Rebuilding Our Concept of the Church from Jesus Up

Imagine yourself sitting on a verdant hill outside a small city in the far North of Israel circa 33 AD. Situated at the foot of Mount Hernon and 1150 feet above sea level, Caesaria Philippi is chilly this time of year. You are probably wearing the standard robe with wool cloak combination, which befits both your class and the season. You are here because your Rabbi and teacher is here: Jesus of Nazareth. Some say he is a prophet; others suspect he could be a revolutionary. 

1st Century Clarity

In some sense, both are true. But you know Jesus is so much more. He’s the Savior of the world. 

You and your friends, many of whom you already knew from growing up around Galilee, have become His intentional learners. Followers. Disciples. 

He chose you! It is still hard to wrap your mind around. It is not like you had money, status, or even stellar social skills to offer. He’s made it clear none of those things are necessary. Jesus is far more interested in the condition of your heart. 

These last few years have been a whirlwind. You have learned so much, changed so much, met so many people, and have even participated in miracles. Jesus is more than your teacher or even Lord. He is, incredibly, your best friend. You are anxious and eager for him to reveal himself to others. Soon you will be traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover festival: the perfect place and perfect time for a king, the true king, to be announced. 

But for now, you are 30 miles north of the Sea of Galilee looking down at one of the handful of cities built by Roman money in Israel. Philip the Tetrarch has his palace here. It also happens to be an active center of pagan worship, dating back centuries. 

Really, for a group of poor conservative Jews, it is an odd choice for a place to spend the winter. 

But here you are. Jesus does tend to choose odd places, not to mention odd people.

Jesus stands up and stretches, looking out at the Jordan River snaking through the foothills below. Then He turns to speak: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 

There is a brief silence. Only the faint moan of the wind. 

John, the youngest of your group, pipes up: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” asks Jesus. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter, sitting to your right, stands up so fast he startles the nearby sheep. They run bleating down the hill. Characteristically, he blurts out what the rest of you are thinking: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”

Jesus replies, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

The conversation continues for a while. Peter and Jesus go off to the side at one point and seem to be having a disagreement. But you go for a walk down the dirt path leading toward the city. You can’t stop thinking about what Jesus said. 

It was thrilling to hear Jesus affirm his identity in such clear terms. It’s mysterious why He’s avoided being explicit up until this point. But He’s asked you all to not tell others for the time being, at least not until you get to Jerusalem. That makes sense on some level. Jerusalem is the proper place to announce a king. 

But the thing you can’t get your mind off of is that word “church.” It is not a term you really remember Jesus ever using until this moment, and certainly not in such a significant context. He could have said “Kingdom” or even “Israel.” Instead, He used one of the most inclusive and yet generic words available in your entire language. And He used it to describe the community He would build here on earth. He even said He would use it to tear down the gates of hell. 

In Greek, the language in which the accounts of Jesus’ life will someday be written, the word is “ekklesia.”

But for you, this is the word you would use to describe something as large and unruly as a political protest, or as small and mild as a group of friends meeting on a sunny hillside. You sometimes used it to refer to your synagogue meetings back home. It simply means a group of people who have been gathered or called together.  

That had to be intentional. He must mean something by it. But what?

REFLECT: Put yourself in the disciples’ shoes. How else might have Jesus challenged their basic assumptions about spiritual community?

21st Century Confusion

We can’t help but read our culture and experiences into the Bible. It’s just part of how humans assimilate new information. If we had to list and evaluate all our preconceived notions, or do original language study for every verse, we would probably give up on reading and just go watch TV. 

Fortunately, we don’t have to go to such extreme lengths to get meaning from the text. A little bit of work to set aside our most flagrant biases goes a long way. Most all of scripture is clear and understandable to anyone who reads it. The creator God of the universe had average people like you and I in mind when He chose to speak.  Scripture isn’t just for scholars. 

But there are moments when much is gained by stopping and doing a deeper dive into what a certain word really means. Historical and cultural context are important corrective lenses to apply, especially when there is a reason to believe an important Biblical concept has become obscured.

And there are few words more obscured by history and personal experience than “church.”  

The English word “church” has no linguistic relationship to the Greek word “ekklesia.” Yet the King James Bible translates “ekklesia” as “church” 115 times. Our English word most likely comes from the term “kuriakon” which means “dedicated to a lord” and was used for sacred places in ancient Greece. Nowhere in the Bible is it ever used to refer to people. Overtime it was appropriated to describe the repurposed temples or the buildings where Christians would gather. 

This is a big part of why today when we hear the word “church” we think of steeples, pews, altars, sanctuaries, and other building-type imagery. In essence, that is what the word “church” literally means. 

But crucially, it wasn’t what Jesus meant. Through studying the context of his words, we know that he had none of these traditional or physical features in mind. The church according to Jesus is spiritual and relational before it is anything physical.  And what Jesus actually thinks about “church” should matter greatly to people like us who claim to be his followers!

Now, Jesus only used the word “ekklesia” twice. The first time was during the real interaction described above in Matthew 16:18. The second instance is a couple chapters later in Matthew 18:17. In both situations Jesus is clearly speaking about his future followers as a purposeful spiritual community. In Caesarea Philippi He declared they would oppose and defeat the world’s evil. Matthew 18:15-17 describes a community that deals patiently but firmly with sin and wrongdoing its own midst. 

Then, only a couple sentences later in Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus said this: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 

According to these verses, all it takes to experience the power and presence of Jesus is more than one believer gathered, agreeing, and seeking Him. This is base level spiritual community. 

Even when Jesus doesn’t use the exact word “ekklesia” he still had a lot else to say about how his followers ought to live in community, no matter it’s shape, place, or size. 

For instance, after interrupting a dispute over which disciple was the top dog, Jesus said “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:25-26). Leadership in the church shouldn’t be authoritarian or based on natural charisma. Instead, it’s all about serving and sacrificing the most, lifting others up, just like Jesus. 

Jesus also made it clear his church is characterized by more than just togetherness. His followers have a mission, something they are supposed to accomplish together. He spelled it out clearly right before ascending to heaven: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus followers are sent in essence. We exist to reach the world with God’s message. 

We haven’t even wandered outside Matthew into the other reputable accounts of Jesus’ life (Mark, Luke, and John), but already we have considerable data on which to found our understanding. 

The church according to Jesus is simple, different, and oriented around God’s rescue mission for the world. 

But most people’s assumptions regarding church wobble on less stable ground. Western culture, church history, and personal experience have added layers of associations and qualifications, making it hard to distinguish the church from its accumulated features.  

Senior pastors, pews, emotive songs, large services, smoke machines, standing up, sitting down, plate passing, and more. These bells and whistles seem so standard to modern Christianity, depending on a person’s exposure. But most are in truth very late additions. 

Sometimes, these additions made sense. After all, every group of Jesus followers in history has had to find ways to organize themselves. They had to choose places to meet, establish authority structures, and form rhythms for community life. Forms in of themselves aren’t the issue. But real problems begin to crop up when people lose the ability to tell the difference between what humans have built and what came from the mind of God. 

Jesus rebuked the pharisees for “holding onto the traditions of man” rather than “obeying the commands of God.” (Mark 7:8). We have to wonder what his choice words might be, were he to drop in on most churches in the West today.

All this is why we have to get clear headed on what Jesus actually taught and emphasized. He is after all our foundation, the chief cornerstone. By beginning again with him, we are reminded of what the church is at its absolute core. Historically, whenever Christians have paused and taken the time to do this, it’s often been a prelude to world-changing spiritual movement. 

Maybe, if we take Jesus seriously, we could unlock that same primal potential for our own day and age. 

Jesus designed his community to be simple in essence, adaptable in form, and powerful in impact. 

The church as Jesus intended had to be able to exist anywhere, under any circumstances, and be embedded in any culture. It would be a community characterized by faith, hope, and love. It needed to take on and defeat evil. It would be the medium for his message of divine forgiveness and a vehicle for reconciliation. 

For this vision to be actualized, the church needs to be able to flourish in Mozambique, Tulsa, and Shanghai. It must be relevant in both the first and the twenty-second centuries. Its presence should be palpable on busy city blocks and remote mountain villages alike. 

There isn’t one form of the church that meets all these criteria. That’s why even as we read on in the New Testament, we see the first believers gathering together in a variety of ways.  They met in public spaces (Acts 2:46), occasionally in large facilities (Acts 19:9), and always in each other’s houses (Colossians 4:15, Philemon 1:2, Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Acts 5:42, Acts 20:20). It really just depended on what it took for them gather, love one another, worship God, and represent him effectively to their neighbors. That could look different, depending on the time and place. 

This is the genius of what Jesus made. The church according to Jesus is principled but simple. Simple things can be scaled up or down. Simple things can be adapted. Jesus left room for many modified or developed expressions of what the church can be, even while establishing its initial essence and purpose. 

And it all makes sense when you understand what Jesus was trying to accomplish. 

Reorienting to how Jesus thinks about the church is crucial for every new generation of believers. Doing so allows us to step back and reconsider what it means to effectually be his followers today and help others to become his disciples. 

Any builder will tell you that most reconstruction projects require demolition at the beginning. We also need to tear down the rotten wood of stale traditions and blow out any poorly designed features that have allowed mold-like sin to grow.   

Knocking down walls can be fun. But this isn’t just about deconstruction. Once we’ve reengaged the foundation, there is new building work to be done. It’s just vital we do so with the right materials. All of us need God’s guidance to know how to best be his people in our given place and time. 

Fortunately, scripture provides a lot more data on what healthy communities of Jesus followers do (and don’t do) as they develop. That’s what we will turn to next. 

DISCUSS: How should believers today discern what needs changed and what should stay the same?

Ecclesiology

Ecclesiology is a fancy scholarly term for study of the church. It comes from the word “ekklesia” which we’ve established is the Bible’s common term for spiritual community. While Jesus may have only used the word twice, the writers of the New Testament picked up what he was putting down and used “ekklesia” 116 additional times in 7 distinct grammatical forms. From the Apostles’ teaching and the example of the first century believers we can extract a lot of wisdom regarding what the church should aim to become. 

Much of the New Testament is written as letters to young churches in various cities scattered throughout the ancient Roman empire. Let’s consider a just few examples and what they have to teach us. 

The church in Philippi  

Situated in what is now the North of Greece, Philippi was an important trade city. The message of Jesus first reached there in 49 A.D. Founded and led by a wealthy woman (Acts 16:14), generosity was a hallmark of this community (Philippians 4:15-16). Paul and Timothy’s letter to this church brims with encouragement, referring to the Philippians as beloved friends and partners (Philippians 1:3-6). 

Paul urged this relatively developed group to learn to trust in Jesus all the more (Philippians 1:9-11, 4:4-7) and not balk at cultural opposition to their movement (Philippians 1:27-30). He wanted them to be confident in their faith and continue to contribute to the world-wide movement of Jesus. 

We learn from this community that faithful and flourishing churches share their resources. They are deeply concerned with seeing God’s kingdom grow. They stay faithful even when under pressure. Whether large or small, these are attributes every group of Jesus followers can strive to emulate. 

The church in Corinth

The Corinthian church began in 50 A.D. when the Apostle Paul traveled there and shared the good news about Jesus. A powerful spiritual movement took place (Acts 18:10), and people were gathered into the church from all different class and cultural backgrounds (1 Corinthians 1:26). They met in houses (Acts 18:7, 1 Corinthians 16:19), ate meals and celebrated together (1 Corinthians 11:33-34), and presumably gathered in large groups whenever they could. 

But, as is often true of diverse groups, this church struggled to get along (1 Corinthians 11:18). They were plagued with division and disorder. It’s unsurprising that in the Corinthian letters we find some of the most compelling teaching in all of God’s Word on love and unity. 

Through the church in Corinth, we learn that true unity begins in common connection through Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:13). Sharing God’s Spirit is vastly more important than any other potential point of contrast or comparison. Similar to a human body, spiritual community is made up of disparate parts that add up to a magnificent whole. Rather than compete, healthy limbs and organs recognize each other’s contributions and work together, and always under direction from the head (1 Corinthians 12:15-26). 

Gifts and abilities are nothing however without love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Love guides the usage of gifts. Wisdom and insight don’t count for much unless they have the effect of building others up in the Lord and meeting real needs (1 Corinthians 8:1, 14:26). 

We learn from this group that corporate spiritual health means striving for unity. Members of churches should explore and elevate the gifts and contributions of others. Our communities must also organize themselves to be conducive to learning and spiritual growth. 

The church in Crete

The church in Crete began around 62 A.D. after Paul spent time there with his friend Titus. Crete is a mountainous island. In the first century it was dotted by many small towns and cities, some of which were only accessible by sea. Apparently, new believers were scattered all over, and so Paul sent Titus back to Crete to help them become better organized. In a letter, Paul tells Titus he sent him specifically to identify and appoint leaders (Titus 1:5). 

Godly competent leadership was important because Cretans were generally a wild and indulgent people (Titus 1:12-13). Their faith was genuine, but they regularly mistreated each other and acted out in ways that made them indistinguishable as followers of Jesus. Titus’s job was to identify spiritually mature individuals who could set the tone and lead the church towards having a positive impact on society (Titus 1:6-9, 3:8). 

The Cretan church teaches us that to be healthy, churches require moral and doctrinal boundaries. Leaders play an important role by being good examples and teaching God’s truth. Churches flourish when they have brave but humble people willing to point the way forward.

CONSIDER: If Paul wrote your church a letter, what would other believers learn through reading it?

The Way Forward

Jesus loved to tell stories in order to make a point. Once he compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed: tiny and common, but packed with the potential to be a large and fruitful tree. Nowhere can we see this principle better illustrated than in how Jesus has designed the church. 

From the Apostles’ teaching and the example of first century church, we can see that Jesus didn’t intend to set strict limits on what the church could become. In fact, in our fullest expression, God’s people will someday be “a great multitude…from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne…crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10). God is taking the church somewhere great. Everything we do now is moving towards the fulfillment of his awesome plan. In fact, the mission of the church is to build this future multitude by reconciling people to God and each other (Matthew 28:19-20). 

Here and now churches should seek to be faithful to Jesus’ original vision, all the while discerning how God would have them grow and better serve him. Scripture is replete with wisdom regarding relationships, culture, ethics, leadership and much else that ought to shape Jesus centered communities no matter their setting or stage of development. 

Sometimes we will need to double back and reevaluate what we’ve been doing in light of these teachings. The modern church is heavy with sagging structures; practices that no longer make sense. Like an old lint-ridden sock on the laundry room floor, churches over time pick up elements of extra-biblical worldviews. It only takes returning to the New Testament for a fresh perspective to notice the things in our own community that don’t belong. 

SHARE: What might God want to do in and through your church as it grows?