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ECCLESIAL IDENTITY II

Explore the meaning of "Ekklesia" and the tension between institutionalism and the Holy Spirit's spontaneity in the Church. Learn the origin of the word "Church" and its connection to the early democratic assembly in Athens. Discover the role of women in society and the organization of the Ekklesia throughout history.

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ECCLESIAL IDENTITY II

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  1. ECCLESIALIDENTITY II THE EKKLESIA-ECCLESIA What the Church was and Should Be Adrian L. Varlack Sr.

  2. A BRIEF LOOK AT SCRIPTURE • MATTHEW 16:18 • And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church (Ekklesia) and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. • Note Jesus’ choice of the word itself and of the concept of “Ekklesia”

  3. SOME IMPORTANT INSIGHTS • The Holy Spirit’s role in the Church • The millennia-long tension between institutionalism and the Spirit’s spontaneity: One is static and controllable (Institutionalism); the other is living and dynamic (The Holy Spirit) not controllable by human hands nor subject to human will. • I Timothy 3:14-16

  4. INSTITUTIONALISM • Is manageable by Human hands • The Church’s true identity relates to her governance by the Holy Ghost – an ongoing relationship that transcends organizational forms. • There must be intentionality in the Church’s conscious submission and commitment to obey the Holy Spirit in order to keep this vital relationship intact.

  5. MEANING OF EKKLESIA • Much has been written about “Ecclesiology” which is the study of the Church, but the word ekklesiawhich is generally translated as “Church” or “Assembly” properly belongs in the context of that democracy which began in Athens, Greece, during the 5th Century BC. • EK = OUT OF • KALEÕ = CALLED • EKKLESIA = CALLED OUT ASSEMBLY

  6. THE WORD “SYNAGOGUE” • The Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the Old Testament. • The translators of the LXX consistently used the word “Ekklēsia” to render the Hebrew word “qahal” which means “community meeting” or “public gathering.” We may also note here that another Hebrew word ‘ēdâ, “congregation,” in Greek, “sunagögē”, is also a synonym of “qahal”

  7. OUR WORD “CHURCH” • The root of the English word “Church” by which we render the term “Ekklēsia” originated from the old Greek-Christian usage of “kuriakē” (Dutch, kerk; Scotish, kirk, German, kirche) which first was used to indicate a set time of meeting on the Lord’s Day, the Greek for “Lord” being “kyrios. • The purpose of these public gatherings, both Jewish and Christian, was to hear the Word of God (public reading and proclamation) and to express prayer and praise in worship and adoration to God.

  8. SOME HELPFUL WORDS • THEOLOGY STUDY OF GOD • CHRISTOLOGYSTUDY OF CHRIST • PNUEMATOLOGYSTUDY OF SPIRIT • BIBLIOLOGYSTUDY OF BOOKS • SOTERIOLOGYSTUDY OF SALVATION • ECCLESIOLOGYSTUDY OF CHURCH • ANTHROPOLOGY STUDY OF MAN • DEMOCRACY PEOPLE RULE • THEOCRACY GOD RULE

  9. PERICLES’ DESCRIPTION • In 429 BC Pericles of Athens described how the ekklesia functioned: • … the rule was not in the hands of a few but under the control of the majority… we have an equal concern for home and for our polis…We are judges of our own actions and give careful thought to our affairs. For us discussion is no bar to action; what is harmful is to act before submitting a policy to discussion…

  10. A GOVERNING BODY • The governing body of the Athenian democracy was called an Ekklesia or Assembly—a legal gathering of [male] citizens for the purpose of public debate and vote on various issues of the society. The official exclusion of women from the Ekklesia reflected the generally low status of women in society.

  11. WOMEN IN SOCIETY • Women were basically assigned two roles: • The management of home affairs • The [bearing] and bringing up of children • By contrast [natural] men in Greek and Roman secular culture basically led double lives. They would have a family (at home), men friends, business associates, and public women-common prostitutes, courtesans, the Hetairai. Men were dominant!

  12. THE HETAIRAI • The Hetairai were usually women active in business. They arranged banquets and meetings and were sometimes involved in concubinage. Hair was usually dyed blonde and nicely curled. They wore fine clothes. Their nails were cut and polished. Later on we will see why the mention of women and their exclusion from openly participating in the public Ekklesia, is important as a background to certain NT texts.

  13. EKKLESIA ORGANIZATION • Alexander the Great – 334 BC. Agoras – City Centers • The Ekklesia in Jewish Context (Synagogues). Use of “Ekklesia” in LXX. • The Temple Mount (Matt. 26:55, Mark 11:27, 28; Luke 21:37, 38; John 10:23; 18:20) • Ephesus (Acts 19:39) • Organization of the Athenian Senate

  14. JESUS’ EKKLESIA • Matthew 16:15-18 • Petros = small rock (piece of rock) • PETRA = Large rock mass • God was revealing Himself directly to human beings, certifying that the Eternal, Almighty, Omniscient God, had appeared among His people so they would be a people prepared for His name (Acts 15:14-18; I Peter 2:9-10). Man and God could be joined without contradiction. • Jesus said, I will build My Ekklesia, not My Synagogue. Ekklesia would be worldwide.

  15. THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE • God desired to be known to and through His people. Acts 15:14-18 • That the world may believe on His Son Jesus • God’s goal is the ultimate redemption of history through the example of His Ekklesia • How the Church would operate in the world (but not be of the world) and its attractiveness to people seeking God, was first demonstrated by Jesus’ ministry in the Gospels and then by His followers in the Book of Acts.

  16. EKKLESIA - IN THE TEMPLE COURTS • On the Temple Mount itself were the usual stoa, colonnades, or porches of the Greco-Roman world where Ecclesias could gather. • The Sadducees and Pharisees could verbally confront Jesus in these places but they could not legally challenge Him – He was protected by Roman law and Greek precedent • Jesus demonstrated and taught His disciples how His ecclesia should function . • His new commandment – love one another

  17. THE DECAPOLIS • Jesus took His disciples through this area: Why? • People from Decapolis were among His followers (Matt. 4:25) • Certain Greeks came to see Jesus ( John 12). They did not understand the message of the cross (I Cor.1:18-24) Jesus’ death (Acts 20:28) • God may have allowed the development of democracy for His own purposes both in Athens (BC), in the USA, and in the World.

  18. BEGINNING PRINCIPLES • Our Lord taught and demonstrated the beginning principles of His Ekklesia: • Unconditional love (for God, for each other) • Equality • Humility • Unity • Self-governance through serving one another • Deference to and dependence upon the Holy Spirit in the Mission of God to the world. Jesus worked in the power of the Spirit.

  19. THE EKKLESIA IN ACTS • Jesus established the Spirit’s “right of way”(John 14:16,17,25,26; 16:7-15). • He also established the human witness (John 15:26, 27; Acts 5:32) • The apostles and brethren met regularly on the Temple Mount following Jesus’ example; Luke 24: 50-53; Acts 5:41, 42. • The Spirit’s Leadership, Presence, Power: God among His people, was instructive to the Church and attractive to the Onlookers—the world outside-God and Man reconciled.

  20. THE EKKLESIA-Public/Homes • Publicly and from House to House (Acts 20:20) • The Church found a clear Identity: The Way • Women were restricted in the public Christian Ecclesia (I Cor. 14:34-35; I Timothy 2:8-12) due to public, legal and cultural conventions of the time. • They could speak freely in the House churches and may have even been lead persons among the brethren (Acts 2:17, 18; 21:7-9; Acts 18:26; Acts 16:14, 15; Romans 16:1-5; 12).

  21. IDENTITY IN ACTS • Spirit-led (A God-centered people) • Christ-directed (A Mission-oriented people) • Apostolically-governed • Galvanized (bonded) into Community (Acts 2:42-47; 3:32-35) • Impacted the religious leadership of the Old Testament (Acts 6:7). Notice also Acts 21:17-25.

  22. APOSTOLIC LEADERSHIP • James, Cephas and John (Galatians 2:6-10) • Saul’s conversion and call (Acts 9) • The beginning of the Gentile Mission with Peter (Acts 10). Not a Jewish Ekklesia. • The issues that mission raised: the Mosaic law and circumcision, God in the midst of Gentiles, the freedom to reach God and to be the Ekklesia of Christ, Church unity (Acts 15) • The form and content of the letter is revealing (Acts 15:23-28) and the constraint of the early Church, impressive.

  23. CHURCH DEVELOPMENTS • TWO STREAMS: • Jewish Christian Leadership model (Peter, James) perhaps reflecting the synagogue influence, and, • The Gentile Mission model of the Charismata (Paul) – Galatians 3:1-5 • Straying from the path: Toward human dominance (Institutionalism) and common acceptability (Social, political, organizational). The centrality of Christ through the Word and work of the Holy Spirit, was overshadowed.

  24. RESTORATION OF THE SPIRIT • The Canon of Scripture – apostolic authority • The secularization and politicization of the Church • The Reformers – Had not gone far enough (Our forefathers). • Modern outpourings/assertions of the Spirit-return of the Charismata (presence/direction) • Has Pentecostalism and our Church drawn the right conclusions 100-plus years later?

  25. ECCLESIAL IDENTITY • A Spontaneous Outworking: • An open and freely-gathered community of the Spirit, fully centered in Christ. • Visible Unity and end-time Witness • COGOP - fourteen corrections and counting; What was attempted (MAT’s proposal on the KJV Bible - 1981) • Growth, expansion and corrections continue!!

  26. CONCLUSION • God’s Word, God’s Spirit (Represents and Reflects Christ. His Ekklesia under these). • Jesus used certain principles from the democratic Ekklesia and deliberately chose that word, but the permanent presence of the Spirit’s leadership adds a new dimension • Christ Himself is the ultimate reality and present goal of the Church, his own Ekklesia • Matt: 16:18; Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25-27; 3:20-21

  27. THIS IS THE SUM • Jesus chose the term EKKLESIA deliberately • He demonstrated how it would work by the places he visited and taught • He set up its internal, functional relationships (Luke 22:24-27) and also simple procedures for settling matters Matthew 18:15-20 • The openness of the Church (Christians) and the Spirit within her, attracted the people. • Two modes of governance developed and eventually fused (Eldership/Charismata).

  28. THIS IS THE SUM • The struggle between institutionalism (human organization) and spontaneous direction by the Spirit is millennia-long • We must keep striving for the right balance which leaves the Spirit free to direct, control, correct, and to be seen as the mighty power of God among us – The Centrality of Christ. • Our continuing, collective, relationship with Him, is the Church’s true and legitimate identity!

  29. WHERE WE ARE NOW • HARVEST • LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT • PRAYER AND MINISTRY OF THE WORD • Effective Administration • SPIRIT AND WORD – GOD’S GUIDANCE, APOSTOLIC LEADERSHIP REPRESENTED BY THE WRITTEN WORD AS INSPIRED, INTERPRETED, AND APPLIED BY THE SPIRIT: This absolute GOD-DEPENDENCY is OUR ECCLESIAL IDENTITY!

  30. Mission & Values

  31. ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS • Like a mighty army, moves the Church of God, Brothers we are treading where the saints have trod; We are not divided, all one body we; One in hope and doctrine, One in charity • Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane; But the Church of Jesus constant will remain; Gates of hell can never ‘gainst the Church prevail, We have Christ’s own promise and that cannot fail.

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