"the body and bride" by Howard Watson
The Greek word translated church is "ekklesia" which
means an assembly, then a religious gathering/group and then the
gathered body of Christ. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus spoke of the church
as something which He was to build in the world: "...I will
build my church...." The context has Jesus saying He would
build His Church on a rock, "Petros" meaning a massive
rock as compared to Peter -- "Petra" meaning a small detachment
of a great rock. Jesus affirms; He will build "oikodomeso"
which is future tense. This building was to be done ahead of that
moment of time. Jesus uses the word church one more time in the
Gospels: Matthew 18:17 "...tell (it) unto the Church; but if
he neglect to hear the Church...." The word for church, "ekklesia",
is frequently used, beginning in Acts, then in the other epistles
of the New Testament. Acts 2:4 reads: "...the Lord added to
the Church daily...."
Here, the church has become a living organism of Christian believers;
a growing organism, as new converts were saved and received into
the body of believers. These new converts were recognized as fellow
believers in the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ by water baptism.
In this way, each believer in Jesus Christ, as his/her Savior, in
repentance of sin, became part of the church of local believers.
In turn, they were nurtured in Christ to maturity, for the service
of Christ; being part of the growing spiritual organism, the Church.
The expansion of the Church was ongoing from place to place as evangelists
preached the Word and believers were added to the Church of God/Christ.
So, there would be a building of local churches everywhere to the
ends of the earth.
We find instructions for the internal workings of the local churches
in Ist Corinthians 12:28f. This includes: individual gifts, ministries,
workings, operations as given and administered by the Holy Spirit.
Note verses 27 and 28 in which are given individual members of the
body for leadership and orderly workings as a unified whole: "God
hath set some in the Church (singular) apostles, prophets, teachers...."
First, the apostles are major building stones or rocks used of God.
These would be the apostles whom Jesus called or calls. "Apostolos"
means a messenger who is commissioned as an agent of the Lord, to
faithfully deliver the message/gospel of Christ. There could be
no expansion of the Church body of Christ without the Gospel of
Christ: "... then faith is from hearing and hearing through
a word of Christ:" Romans 10:17 (literal translation of the
Greek text).
The work of building up of the body of Christ, the Church, is continuing
and will continue until Christ, through the Holy Spirit, is finished.
Then, the full body of Christ will be gathered from heaven and earth
together as the Bride of Christ for a marriage of eternal reigning
in the New Jerusalem and the new heaven and earth. (Revelation Chapter
21.)
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