Everywhere Jesus went, controversy followed. From the prostitute who interrupted Jesus' meeting with the Pharisees to the story of the "evil" Samaritan who had the audacity to help a Jew; Jesus never shied away from stirring the pot. But, the perpetual question that swirled around him was one of identity. Specifically, "Who are you!?"
Eventually, Jesus broached the subject directly.
He was just outside the newly crowned capital city of King Philip's empire, Caesarea Philippi. Philip's father, King Herod had erected a magnificent temple made of white stone where citizens came daily to worship their emperor God, Augustus Caesar. Just eleven hundred feet above this temple, on the slopes of Mount Hermon, Jesus sits down with the Twelve, and asks them the very question that had plagued his audiences: "Who do people say that I am?"
Peter (who's name means "rock" in Greek) responds, "You are the Messiah [the Christ], the Son of the living God!" Elated, Jesus responds, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven." And with a clever play on words, Jesus adds, "And I tell you that you are Peter [rock], and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
This is the first time the term "church" shows up in our New Testament, and it's referenced within a prediction. Jesus predicted that nothing, including death, would stand in the way of His church. But, there is something else that is referenced here; something that our English translation misses. The Greek word (ekklesia) where we get our word, church, is not a religious term! An ekklesia was simply a gathering or an assembly of people called out for a specific purpose. You could have an ekklesia of soldiers called out for war, or an ekklesia of citizens called out for civic purposes, but you would never have an ekklesia referencing a specific location....only a specific gathering.
Ekklesia always referred to a gathering of people united by a common identity and purpose.
So, what the disciples heard Jesus say was this: "I am going to build my own assembly of people and the foundation for this new assembly will be ME!"
But, if ekklesia means "gathering", why don't we just call church "gathering"? Where did church come from? Jump forward with me two hundred and fifty years.
In AD 313, Constantine (the soon-to-be-emperor of Rome), legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. Well, technically he legalized the freedom of religion. Christianity was illegal up to this point because Christians were insistent about this whole "only worshiping Jesus" thing...what a bunch of sticklers.
Before Constantine's rise to power, Christian worship was relatively informal. Believers met in homes, enjoying potluck banquets they called "love feasts", singing hymns, reading Scripture, discussing theology, and most importantly, sharing communion. In rare cases, a gathering of Christians in a religiously tolerant city would be able to dedicate a special room for these gatherings, but these rooms were few and far between.
But after Constantine's rise, powerful people brought their former ideas about worship with them as they professed a new belief in Christ and began influencing Christian ekklesias. Worship began to incorporate protocol including incense, ornate clothing, choirs, and pageantry. Worship became formal and hierarchical, relegating the congregation from participants to spectators. Buildings began to be erected on top of the graves of martyrs. If the land around the grave wasn't conducive to building, they would exhume the bones, and transport them to their desired location.
Within a decade of this edict, "the Way" was no longer an expanding group of people sharing a unique identity and purpose. It was a location, filled with rules, paid staff, and predictable services. The Gothic (or Germanic) culture used the word kirche, which means "house of the lord", and was used to refer to any ritual gathering place, Christian or otherwise.
Eventually, the New Testament was translated into English. But instead of following protocol and using a word-for-word translation from Greek to English, the word church was changed from ekklesia to kirche. A kirche is a location. An ekklesia is a purposeful gathering of people. "Church" went from a movement to stagnation. From gathering to spectating. From participation to protocol. This simple word created the most dangerous dynamic that the Christian "church" faces today:
Whoever controls the location controls the church.
So, what does this all mean? Simply put, it means that how you view the church determines how you live out your faith.
Do you believe that the church is a building you go to weekly for inspiration or a gathering united behind a movement?
Do you believe that your church is conducting services or making an impact?
Do you believe your church is united around a model or a mission?
Do you believe the church's money is allocated based on the needs of the community or the facility?
Do you believe you are meeting or gathering?
Do you believe you are a part of an ekklesia or a kirche?
I can tell you with certainty that the people I know who have left church did no do so because it became too much of an ekklesia. That it became too focused on it's surrounding community; to concerned with sharing its resources; or to deliberate in its mission of reaching those outside of their current group. They left because it was a kirche who was first and foremost concerned with keeping its kirche as protected and comfortable as possible.
So, if the church is a gathering, who gets to participate? What are the requirements for membership? How good do you have to be to stay in the club? That's all in the next post.
Be honest. Be open.
This is the Christian Safe Zone.
