The New Testament writers used the word ekklesia to refer to God's people coming together in His presence in various ways. The first describes a church that meets in someone's house (Romans 16:5; Colossians 4:15). The second refers to a church in a specific city, like the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:4) or the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2). Finally, the word is used to describe what has become known as the "church universal," all believers everywhere throughout the ages (Ephesians 1:22-23).
As we thought about how we use the word church today, we realized that the meaning has changed. Most commonly, the term is used to describe a building or a congregation, such as First Baptist Church or New Life Fellowship. But these are not biblical uses of the word. In fact, when the word is used to describe a denomination like the Methodist Church or the Catholic Church, one could argue that this is actually antibiblical, since it has the effect of dividing the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). (p. 9)------------------------------------
...we are learning that it is Jesus' job to build the church. Our call is to make disciples (Matthew 16:18; 28:19). (p. 139)If they are correct, the sins and errors of the Western Church are profound and basic.
I am convinced that they are correct.
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