And He is the head of the body, the ecclesia, Who is Sovereign, Firstborn from among the dead, that in all He may be becoming first
Paul to the Colossians 1: 18, Concordant New Testament
The question was offered up the other day, what will the church Jesus is building look like? I believe that the apostle Paul lays this out in a few places in his evangel. First, he speaks to the truth that Jesus is the head of the body, the ecclesia. This Greek word, mentioned in the scripture to describe the church of Jesus, is meant to describe a gathering or assembly of believers. Therefore, I believe that the church of Christ Jesus is, and will be, the gathering together of those who know Him. I do not believe that this ecclesia will be like any church any of us have ever attended here in this worldly realm. Gone will be the boring Sunday sermons, the tithes to the church corporation and the modern praise and worship music concerts. Instead, the believers in Jesus will be assembled with one desire, to honor and praise the Lord Jesus. After all, He is the head of this body, this ecclesia {Paul to the Colossians 1:18}. It is Jesus Who has brought all who dwell within this ecclesia together. Since Jesus continues to draw many into His assembly, into His church, what will it look like? Paul speaks to the truth that all who are members of the ecclesia of Christ "Are the body of Christ, and members of a part" {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 12:27}. Indeed, this assembly of the believers in Jesus are His body, with Christ Jesus as the head of that body. As members of the church of Jesus, we are all connected and serve Him in spreading His gospel message as well as serving one another in the love born of the Father. In the second book of the Acts of the apostles, we are given a glimpse into what life in the ecclesia of Jesus is like {Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47}.
I have always thought of the words we find in Acts 2 as the example of what church should be. Free to bestow the love of the Father not only on other members of the assembly of Christ Jesus, but on those surrounding them as well {Acts of the Apostles 2:47}. How many man created churches can claim to emulate that which we see in the ecclesia of the followers of Jesus we find in the scriptures of Acts? I would venture to say that there has never been such a brick and mortar church with such qualities. If there has, I've never heard of it. But I believe that this is why the ecclesia of Christ Jesus is different from anything we've seen before. Because when we mention the word church, we all too often think of the practices and traditions of the man-made brick and mortar churches we've become so accustomed to. The true church of Jesus is nothing like this at all. With each member a member of Jesus Who sits at the head of it, there is little room for the struggles of prominence and position which we often see in the churches we are so used to seeing. No one member is more important than the those around them. This might sound strange to many who have grown up in the man-made church. How can a church even survive without budgets, leadership groups or structure? Well, I believe that Jesus has done away with such things on purpose. That is, that His ecclesia would be focused on the Father and not upon the requirements of man. After all, He is the One Who sits at the head of His church.
Now all those who believe also were in the same place and had all things in common. And they disposed of the acquisitions and the properties, and divided them to all, forasmuch as some would have need. Besides persevering day by day with one accord in the sanctuary, besides breaking bread from home to home, they partook of nourishment with exultation and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor for the whole people. Now the Lord added those being saved day by day in the same place
Acts of the apostles 2: 44-47, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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