What is the Church?

What is the Church?
(Taken from: Church of God Doctrines -1979 ed.)

By: Bro. Cecil C. Carver
________________________________________

"...Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matt. 16:18.

Note:- This is the first mention of the word church in the Bible. Since it is something that the gates of hell should not prevail against, it behooves us to know just what it is. The word CHURCH is a translation of the Greek work ekklesia which is two Greek words ek, meaning the point of origin - usually translated FROM, or OUT OF - and the Greek work "Kaleo" meaning I CALL. So a church is a CALLED OUT group. We find the word ekklesia 115 times in the New Testament, and it is translated church or churches 112 times and it is translated assembly 3 times - Acts 19:32,39,41 (The ASSEMBLY was confused; in a lawful ASSEMBLY; and, he dismissed the ASSEMBLY.)

We next find this word in Matt. 18:17, "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the CHURCH: but if he neglect to hear the CHURCH, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." We find it no more until we read in Acts 2:47, "...And the Lord added to the CHURCH daily such as should be saved." "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the CHURCH OF GOD, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Acts 20:28. Let us read it thus: "Feed the CALLED OUT GROUP OF GOD (church of God)."

We see that the CHURCH was not a building or place of worship, but men and women who were disciples of Jesus Christ. They had been CALLED OUT of various things: sin, the religion of the Jews, Pharisees, Sadducees, being fisherman, tax-collectors, and the like. They all had been brought into something common. They had fellowship together and with the Lord. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20.