saved three thousand souls. Acts 2:37-41.
Where.
The Christian Church began in Jerusalem. It was primarily Jewish and existed in Judaism. However, it was to spread from Jerusalem and through all Judea to Samaria and the ends of the earth. The Lord Jesus Himself commanded this order for its spread.
How.
“I will build My Church…” Matthew 16:18.
The first step in building His Church was Christ seeking out individuals.
He went for the individuals that will believe Him. And those that believed Him were baptized with water and given the indwelling Holy Spirit. So by the indwelling Holy Spirit, Christ expressed Himself through them individually.
Every born-again believer has the Holy Spirit in measure through the new birth. John 3:5-8; 4:14; 20:20-23. Because it’s the indwelling Holy Spirit that distinguishes Christians.
However, the Holy Spirit indwelling is different from the Holy Spirit infilling. The Holy Spirit infilling or baptism with the Holy Spirit is a separate and more profound experience. While manifesting the Power of the Spirit is the deepest of the three experiences. Luke 3:21-22; 4: 1, 14.
Then the next step in building the Church was for the individual believers to gather together. Acts 1:14,15.
And with the gathering of all the believers that have received the indwelling Holy Spirit. (1) Christ could now express Himself through them corporately as a body. And (2) the spiritual entity, or Mystical Body of Christ, “The Church,” was brought forth. 1 Cor. 12:12,13.
The Dual Gathering Of The Church.
The Church usually gather in two ways. There’s first a large or public gathering where the five-fold ministry of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher train the gathered believers for the work of the ministry. Then there is the smaller or more private gathering in homes, called Church in the house or house fellowship, where the believers minister to one another.
In addition to the believers gathering together, they also function as a body so that the Church is built up. They function as a body because they were all made to drink the same spirit. As it is written, the body without the spirit is dead.
The Role Or Purpose Of The Church.
“He replied: The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; and the good seed-these are the sons of the kingdom.” Matthew 13:37-38.
The role of the Body of Christ is to bring forth the good seed.
So the Individual believers gather together to bring forth the Body of Christ.
And as they train and minister together, The Body builds up to bring forth the “good seed.”
The “good seed” are the sons of the kingdom that usher in the final harvest, the end of the age.
They are the “mature man”, the many-membered body that’s made up of multitudes of mature believers who are like Christ. Ephesians 4:13.
And just as a pregnant woman waits for her delivery time while the child grows in her. So the Body of Christ is also waiting until the time comes for her to bring from within herself her “Seed.”
She is waiting for all those in the gatherings of the believers who responded to the message of the kingdom, “seek first the Kingdom of God,” to come to the “unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
The Selected Few.
“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32.
The Church, Christ’s Body, brings from herself a selected few called “the Seed”, “the mature man” because not all the believers will respond to the call, “seek first the Kingdom of God”.
Also, most believers who attend Sunday meetings are not active in ministry, whether ministry to one another or the world. (This is important if the mature man is to come forth). And though these believers have faith in Christ for their salvation and are faithful in attendance and giving. However, most times, they are preoccupied with the things of the world. The parable of the sower is an apt example of the state of affairs of believers.
But there is also a negligible and insignificant number of brethren who seek first God’s kingdom. And God using His Word and their circumstances and relationships, shape their hearts and minds so that when He calls, they respond.
These are the selected few, the ‘Seed’ or the mature man.
Conclusion.
When the Body of Christ grows into Him, the Head, into Christ, then the purpose of the Church in this regard will have been completed. So that the “until” towards which the Church has been moving for all of these centuries occurs. And something new that is the ministry of “the Seed” or “Mature man” begins.