Note: The introduction notes come from Andy Stanley's book "Deep & Wide". Great book.
Title: The Ekklesia
Theme: To understand what the true meaning of the church is.
Text: Matthew 16:13 - 19
Offering: 1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper,
Note the time-the first day of the week, indicating the reverence with which the early Christians regarded that day. The method-the definite appropriation for God’s work of a certain proportion of income, as it accrues. The proportion-as the giver may be prospered. Paul disliked vehement collection appeals, and advised that we should give according to a system, and not merely by impulse. - F.B. Meyer "Day by Day"
Matthew 16:13-19 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" (14) So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (15) He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (16) 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, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (18) And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (19) And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Peter’s statement
From Andy Stanley's book Deep & Wide
" During Jesus’ earthly ministry there was constant debate about his identity. Was he a teacher? A rabbi? A prophet? Was he actually divine or simply endued with divine power? He had authority over nature, but where did his authority come from? Whether it was Nicodemus or the woman at the well, the question was the same: “Who is this guy?” (“And why won’t he come right out and tell us?”)
Eventually, Jesus decided to deal with the issue directly. He broached the subject with his disciples just outside the beautiful city of Caesarea Philippi. . . .Perhaps with Caesarea looming over his shoulder, eleven hundred feet up the slope of Mount Hermon, Jesus asked the Twelve the very question that men and women had been asking them, “Who do people say that I am?” What’s the word on the street? You will remember that the disciples responded based on what they had heard. Some believed Jesus was John the Baptizer returned from the dead (perhaps sent by God to take vengeance on Herod Antipas, whom John had denounced for marrying the ex-wife of Herod Philip). Others suggested Jesus was the prophet Elijah, whom many Jews believed would return to introduce the Messiah. Jesus then turned the question to the Twelve. “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered immediately, “You are the Messiah [the Christ], the Son of the living God.” Just as quickly, Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” For the record, that is my favorite Bible prophecy. "
This is a powerful verse. It tells us a few things about the church. First, its foundation is Christ. A church must be based on the fact of who Christ is. This is the common denominator between all churches and groups. Second, if this "church" is based on the foundation of Christ then he will build it and even if hell itself came against it, the church will stand.
The “gates of Hades” in the Old Testament (Job_38:17; Psa_9:13) and subsequent Jewish tradition referred to the realm and power of death; death itself would not silence the church. - IVP Bible Background Commentary
(19) And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
This shows the power and the mission of the church.
Matthew 16:19. The keeper of the keys was one of the most important roles a household servant could hold (cf. Mar_13:32-34); a high official held the keys in a royal kingdom (Isa_22:20-22) and in God’s house, the temple. Keys here refer to the authority to admit into the kingdom (Mat_23:13), based on the knowledge of the truth about Jesus (Mat_16:16).
We have power as the children of God to bind the forces of darkness, and to loose the work of God. God has given us that authority over these spirit forces, these spiritual entities, that as children of God, we do have authority over them. We can bind these spirit forces and we can loose the work of God.
Second mention of this word church in Matthew 18
Mat 18:18-20 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (19) Again I say [89] to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
"binding and loosing" brings a sense of taking control of the kingdom, pulling back the enemy and releasing God's power to operate and work.
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Ephesians 6:12-13 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, [19] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
The Church
"Specifically, the meaning of the term translated church. As you may know, the Greek term translated church throughout the New Testament is ekklesia. What you may not know is that it was not a religious term. It could refer to citizens called to gather for civic purposes. It was used to refer to soldiers called out to gather for military purposes. An ekklesia was simply a gathering or an assembly of people called out for a specific purpose. Ekklesia never referred to a specific place, only a specific gathering."
Acts 2:46-47 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, (47) praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church [13] daily those who were being saved.
I don't believe that this means that we have to move from house to house to have meetings. Nor does it mean that we can't come together in a building. The problem happens when we have switched from being a movement to a monument.
This is what happened in church history. It didn't happen for almost 300 years but.
What happened?
" Here’s what happened. FROM ASSEMBLY TO ASSEMBLY HALL In AD 313, Constantine, soon to be emperor of Rome, legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. Actually, he legalized freedom of religion in general.
Before this edict, Christianity had been outlawed because Christians insisted that Jesus, not the emperor, was their king. Furthermore, they refused to accept any emperor as divine. Consequently, the church suffered localized but intense persecution for the first three hundred years of its existence. This was especially true during the reigns of emperors Nero, Domitian, and Diocletian. Even during periods of reprieve, Christians were barred from positions of authority, ostracized by their communities, charged with random crimes, and stripped of property. Gathering was difficult and dangerous. But with the arrival of Constantine, things began to change. In the beginning, few rulers paid attention to the edict. As Constantine’s power grew, however, tolerance for Christianity grew as well.
Then something really big happened. Constantine declared himself a Christian. Imagine the shock waves that ran though the empire. A Christian emperor. After generations of failed attempts to stamp out this Jewish knockoff religion centered around a Galilean carpenter, the emperor himself had joined the cult. Unbelievable. Suddenly, it became fashionable to be Christian.
Before Constantine’s rise to power, Christian worship was relatively informal. Believers met in homes, enjoying what they called “love feasts,” the ancient equivalent of a potluck banquet.
After a meal, they sang hymns, read Scripture, discussed theology, and shared communion. In rare cases, a gathering of Christians in a tolerant city might dedicate a special room or small building for their meetings, but these were nothing more than ordinary buildings decorated with simple murals.
After Constantine’s conversion, powerful people brought their former notions of worship with them as they professed belief in Christ and began influencing Christian communities. Christian worship began to incorporate elements of imperial protocol, including incense, ornate clothing, processionals, choirs, and pageantry. Worship became formal and hierarchical, relegating the congregation to mere spectators. Before the rise of Constantine, it was not unusual for believers to commemorate the anniversary of a martyr’s death by sharing communion near his or her grave.
As Christianity became the religion of the Roman elite, they used their influence to take this practice to a new level. They began erecting buildings dedicated to worship on the sites identified with a martyr’s death. When they could not build on a martyr’s grave, they exhumed the bones, transported them to a place of worship, and placed them under the communion table at the front of the sanctuary.
Within a decade, the ekklesia ceased to be a movement. It was no longer an expanding group of people sharing a unique identity and purpose. It had become a location. The Romans called each of these gathering places a basilica, the Latin word used to denote a public building or official meeting place. Gothic (or Germanic) cultures, also influenced by Christianity, used the word kirika, which became kirche in modern German.
The word meant “house of the lord,” and was used to refer to any ritual gathering place, Christian or pagan. This Germanic term became the one used most often to refer to the ekklesia of Jesus, and from it we get the word church. Whereas the majority of your English Bible is a word-for-word translation of the Greek text, not so in this case. The word church is not a translation from the Greek. It is a substitution for the Greek. And a bad one at that. The German term kirche and the Greek term ekklesia refer to two very different ideas. A kirche is a location. An ekklesia is a purposeful gathering of people. You can lock the doors of a kirche. Not so with the ekklesia of Jesus."
New Meaning to assembling - This changes everything
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, (25) not forsaking the assembling (G1997 - Original: ἐπισυναγωγή - Transliteration: Episunagoge - Phonetic: ep-ee-soon-ag-o-gay'
- Definition: 1. a gathering together in one place 2. the (religious) assembly (of Christians) )of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Mat 18:19-20 Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
Unsettling Questions
Unsettling Questions - Questions like: Are we moving or simply meeting? Are we making a measurable difference in our local communities or simply conducting services? Are we organized around a mission or are we organized around an antiquated ministry model inherited from a previous generation? Are we allocating resources as if Jesus is the hope of the world or are the squeaky wheels of church culture driving our budgeting decisions? Are we ekklesia or have we settled for kirche?
Church building is just an instrument, it is not the mission.
Jesus Disciple’s Mission
Jesus gives us the mission of the church in Matthew 28:19-20
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Notice in Luke 4:18 Jesus set forth the mission of His Calling
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me –
Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem [169] until you are endued with power from on high."
Acts 1:6-8 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (7) And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. (8) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me [1] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord* in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
He has Anointed Me – set me apart
Isaiah 10:27 reminds us “it is the anointing that breaks the yoke”
To preach – to bring
The gospel – good news, salvation, John 3:16
To the Poor – lacking in anything, as respects to their spirit
Sent Me – called out, sent forth
To Heal the broken hearted – to cure, make whole,
Isa 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
1Pe 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.
To proclaim liberty to the captives – proclaim (herald, announce, publish,) notice that it is up to the person to accept it.
Recovery of sight to the blind – restoration,
Set at Liberty those who are oppressed (bruised) – even surface wounds
Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord – declare, this is the day, this is the hour, this is the moment.
Jesus Declared the Evidence, This is our Mission
Luke 7:17-22 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region. (18) Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. (19) And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, [51] saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" (20) When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?' " (21) And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. (22) Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Conclusion
I am here to declare that this is the thought pattern that we have to get back to. The church is not desgned to be an permanents place of worship but a movement moving throughout the world and sharing the gospel. The church is not designed to be a institution but a gathering of people preparing to share the gospel.
There is nothing wrong with us meeting together the question is to what result? Is it to make us feel good about the week. Or is it to prepare us to do the great commission. To set the captives free. To bind and loose the effects of the enemy.
This morning I declare that in this house there is freedom and God is here to give you power to go forth.
