The Ekklesia


 


THE EKKLESIA

 

 

In Greek culture there was this gathering in which the people of a town, city or region would be called out from their homes, businesses, and daily life to assemble in a certain public place to discuss something. 

 

Though used as a political meeting, it was not confined to that purpose.  

 

The involvement of ALL was fundamental… giving everyone the equal opportunity to congregate for the exchange of ideas. 

 

 

So much so, that a collection was taken up enabling even the poor to take off work without fear of lost wages. 

 

 

This open-forum meeting was called, The EKKLESIA…

 

 

…a concept or an idea basically not directly translatable to English

 

 

Ekklēsía (from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 2564 /kaléō, "to call")

 

Thayer’s Greek Dictionary describes it as: a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place; an assembly;

so used among the Greeks from Thucydides (cf. Herodotus 3, 142) down, as “an assembly of the people convened at the public place of council for the purpose of deliberating:” 

 

 

 

The English word, “Church”, however, comes from the German word, “kerk or kirkos”… from which we get our word, “circus”. 

 

 

It denotes a holy meeting PLACE… a ring or circle of worship. 

 

 

 

When scripture quotes Christ saying, "Upon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it..." the word, “Kerk/Kirkos” wasn’t used.  

 

 

Instead, the Greek manuscripts use a commonly understood contemporary term, "Ekklesia", to describe what HE was building. 

 

 

He could have said: "Upon this Rock I will build my Temple”..."my Synagogue"… “family”… “people”… or “Tabernacle”… but He didn't. 

 

 

Suddenly, scriptures like 1 Corinthians 12&14 are clearer… revealing a functional, collective assembly of the habitation of God through the Spirit… A body where each interactive part makes up the whole. 

 

 

 

 Hebrews 10:5  “…a BODY hast thou prepared me”

 

 

Colossians 3:15–16 “…ye are called in ONE BODY… teaching and admonishing ONE ANOTHER in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…”

 

 

Ephesians 4:16 “…From whom the WHOLE BODY fitly joined together and compacted BY THAT WHICH EVERY JOINT SUPPLIETH, according to the effectual working in the measure of EVERY PART, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

 

 

1 Peter 4:10 “As EVERY MAN hath received the gift, even so minister the same ONE TO ANOTHER, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

 

 

Colossians 2:19 “…holding the Head, from which ALL THE BODY by joints and bands having nourishment MINISTERED, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God”

 

 

We try repeatedly to  make the term “Church” fit what we perceive Christ to be building, but it was never intended from the beginning. 

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