The word we translate as "Church," Ekklesia in Greek, refers to a gathering of people the same way a flock refers to a gathering of birds, a swarm refers to a gathering of insects, a school refers to a gathering of fish, and a herd refers to a gathering of cattle. Nothing formally planned or structured is implied by the word Ekklesia itself; for example, in the New Testament Ekklesia refers to the Church, but is also used to describe the rioting crowd in Ephesus (Acts 19:20-41).
One can hardly think of two things that are less alike than a worshiping body and rioting mob. Yet our historical association of churches with a formal institution prevents us from seeing are the similarities . What the word Ekklesia actually describes is a a group in a collective behavior called aggregation.
One can hardly think of two things that are less alike than a worshiping body and rioting mob. Yet our historical association of churches with a formal institution prevents us from seeing are the similarities . What the word Ekklesia actually describes is a a group in a collective behavior called aggregation.
"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)
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Posted By Mike to Christianity 3.0 at 3/06/2009 01:16:00 AM
