The Shepherds Way (TSW) ~ Eric W. King: The Proper Church

Proper Church

Do I have to “Go” to Church?

By Eric William King

Not going to a Church? Are you the kind of person who likes to read about your Christian faith, visit other view points? Perhaps you are extremely “introverted” with your spiritual life and do not feel comfortable in a big group of worshipers, or even a small group for that matter. If this is you then you will find this article interesting.

It is true that even many Christian couples do not attend a church but do spend time in God’s word and may even home-school their children. Some Christians go “when they feel like it” but still study their Bible’s and perhaps listen to favored Christian Radio Shows or watch a preacher or two on television that they enjoy. Is there anything wrong with this? The short answer; “no”.

First of all we need to understand just what the word “church” means. Today people associate the word “church” with a building on some corner or with a specific “denomination” or “non-denomination”.

The Christian Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. The entire New Testament was written in “common” Greek. When we want to understand the word “church” from a New Testament perspective we need to look at the Greek word for church which is, ecclesia.

What is a “Church”?

The Greek word ecclesia or ekklesia could be derived from the Greek word kyriake, meaning ‘belonging to the Lord’. So the first church was a group of people “belonging to the Lord”. The Christian Church was built by Jesus Christ. Before Jesus went to the cross to die in our place He stated that; “I will build MY CHURCH.”

Jesus Christ Himself stated: “I will build my church and the gates of Hades (or hell) shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18) So when did Jesus build this church? Notice that this church is “His church”, not mans. So first off, Jesus did not start a “non-profit” organization following some legal standard. Second, nowhere in Scripture do we read that Christ’s church was to be “denominated”, or divided into groups with slightly differing beliefs. So right away we have some issues with all the so called “denominations” around the globe.

We read that after Jesus resurrected He appeared to His disciples and told them to go and wait in an upper room where He would empower them with the “gift of the Holy Spirit” thus charging His church to begin in the “great commission” to call in others from all over the world. The “Book of Acts” records that this event did indeed happen and thus the church began, sometime around 33 AD. (Acts 1:4)

So this means (going clearly by Scripture) that that same church is still here to this day. Jesus said that until He comes for His church it would not be destroyed. The next question becomes, “So where is it amongst all the confusion?” This leads us to look closely at another teaching of Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us that if we remain in His word we will know the truth and this truth would “set us free” - free from sin and error. (John 8:31,32; John 15:7)

Early Groups of Believers

Interestingly enough, in the early LXX version of the Bible the word for “church” is qahal, meaning a “convocation” or “assembly”. We notice that there is no mention of specific organization in these terms – just a bunch of Christians congregating.

Even during Apostle Paul’s ministry church organization was still being defined. The word “church” in the Greek has also had a plural form, meaning “universal (Latin: catholic) assembly”. This shows that early Christians were united and at the same time extremely diverse. You had Gentiles from many races and cultures intermingling. It was also “universal” because it had not been perceived as being divided yet into factions. This in fact helped the message grow rapidly especially out from its “hub” which was ancient Antioch where they were in fact first called “Christian” [Acts 11:26].

Also there were older Jewish synagogues that had become completely Christianized. It was this early phenomenon which associated the word “church” with being an actual building. After time when Christians became a threat to Roman culture they started meeting in homes, fields and caves or caverns. What did they do when they came together?

Ancient Antiochene records show that the early church sought after the knowledge of the New Covenant as given and taught by Messiah, Yeshua [Jesus]. They did a lot more studying than most Christians do today. Scrolls were written on and passed throughout the Christian communities – when books started coming forth it was the Christian community that popularized books. Why? Because they could flip pages and mark pages to compare Scripture with Scripture, something that could not be easily done with the old Jewish scrolls. Using a book to teach from was to them like having a fast computer.

Not everyone could go to where books were being used. How would they remember the Gospel Message in simple form? They taught what was known as “catechisms”. The word means to “echo back” or “repeat” what you have learned. The early Apostles wrote “the Apostles Creed” to help the first Christians remember and to “always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within.” Today, the Antiochene Church still recites the Apostles Creed.

Though the very early church did not have the elegant worship styles of today they did have two very important practices in common, Water Baptism and Holy Communion - which in the earliest church was called “the eucharist [the thanksgiving]”. Apostolic authority became important to verify whether the teachings were real or a fraud. Apostle Paul became the lead authority regarding Gentile Christianity. In fact, he wrote most all of the New Testament.

The Mission of the Church

God revealed to the Apostle Paul much more about church organization as time went on. Apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor/teachers were chosen (selected) by the early apostles, particularly Peter, Barnabas and Paul. These messengers were sent (evangelizing) into the world to call forth “God’s elect” and to start new assemblies of believers. The message involved forgiveness of all sins, reconciliation with God through the Messiah, Jesus Christ - and the acceptance into the coming Kingdom of God. This was all part of the New Covenant that God was making with the human race. It became the “Good News” or “Gospel”. Interestingly the word “Gospel” [good news] was used before Christianity when announcing a new Caesar. In this sense it was a slap to the face of Rome. Jesus was the “real good news!”

After the first century the Christian church had to fight against many false teachings such as Gnosticism. This is when church organization became an extremely important issue. Thank God for the early saints who stood against the early heresies and plowed through; great saints such as Polycarp, Irenaeus, and Papias.

How Should I Worship Today?

First, I truly believe that what you have just read up to this point should be taught in a true Church of Jesus Christ. We, as Christians, should know about the true history of our beloved faith. Much of what we teach here is not being taught to the majority of Christians today.

Sadly, many believe almost anything that they hear from a pulpit. This is the sad condition of the Christian Church today. You should study and pray to find a local church that has all the truth that you truly feel strongly convicted of. All doctrines must be tested by the Word of God [Sola Scriptura]. You should also go to a church that properly understands the true doctrine of Baptism and Holy Communion. This is in fact hard to do with many of the fallen American denominations and “non-denominations” out there.

The more conservative Lutheran Churches have these doctrines correctly practiced and also understand the “Doctrine of the Keys”. However, I do not recommend going to most Lutheran churches today because they are not accepting the fullness of Biblical revelation which includes proper dispensational theology. If you can, find a conservative Lutheran Church. I currently sometimes attend a good Lutheran church - they do exist. You should go and worship with other Christians but take communion in your own home if the church you attend doesn’t practice it properly.

As far as feeling like you have to go to some building every Sunday to worship you don’t IF you have personal contact and worship with Christians in a home or outside in a park. True Christians will meet and worship together one way or another. We are commanded to “meet together” because we are all part of the greater “body of Christ” on earth.

If you enjoy certain Christian programs on television and radio, great! But you still need to meet and pray with other Christians – praying with others is in fact worship. To have a personal Pastor/teacher is important but make sure that he or she is teaching the Bible and not nonsense. Test all by the Word of God.

Finally, you may continue your personal studies with us here at “The Shepherds Way” and “Nugget of Truth”. Listen to Biblical Christian music and pray. Talk and develop friendships with other Christians. Remember, even though Christians may not always agree on everything we must still come together if and when we can so that we may GROW AND LEARN TOGETHER in the BODY OF CHRIST.

I hope this helps you gain a better understanding of your Christian faith.

Praise God all the time!

Eric William King (March 6^th 2021)

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