The Ekklesia (assembly) of Jesus Christ

Mission to gather the called out souls from the nations to the Judaism of the God Jesus Christ

Before returning to Heaven in style, Jesus commissioned the Apostles to go witness Him in Jerusalem and to take His Gospel outside of Jerusalem, to the nations of the Pagans (Acts 1:8). We also read about it in Matthew 18:19-20

Matthew 28:19-20 LITV

• (19)  Then having gone, 

• disciple all nations, 

• baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

• (20)  teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. 

• And, behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the age. Amen.

Etymology of Matthew 28:19-20

• disciple: Mathēteúō must be distinguished from the verb mathéō (n.f.) or manthánō (G3129) which simply mean to learn without any attachment to the teacher who teaches. Mathēteúō means not only to learn, but to become attached to one's teacher and to become his follower in doctrine and conduct of life.  (The Complete Word Study Dictionary© 1992 By AMG International, Inc. Chattanooga, TN 37422, U.S.A. Revised edition, 1993).

• baptize: baptízō; fut. baptísō, from báptō (G911), to dip. Immerse, submerge for a religious purpose, to overwhelm, saturate, baptize (John 1:25). (The Complete Word Study Dictionary© 1992 By AMG International, Inc. Chattanooga, TN 37422, U.S.A. Revised edition, 1993).

• teach:  Didáskō has inherent in it the intent to influence the understanding of the person who is taught (The Complete Word Study Dictionary© 1992 By AMG International, Inc. Chattanooga, TN 37422, U.S.A. Revised edition, 1993).

What is EKKLESIA?

Jesus makes the declaration for the basics of a church in Matthew 18:20.

Matthew 18:20 KJVA

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

"Ekklesia" is the Greek word translated to "church" in English. As a word, it also carries other meanings. For example, in "The  NAS (New American Standard) New Testament Greek Lexicon" we see that in  the 114 occurrences of ekklesia it is mostly translated into the word church but only 3 times into assembly and 2 times into congregation. In french, ekklesia is "Église" and in Spanish it is "iglesia". The soundings of the word in French and Spanish are closer to the Greek than the sounding of "church". Even though ekklesia is translated to assembly only 3 times, the word assembly is the core idea of the Greek word invoking a gathering of people.

 From what we read in the New Testament, a church does not have to be a big edifice with a lot of adherents, because Jesus promises that where 2 or 3 are gathered (a church, an Ekklesia) He will be in their midst (Matthew 18:20). 

In a marriage, the household can be treated as a church (ekklesia) if the couple is gathered in the name of Jesus. Reverence to Jesus in mutual love and prayers will dictate the activities in the household and bond the united hearts against any attack from outside.

We read about ekklesia (church) held in the homes of various believers. In that case, we can be certain that the host couple was mindful of Jesus Christ in their conduct in their house.

Has the Ekklesia of God been commissioned to make or support government laws that support the Scriptures of God?

Did Jesus support any political party of His time to enforce His Word or scheme with others to overthrow the yoke of the brutal Romans?

Remember what a true Christian is purported to be: someone that walks behind Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18; Luke 9:23).

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against her. (Matthew 16:18 KJ3)

And He said to all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily. And let him follow Me. (Luke 9:23 KJ3)

In the light of the commission of the Apostles to go make disciples of all the nations, would Jesus be happy with us if we seek to pass laws or lobby any politician or government that will make or supports laws that mirror the will of God the Father of Jesus?

No, because that is not the scope of Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus had already tried the establishment of a divine government with His chosen people as Israel and Judah but as we know it was a total disaster.  Then, at that time, Jesus never instructed His subjects to go establish divine governments abroad. Today, Jesus has not promoted that idea either. If you call yourself a Christian and you are seeking to have the nations establish laws to uphold any teaching of the Bible, you are not a true Christian.

Wednesday July 27, 2018 at Pan de Bono, Miami

Ekklesia (Church) of Jesus Christ

Matthew 16:16-20 EMTV

(16)  And Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

(17)  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

(18)  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

(19)  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on the earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will have been loosed in heaven."

(20)  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Those who accepted the Gospel are called to gather as an 'ekklesia' commonly referred to in English as church.

Ekklesia of Jesus Christ, not Ekklesia of anyone else

When we keep alive the Jewish movement to gather the lost souls into an ekklesia, we have to keep in mind that the ekklesia is not our own property. If we claim to ourselves any ekklesia and impede the didactics, we are acting as agents of Satan. In the Ekklesia of Jesus, He provides a variety of gifts to different disciples for the perfection of the family. If we know what gift was assigned to each of us we ought to seek the guidance of the other trustees for their particular gift.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 KJ3

(27)  And you are Christ’s body, and members in part.

(28)  And God placed some in the assembly, firstly, apostles; secondly, prophets; thirdly, teachers; then works of power; then gifts of healing, helps, governings, kinds of languages.

(29)  Are all apostles? All prophets? All teachers? All workers of power?

(30)  Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak languages? Do all interpret?

(31)  But zealously strive after the better gift[s]. And yet I show you a way according to excellence:

• Apostle: who is an apostle? Think of an example of a disciple and the scope of their work. An apostle is someone like the Disciples of Jesus and Paul who were charged to go spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. The one sent with the mission of disseminating the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an Apostle. Because the Gospel is not ours, we ought to be careful to deliver it faithfully as the original Apostles laid the foundation upon which we are called to build. An apostle is first in the hierarchy but does not encompass all the gifts (verses 29-30).

• Prophet: Prophets today in the ekklesia of Jesus? Who is a prophet? How do recognize a prophet in the midst of the Ekklesia of Jesus Christ?

Updated May 23, 2018