ECCLESIA
CHURCH DEVELOPMENT
This section is devoted to Church Development.
The SABBATH KEEPPER CONVENTION, was originally developed as a forum for Sabbath Keeping churches and their members to fellowship and network with one another.
The mission has included assembling at our annual conventions and through these gatherings, disseminate profitable, biblically based information to all who join and interact with us. We have also been blessed at each conference, to support local charities during our yearly gatherings.
To this end, the ministry of Church Development, was implemented to present additional teachings to promote growth, development, unity and Christ centered ministry among our participating churches and friends.
The Church of Jesus Christ as we know it, has many varying doctrinal and faith-based understandings of the Bible, our primary book, which identifies and verifies our beliefs as Saints.
Even though the different churches, have varying church-based beliefs, the need exists for discussion and teaching, which directs us toward a more perfect understanding our Lord Jesus Christ and the service we should be practicing as his Body during these last days.
To accomplish this task, we have decided to begin with several articles which introduce three major topics of our Church Development ministry.
THE EKKLESIA, IDENTITY AND THE KINGDOM.
The first of these introductory articles is “The Ecclesia”, part 1.
Ecclesia is the Greek word from which the translators gave us the word “Church”.
According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,Church is from the Greek word Ecclesia; a calling out, a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both), assembly or church.
Each occurrence of Church in the bible identifies a group of people assembling as defined by Strong’s.
However, there is more to the Ecclesia that we believers need, which will give us a better understanding of our God-given authority in the Kingdom of God. The writers of the manuscripts from which our modern-day New Testament books and letters were written, recorded those events primarily in Greek. A closer look at the Ecclesia will also reveal that it wielded more social and political authority within the Greek society than it simply appears.
“The Greek ecclesia at the time of the codification of the law under Solon, the Greek statesman and leader at the time, was made up of men 18 years old who assembled to:
exercise final control over policy,
hear appeals in the public court
take part in the election of arcons (chief Magistrates) and
confer special privileges on individuals.
Britannica, The editors of Encyclopedia. “Ecclesia”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2018.
There was an ecclesia functioning in Athens, Greece around 621 BC .Britannica
With the functions and civic responsibilities listed above, it can be understood why the writers used the word ecclesia, which was later translated to our word Church. Ecclesia more closely reflects the image and activities of Christ’s Church (ecclesia).
For example, the Apostle Paul admonished the Corinthian church (ecclesia) to judge among themselves and not take one another to law. 1 Cor. 6:1-6
1 Corinthians 6 (KJV 1900)
1Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
Just as the Greek ecclesia heard appeals, we as the Church of God have a similar responsibility to hear matters among one another, not based on the worlds laws and system but with the Kingdom of God’s laws, moral values and rules which we, the Body of Christ, are called to live by.
The Greeks had control over policy. Their policies were determined by their leaders and violations and disputes were heard by the ecclesia. We the church have similar authority. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church (ecclesia) he told them to put the brother out who had committed a vile act of fornication,a violation of God’s law and Kingdom principles.
1 Corinthians 5:4–5 (KJV 1900)
4In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Also, 1 Corinthians 5:9 (KJV 1900)
9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
In Greece, the ecclesia voted for magistrates. As The Church of God, we don’t vote for our leaders as they did. The Lord Jesus clearly gave leaders to his Church, ….
“Ephesians 4:11–12 (KJV 1900)
11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”
He even gave the church the authority to use discernment to determine if the Apostles were truly Apostles appointed by Him.
“Revelation 2:1–2 (KJV 1900)
1Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:”
The last responsibility we notice with the Greek Ecclesia is the ability to confer special privileges upon individuals.
As the Ecclesia/Church, we confer not so much privileges, but rather blessings and giftings through the Holy Ghost.
Paul laid hands on Timothy.
Peter and John laid hands on the people of Samaria after Philips visit.
The Lord Jesus said we would lay hands on the sick and they would recover.
All these examples are not just nice sayings in the bible. They are the activities and responsibilities that we as the Ecclesia(Church), the Body of Christ, should be doing and striving to practice in this dark world.
In Part 2 we will discuss the origin of the word Church which will give us some idea as to why there is so much division and denominational differences within the Body of Christ, His Ecclesia.