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
It's no secret that the traditional church has been hemorrhaging members for many years. I've spoken to this many times on this page. People who once were gung ho in coming together in the name of the Lord are now lukewarm to that possibility. What changed? Well, as I've mentioned before, I believe that it is those within the church that changed it. This is not something which has suddenly happened, but has been ongoing for the thousands of years since the inception of the first organized group of believers. From the beginning, the focus has not been on Jesus, but on the desires of man. But there is another church which is led by Christ Jesus which He continues to grow. This gathering, the ecclesia, are those followers of Christ which He Himself draws unto the Father. The ecclesia is different from the traditional institutional church in that it is void of the traditions carried forward by those within the church, There are no tithes. There are no boring Sunday sermons. Jesus does not simply gather those who are most prominent among us, but all are indeed welcome in the church He is gathering. In my time in the organized church, I came across those who felt guilty over missing a single Sunday or not being dressed well enough for the Lords day. Jesus has done away with those requirements. In fact, He has done away with many of the requirements which those within the church have imposed upon those who simply desired to worship Jesus {Paul to the Colossians 2:14}. This is all about Jesus gathering all unto Him. But what about those whose intent is not to worship Him, but to live the way they desire? Won't Jesus judge them instead of gather them unto Himself? Well, if you're into the broken theology of the mainstream church, you just might believe in that nonsense. But we're told in the scriptures that Jesus has NOT come to judge the world, but that all the world will be saved THROUGH Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.
One of the best examples which I can give of the ecclesia which Jesus is drawing unto Himself is that of a group of gym goers which I have been associated with for some time. Many of these have since become close friends of mine. Not all of these are die hard Christians. In fact, there are many who are either on the fence or have never considered knowing Jesus at all. But I believe in my heart that they are being drawn into His ecclesia as I have been. I'm no pastor, but I know that there are those in our group who take notice when I speak of the truth of our life within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}. The apostle Paul spoke to this truth in his evangel, proclaiming that he was no longer alive, but that Christ Jesus lives in him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. This is the truth of our identity in Christ. Again, this is something you probably will not hear spoken of in the traditional church. But it is the underlying truth of our life in Christ. There are many who will bristle at the mention of the concept of universal salvation, that belief that God intends to gather ALL mankind unto Him to be saved in His name. But what about the wicked? What of those who openly blaspheme God? Seriously, if God should choose to save all of His children, who are we to dispute this? When we argue that the guilty deserve eternal punishment in hell, then we take upon ourselves those titles of judge and jury. What is it that Jesus spoke of those who judge others {Matthews Account 7:1-5}. Therefore, if God so chooses that He would save all of His children, that is His desire. I see the gathering of His ecclesia by Jesus as the fulfilling of this desire of the Lord. To gather all of His children unto Himself. The difference being, His church is not losing members.
In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you
Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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