Most people have formed their conceptions of the church by their association with various churches. Early in life we form thoughts about things around us. We think about the church based upon our experiences while growing up, where we attended and what we were taught. We should allow the Scriptures, not just our experiences with churches, to develop within us what the church is. There are some simple but profound descriptions given in Scripture to help us to know what is meant by the word, church.

There is one message, one Bible, one body of truth for all of mankind to follow. The Body of Christ is spiritual; it is one in essence and function. Everyone should be a member of this spiritual Body and must be in order to please God and find redemption.

The word, church, in the original means simply an assembly of people. It is used to refer to the descendants of Jacob leaving the bondage of Egypt and entering the wilderness. Stephen referred to them as "the church in the wilderness." (Acts 7:38.) It is used to describe the assembly in Ephesus in a townhall. (Acts 19:39, 41.) When Paul preached in Ephesus, the people became very upset with the implications of the Gospel. Demetrius, a silversmith, was going to lose a lot of business if the people turned from the shrines of Diana that he made. And, of course, the word is used to describe the gathering of Christians together on the first day of the week. (1 Cor. 11:18, 20.)

The word, church, in Scripture is a common word without the weighty theological and religious significance that it has today. The KJV translators made a theological word from it by translating it assembly when it had no religious significance, but church when it was a religious assembly. It has been turned into an ecclesiastical word to refer to an institution, rather than a simple word to refer to the resulting company of believers after Jesus has been proclaimed. "Now you are the body of Christ and members in particular." (1 Cor. 12:27.)

Our preaching must be Christ-centered, not church-centered. Something is wrong with our understanding of Christianity if we preach and think more about the church than we do Jesus and the cross. Any message about the church that excludes the life of Jesus is incomplete and meaningless. Yes, Jesus purchased the church with his blood (Acts 20:28), but He did not die for an institution. He died for lost mankind. Paul wrote, "You are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's." (1 Cor. 6:20.) We should think of the church as the redeemed of God by Jesus death on Calvary.

One interesting way to study this theme of the Body of Christ is to follow one writer as he describes God’s people in the context of each letter. For example, look at the prophets as they foretold the coming Kingdom or the Gospels as the time nears for its conception, or the letters after believers are added to the Lord. Each will enrich our understanding of the Body of Christ. I have selected seven NT books that speak often about the church. Each one says something special about our subject, which will broaden and increase our appreciation for our redemption.

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." (Eph. 1:4-5.)

"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him, in whom we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ." (1:10-12.)

"Whereby, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel." (3:4-6.)

". . . might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."" (1:10-11.)

Paul tells us many good things about the church in Ephesians. Among them are these:

1. God’s plan of redemption for mankind was made before the creation of the world, before the Jewish nation existed, before the Law of Moses. Therefore, it was not a last minute decision made in an emergency after the Jews rejected Jesus. The cross was in the plan of God from the beginning. Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom and failed to do so.
2. Our redemption in Jesus Christ is the singular predestined event in Scripture. Individuals are not predestined, but the place of salvation was determined in the mind of God before the creation.
3. The mystery not known by the Jews or Gentiles is how that God would bring both bodies together by the cross into one body. Jews and Gentiles would become fellow-heirs in the church.
4. One outstanding statement by Paul is that God has made us "accepted in the beloved." (1:6.)
5. This letter was written to the church at Ephesus, yet we learn little about tha one church. We learn much more about the church as a whole---its glory and scope.

"Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. The rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock." (7:24.)

"Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (16:17-18.)

". . . household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone." (Eph. 2:20.)

John the Baptist and Jesus preached, "Repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (3:2, 4:17.)

In Jesus’ day, events were quickly moving to a climax concerning the fulfillment of many promises made about the kingdom of God and our salvation in Jesus. Matthew described those events are they were taking place. His Gospel is the story of Jesus’ life. The church is built centrally upon that message of Jesus’ life. The four gospel accounts are important for that reason. Alexander Campbell was fond of comparing the OT to the NT in the arrangement of the first five books. Moses first five books of the OT form the Law or Torah. The first five books of the NT are significant laying the foundation for all that follows. Jesus’ life and the history of the work of the apostles in preaching the resurrected Christ is the heart of the New Covenant. Just as the Jew would return time and again to the Torah, so must we return to the Gospels and to Acts to learn the foundational truths of Christianity.

Whatever truths there are for us to know and understand, we must go to inspiration to find them. Whatever God has planned for us spiritually, we must find it in Scripture. The Gospels form the heart of that message.

We could summarize what Matthew says about the church is this way:

1. I will build my church. (16:18.)
2. I will suffer for it. (16:21-23.)
3. I am in the midst of it. (18:20.)
4. I will save it. (19:23-30.)
5. I will return for it. (25:1-13.)

"And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father which, saith he, ye have heard of me." (1:4.)

"But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (1:8.)

The apostles did receive power from upon high, being filled with the Holy Spirit of God. They preached by the knowledge and power of the Spirit. Gifts were given unto the apostles to aid them in making known God’s will and strengthening the church.

"Then they that gladly received his word was baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. . . And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (2:41, 47.)

Luke, the historian, tells how the early church grew in numbers spreading from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the world. We are told something very important in Acts; that is, what a lost person must do to be added to the Lord’s body.

"And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue believed on the Lord with all this house, and many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized." (18:8.) If we respond to the Gospel as the Corinthians did, we will likewise be Christians as they were and added to the church.

One of the most interesting stories of conversion is that of the Ethiopian eunuch. It is a simple story about a Christian, Philip, teaching him the Gospel and baptizing him. He was immersed in water for the forgiveness of his sins. When Philip reached his chariot, the eunuch was reading the prophet Isaiah and pondering its meaning. He probably also read in Isaiah about a time when eunuchs would no longer be called "a dry tree." They no longer would need to stand outside the temple while others entered for worship. Eunuchs were not permitted to enter the temple, but they were all allowed to enter the eternal kingdom of God and be a part of the local assembly of Christians.

The key word in Hebrews is better. We have a better covenant established upon better promises. (8:6.) The writer said that Moses was faithful in all his house as a servant. "But Christ as a son over his own house, whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." (3:6.) Jesus has more glory than Moses inasmuch as he built the house. "For every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is God." (3:4.)

Later, the writer called the church "a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands." (9:11.) The most holy place today is surely heaven itself where Jesus ascended to serve as our great High Priest. The holy place would certainly include the church. Here the Spirit of God dwells and man worships God through Christ.

In contrast to the tabernacle and temple of old, the church is a spiritual house. Collectively, all Christians make up the temple of God.

"Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." (1 Cor. 3:16-17.)

"You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5.)

". . . of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom the whole building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph. 2:20-21.)

What a mistake to call the meeting place of Christians a sanctuary! The sanctuary under the Law was the holy place. Behind the veil was the most holy place. (Heb. 9:1-3.) The body of believers is the sanctuary today. Heaven itself is the most holy place because Jesus our High Priest has entered there to intercede and serve Christians. (Heb. 8:1, 9:24.) Any message about the church should include the role of Jesus as our High Priest in heaven.

How the Corinthian brethren struggled with sin and understanding the Gospel! Confusion abounded. Paul wrote to instruct them on numerous vital issues pertinent to understanding the message of Christ.

All churches must strive to be God’s people in love, manner of life, Christian maturity, and service. Jesus through John wrote the seven churches of Asia to correct them. He wrote, I know your works, to each of the churches. He knows our works, our attitudes, and our behavior as well.

Some today criticize the idea of going back to the first century to see what the early churches did as a pattern for our understanding and behavior. Some ask, Which church would you like to be like?? Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, etc.? The answer is: We should want to be like any of the first century churches with the correction applied to them by inspiration. These corrections were given so that they might be the kind of people that God wanted them to be. The very fact that Paul, John and others wrote to the churches show that there is an ideal church, the kind of church that we should be.

Churches sin just like individuals do. The local church is nothing more than the assembly of Christians. The church is doing what we are doing! Whatever our attitude, that is the attitude of the local church. Whatever your faith is zeal, that is the faith and zeal of the church.

The church is not made of perfect people, but a people who seek to walk by faith and to grow to spiritual maturity. Paul said that he could not write to the Corinthians as spiritual adults, for they were but children! A major part of the problems the Corinthians faced was immaturity. (3:1-3.) Hebrews 6 urges Christians to go on unto maturity and leave the first principles just as a child leaves milk and begins to eat meat. If we fail to do that, we will fall away as the Hebrew writer warned. (6:1-6.) We will likely become like the Corinthians if we remain immature. Think about it. Most problems in churches arise due to spiritual immaturity of its members.

Revelation: the persecuted and triumphant church

Persecution. To each of the seven churches of Asia, John spoke of "overcoming." A promise was made to each who overcame the various challenges to their faith. For them, one of the greatest challenges was that their very lives were at stake. They were told to be faithful unto death and God would give to them a crown of life. (2:10.)

The theme verse of the book is: "These shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of lords and King of kings. They that are with him are called, chosen and faithful." (17:14.)

The Lord defeated the old red dragon (Satan), the sea beast and the earth beast. This unholy trinity is now conquered by the power of the Lamb of God. Christians overcame them in their lives because of the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death. (12:11.)

Fellowship with Jesus. Revelation also describes how the Lord deals with wayward churches. John saw Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand. These represented the angels of the seven churches. Jesus was walking in the midst of seven golden candlesticks (or lampstands). These lampstands represented the churches. Jesus warned the church at Ephesus that he would remove their candlestick if they did not repent. (2:5.) This is the only time that such a statement about wayward churches losing their place of fellowship with the Lord is found in the Bible. There are many churches in our land, but we should not think that everyone has fellowship with the Lord. Many religious people teach and believe things contrary to Scripture. The question is: Do we have fellowship with Jesus? Or have we gone our own way and assumed his presence with us?

The kingdom. One of the key verses in Revelation is this one. "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." (Rev. 11:15.) The words, church and kingdom, are important Biblical words. We cannot choose one of them and cast the other one aside! Both say important things to us about the Lord’s people and His reign. "Church" basically means assembly, an assembly of Christians for worship. "Kingdom" refers to the rule of God. God is a King and has always been one. Therefore, He has always had a kingdom. God rules over the whole world. The church is a special expression of that rule of God as we allow Him to rule our hearts. Just as father and husband are not identical words, church and kingdom are not identical. They bear some points of similarity, but they are not identical. God had a kingdom in the Old Testament period, He has one now, and He will have a kingdom after the church is delivered up to the Father. There is an eternal kingdom of heaven.

Jesus most often used the word, kingdom, and seldom used the word, church. We most often use the word, church, and seldom use the word, kingdom. Wonder why our language is so different from His? Christians often know even the Greek word for church because they have heard it so often. However, very few would know the Greek word for kingdom. We know and use both the English and Greek word for church, but neither of them for kingdom!

The fullest expression of God’s Kingdom was in the life and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." (Luke 11:20.) Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt. 6:10.) These are parallel statements. Kingdom and the will of God always go together. You can have an assembly of people and that assembly not be the kingdom of God because they have not submitted themselves to the will of God. We should pray that our assemblies do become and are the kingdom of God.

One of the most instructive books of the Bible concerning salvation or justification is Romans. The Jews failed to find justification because they sought it as it were by works of the Law. (9:32.) May God help us to not fail in the way some of the Jews did. We need to understand the place of law without replacing Jesus with it. We need to be obedient without trusting in our perfect obedience, but rather trusting in the One who has commanded us to do His will. The emphasis must always be: The just shall live by faith!

Every book or letter of the Bible helps us to be the people of God. It instructs and teaches and produces faith. There has always been just one "plan of salvation." That plan has never changed. One overriding principle of justification from Adam to us exists. The Law was added due to transgressions. (Gal. 3:19.)

Paul dealt with an important concept with the Jews who had failed to find justification before God. They failed because they trusted in themselves rather than living by faith in God. This is not a little matter. What a difference between trusting in yourself and trusting in God for salvation! We too should deal with important issues and not contrived matters of little importance. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote about significant things like the resurrection of the dead, the communion (not how many cups, etc), spiritual gifts (encouraged love as the more excellent way), maturity in Christ, etc. As churches we should emphasize what the Bible does and steer clear of insignificant things that divide us so often.