Every believer knows or should know that the church belongs to Christ and not to anyone else. In Mathew 16:18 Jesus specifically refers to the church as His church and promised to build it.
…….I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
By the church, we mean, not an edifice of wood, stones but an assembly, and congregation of men and women; and not just any sort; but the elect of God, the general assembly whose names are written in heaven in the lambs book of life.
There are two Greek words that give us an insight into the meaning of the word Church. They are Ekklesia and Koinonia.
Ekklesia is the Greek word for church derived from two Greek words.
Ek: out of
Klesis: a calling
When put together - Ekklesia, the word simply means “a people who have been called out of”. In the book of 2 Corinthians 6:17 Paul tells the Corinthians Church to come out.
Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
The Church is a gathering of the called out ones, the ones that have been rescued just like the Israelites were rescued from Egypt. A gathering of people who have been rescued from the slavery of sin, its effect and its oppression.
WHAT IS GOD’S CHURCH?
What we have in our mind is not what Jesus meant when He said I will build my church. Jesus was not talking about a building or a denomination. Neither did He say we should build His church, He said He will build His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against His church. We are called to make disciples.
We however do have a role to play in building Jesus' church and that is sharing the good news, winning souls and making disciples. If we make disciples He will build His church.
GOD’S CHURCH IS NOT THE BUILDING
Unfortunately many still believe or see the building as the church and this restricts the church.
Colin Dye says in one of his books “any church whose vision is governed by its building is hardly a biblical church”.
It is obvious we need buildings to run the ministry, but a building is just a tool, if our focus is limited to a building then we would fail in the great commission of making disciples.
BELONGING TO THE CHURCH
Belonging to the church and to Christ cannot be separated. Many people who call themselves Christians do not attend a place of fellowship, and it is also interesting that some who attend have no relationship with Jesus.
One of the greatest challenges for the church today across the world is those who are called Christians by name but spend their time attending a building with no relationship with Jesus. This is the more reason why the church should run with the great commission.
SALVATION
There is the need for the Church to speak to the world about repentance, belief, being saved, baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit so they can be added to the church.
God wants His church to be people with a difference. A people who will stand by the truth no matter what this modern society says. A people who will shepherd God’s flock with integrity and reverence for His name.
We must allow God to build His church, whilst we make disciples. If we make disciples He will build His church.
