Commonly translated as Church in the New Testament, ekklesia is the greek word meaning a called out assembly or congregation.  In 1 Corinthians 15:9 Paul mentions when he use to persecute God’s church.  On some accounts it may refer to a call of citizens to discuss legal matters (Acts 9:39) or an assembly of people.  The Greek word also pertains to the english words ecclesiastical pertaining to the church and ecclesiology the study of church doctrine.  In most context ekklesia is refereed to the New Testament church.

After 2000 years have gone by it’s obvious to see our understanding of church is not what it used to be.  Today some denominations claim that they derived from the early church, God’s true church, I have heard some even claim their denomination or group of people are God’s chosen church that will inherited the Kingdom of God.  Usually these are the people that either don’t read the bible, fail to study it properly, or twist it to their understanding so it better benefits themselves, convincing theirselves by their strong gut feeling that they must be right, because in their little noggin, it’s the only thing that makes sense.

However, reading scripture makes it simple to understand who God’s true church is, or shall I say true believers.  Never did Jesus say you must be devoted to a specific denomination or certain building.  Nor did he say we are to compare ourselves to each other like a lot of denominations do.

Jesus simply put it this way

³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.  John 8:31

Is it just me, or do you see the same patter when I say new Christians are easily swept up into the church doctrine of each denomination and trying to see if it’s a fit for their lifestyle?  Or consumed with the thoughts and opinions of others of why they should/shouldn’t attend certain denominations?  Even though I grew up attending church in the Wesleyan denomination, don’t think for once I never compared their views to scripture.  I’ve learned from scripture to not take any religious leader by their word.  We are warned of all sorts of false leaders/teachings that we alone have to do our own reality check (2 Timothy 4), on a daily basis that is.  How is one to know they are actually a true follower of Jesus if they don’t read God’s Word for themselves?  I hate false information and being led astray and I’m sure you do to.  But it has also come to my mind that we live in a society that will easily believe what another person says without thinking twice about it.  We often put more faith into the media, even though we know their misleading information, and base our opinion and beliefs of what they say.  Same goes for what people see on facebook or youtube. This has carried over into our personal lives with Christ that many just put all their faith into the pastor and not really putting their faith into God’s Word or following Jesus at His Words.

Here’s the reality I pray, hope and wish the denominations will wake up to.  If they all were to individually claim to be God’s chosen church, which not all do, they alone are contradicting scripture.  There’s a lot of traditions/expectations made up by churches that is not stated in the Bible.  I wonder how many catholics realize that God is omnipresent?  You don’t have to go through a priest to connect with God, because God is everywhere.  We have the Holy Spirit given to us and to lead us into all truth.  But yet many still remain oblivious to His presence because they aren’t looking for Him.

¹⁵ “If you love me, obey^[a] my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^[b] who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.” John 14:15-17

This is another verse you can apply to how churches may be blind to the truth, is that if any of them claim to be God’s true church, then they, by the standards of truth in scripture, are not receiving truth from the Holy Spirit.  If multiple denominations/religions claim to be God’s church, where as in the scripture it states that the body of Christ is made up of one body, then they are indeed in contradiction and denial.

¹² The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³ Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,^[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.^[f]

¹⁴ Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.¹⁶ And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

¹⁸ But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.     1 Corinthians 12:12-18

Ekklesia is an assembly called out, not a building, not multiple bodies, not extra expectations that aren’t scripturally sound or ignorant to the Holy Spirit.  But one body, which indeed are the true believers that follow and obey Jesus’s teachings and are led by the Holy Spirit.  These types of people may be found in multiple denominations, for as scripture says:

²¹ “Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter God’s kingdom. The only people who will enter are those who do what my Father in heaven wants.  Matthew 7:21

²³ Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  Luke 9:23

Because of meditating on scripture and communicating with God through prayer, I’ve become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit.  My journey thus far, how things have worked out, despite some of the bumpy roads.. or many bumpy roads I must admit, God was always there.  Things worked out unexpectedly.  Because of trusting God even in the uncertain of circumstances, I now understand what is means to truly be a part of the Body of Christ, God’s true Ekklesia.

Questions:

1. Is scripture important to you?  Are you making it a daily habit?
2. Is your church scripturally sound? How do you know?
3. Are you following and obedient to Jesus’s teachings?  What’s your proof?
4. Have you experienced the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life?  Describe your experience.

(*please share any answers, feedback and/or thoughts on my contact page)

I enjoy sitting out on a porch during a good storm.  I tend to be a bit old fashion if you call it that.  The crackling thunder, light show and hearing the rain fall down is soothing and music to the soul.  It’s a time I allow all the business of life to stop and reflect on God’s demonstrated power.  However it’s winter, and the chances of that are not very likely.

I was listening to my music on spotify the other day as it added songs to my playlist.  I came across a song I’ve never heard before by John Mark McMillan, a very talented Christian artist he is, called Nothing Stands Between Us.  Take a listen.

I like this song not only because it’s easier for me to sing, but the fact the lyrics and instruments hit a chord in my heart.  As if it were telling my story.  Of all the places I’ve been, people I’ve met, experiences come and gone, through the whole journey there’s always been this constant, okay God, what now?  Who am I?  What am I doing here?

John Mark McMillan shared his reason for writing the song on WJTL Radio:

“…approaching middle age and growing up, I have three kids…I think I hit a little bit of a midlife crisis.  Throughout most of my life I can say I was looking for God, I was looking for attention or I was looking for affirmation in the loud noises and bright lights, and I didn’t find it there.  What’s really interesting is this whole idea of thunder and lighting is sorta finding God in between those things or more specifically being found in between those two things.  And I think it speaks to who you are as a person, we see ourselves as this or this.  Do I define myself by the bright lights and noises or do I define myself by who I am between those things and the truth is that’s who I really am in between those things.”  

The radio host ended by saying “It’s the quiet space, the intimate space”

How true, that we can often be on the search for God.  Often we try to find Him through  the hustle and bustle of daily life.  Through all the distractions we can often be searching in the wrong places for attention and/or affirmation.  But it’s simple, all we need to do is be still, pray and listen.  Kinda like enjoying a thunder storm roll by.  Not everyone likes silence, but if it were to bring you closer in relationship with Christ, would you?  Can you relate to this song?  You ever realize that God knows who you are, where you are in that defining moment?

Matthew 6:6

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.  Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

I challenge you to take this advice.  Most of my times I’ve spent with God have been during  a storm, praying in the church while no one was present or even at home during the night.  Simply light a candle, turn the lights off and all other distraction, except for playing a little worship music if you’d like, and have your own prayer service at home.  Some of us call this building an alter.  If you really want God to search you and direct you, do your part by giving Him your undivided attention.  We will always be surrounded by loud noises and bright lights, but you don’t have to be lost in them.

Psalm 46:10

“…Be Still, and know that I am God…”

 

No I’m talking about the weather, life can be just the same.  Looking back on the previous blog I can only shake my head and grin with a light ha….and a low….wow…look how the tables have changed.  I’m no longer in Nebraska.  I’m in a one bedroom apartment in Cincinnati.  I have different jobs, churches I’m attending and other new opportunity & experiences coming about.  My life I can say… has been… 100% adventure.  There has been many instances where I stop and ask God… so what now?  It’s been taking sometime to understand exactly what I’m doing here… but when you allow God to direct your path as He should be “the light unto my path,” you can guarantee life is going to come at you with many unknowns & uncertainties.  I will admit it’s been rough, uneasy, extremely uncomfortable, I’ve had my ups and downs… Do I know exactly what will happen next.. of course not, neither do you.  Most of the time we can predict our day to day activities… when we’re settled in, but even then life may throw a curveball at you…this one seemed to have had a direct hit to my face.  I cannot predict what will happen 5-10 years down the road.  I can pursue and ready myself for such things that I believe will happen, but it seems my plans have always been shifted by God’s unique design… “His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.”  The reason for this blog was simply because of a verse that I just read about Peter telling Jesus that he shouldn’t talk a certain way.

Mark 8:31-33 (NLT)

³¹ Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man^[a] must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.³² As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.^[b]

³³ Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Isn’t that how we often treat life most times?  With the understanding of our human brains.  It’s okay not to understand what God is doing.  Walking by Faith and not by Sight doesn’t come easy.  Like Peter I need to take time out and carefully discern my thoughts.  Our enemy Satan wants us to limit our thoughts on God’s ability to work in our lives, to believe that not all things are possible with God, or in Peter’s case telling Jesus that He shouldn’t be doing certain things like predicting His death.

I’ve let to many things & people who lacked that trust in Christ influence my own thoughts.  I refuse to let my thoughts be isolated in the walls of a church building.  As God’s ambassadors and disciples, we’re suppose to let Him lead us… where He wants us, to reach whoever He wants us to reach, to serve where ever He wants us to serve.

This post to me feels like whirlwind, I’m not sure I can express all the things I want to say or feel.  It’s been a long hard road, but with obedience to following the Holy Spirit out of faith and not by my own understanding, there is a time, like all the other times, where I’ll be able to look back and say… ahhhhh…. so that’s what He was doing and why!.

Life is to short to be afraid and live in fear, God is in Control, always has been and always will be!  It’s hard to see it in times like this one that I’m in, so many mixed emotions and confusions and the whole waiting part…. times I feel like it’s unfair… But I cannot deny I’ve got where I am today with the Lord’s help….

(The Lord works in mysterious ways…. yep! – Blues Brothers)