ECCLESIAL IDENTITY II. THE EKKLESIA-ECCLESIA What the Church was and Should Be Adrian L. Varlack Sr.

Transcription

1 ECCLESIAL IDENTITY II THE EKKLESIA-ECCLESIA What the Church was and Should Be Adrian L. Varlack Sr. 1

2 A BRIEF LOOK AT SCRIPTURE MATTHEW 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church (Ekklesia) and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 2

3 SOME IMPORTANT INSIGHTS The Holy Spirit s role in the Church The millennia-long tension between institutionalism and the Spirit s spontaneity One is static and controllable, the other living and dynamic 3

4 INSTITUTIONALISM Manageable by Human hands The Church s true identity is in her governance by the Holy Ghost an ongoing relationship There must be intentionality in the Church s submission and obedience to the Spirit 4

5 MEANING OF EKKLESIA Much has been written about Ecclesiology the study of the Church, but the word ekklesia properly belongs in the context of that democracy which began in Athens, Greece, during the 5 th Century BC. 5

6 PERICLES DESCRIPTION In 429 BC Pericles of Athens described how the ekklesia functioned: the rule was not in the hands of a few but under the control of the majority we have an equal concern for home and for our polis We are judges of our own actions and give careful thought to our affairs. For us discussion is no bar to action; what is harmful is to act before submitting a policy to discussion 6

7 A GOVERNING BODY The governing body of the Athenian democracy was the Ekklesia or Assembly a gathering of [male] citizens for the purpose of public debate and vote. 7

8 WOMEN IN SOCIETY Women were basically assigned two roles: The management of home affairs The [bearing] and bringing up of children By contrast [natural] men in Greek and Roman secular culture basically led double lives. They would have a family (at home), men friends, business associates, and public womencommon prostitutes, courtesans, the Hetairai 8

9 THE HETAIRAI The Hetairai were usually women active in business. They arranged banquets and meetings and were sometimes involved in concubinage. Hair was usually dyed blonde and nicely curled. They wore fine clothes. Their nails were cut and polished. Later on we will see why the mention of women, and their exclusion from the Ekklesia, is important. 9

10 AGORAS CITY CENTERS Alexander the Great 334 BC The Temple Mount (Matt. 26:55, Mark 11:27, 28; Luke 21:37, 38; John 10:23; 18:20) Ephesus (Acts 19:39) Formation of the Athenian Senate 10

11 I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH Matthew 16:15-18 Petros = small rock (piece of rock) PETRA = Large rock mass God was revealing Himself directly to human beings, certifying that the Eternal, Almighty, Omniscient God, had appeared among His people so they would be a people prepared for His name (Acts 15:14-18; I Peter 2:9-10) 11

12 THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE God desired to be known to and through His people. Acts 15:14-18 That the world may believe on His Son Jesus God s goal is the ultimate redemption of history through the example of the church How the Church would operate in the world (but not be of the world) and its attractiveness to people seeking God, was first demonstrated by Jesus ministry in the Gospels and then by His followers in the Book of Acts 12

13 EKKLESIA - THE TEMPLE COURTS On the Temple Mount itself were the usual stoa, colonnades, or porches of the Greco-Roman world where Ecclesias would gather. The Sadducees and Pharisees could verbally confront Jesus in these places but they could not legally challenge Him He was protected by Roman law and Greek precedent Jesus demonstrated for His disciples how the ecclesia could legally function A new commandment love one another 13

14 THE DECAPOLIS Jesus took His disciples through this area: Why? People from Decapolis were among His followers (Matt. 4:25) Certain Greeks came to see Jesus. They did not understand the message of the cross; I Cor.1:18-24 God may have allowed the development of democracy for His own purposes-athens, USA 14

15 BEGINNING PRINCIPLES Our Lord taught and demonstrated the beginning principles of His Ekklesia: Unconditional love (for God, for each other) Equality Humility Unity Self-governance through serving one another Deference to the Holy Spirit 15

16 THE EKKLESIA IN ACTS Jesus established the Spirit s right of way (John 14:16,17,25,26; 15:26; 16:7-15) He also established the human witness; Acts 5:32 The apostles and brethren met regularly on the Temple Mount; Acts 5:41, 42. The Spirit s leadership, presence, power: instructive to the Church, attractive to the onlookers-the world outside 16

17 THE EKKLESIA-Public/Homes Publicly and from House to House (Acts 20:20) The Church found an identity of sorts Women were restricted in the public Ecclesia; I Cor. 14:34-35; I Timothy 2:8-12; They could speak freely in the House churches and may have even been lead persons; Acts 2:17, 18; 21:7-9; Acts 18:26; Acts 16:14, 15; Romans 16:1-5; 12; 17

18 IDENTITY IN ACTS Spirit-led (A God-centered people) Christ-directed (A Mission-oriented people) Apostolically-governed Galvanized into Community (Acts 2:42-47; 3:32-35) Impacted the religious leadership of the Old Testament (Acts 6:7) 18

19 APOSTOLIC LEADERSHIP James, Cephas and John (Galatians 2:6-10) Saul s conversion and call (Acts 9) The beginning of the Gentile Mission (Acts 10) The issues that mission raised: the Mosaic law and circumcision, God in the midst of Gentiles, the freedom to reach God and to be the Ekklesia of Christ, Church unity (Acts 15) The form of the letter is revealing (Acts 15:23) 19

20 CHURCH DEVELOPMENT TWO STREAMS: Jewish Christian Leadership model (Peter, James) The Gentile Mission model of the Charismata (Paul) Galatians 3:1-5 Straying from the path 20

21 RESTORATION OF THE SPIRIT The Canon of Scripture apostolic authority The secularization and politicization of the Church The Reformers Had not gone far enough Modern outpourings/assertions of the Spiritreturn of the Charismata (presence/direction) Has Pentecostalism and our Church drawn the right conclusions 100-plus years later? 21

22 ECCLESIAL IDENTITY A Spontaneous Outworking: An open and freely-gathered community of the Spirit Visible Unity and end-time Witness COGOP - fourteen corrections and counting; What was attempted (MAT s proposal) Growth continues to 1.3 million 22

23 CONCLUSION God s Word, God s Spirit (Reflects Christ) Jesus used certain principles from the democratic Ekklesia and deliberately chose that word, but the presence of the Spirit s leadership adds a new dimension Christ Himself is the ultimate reality and goal of the Church Matt: 16:18; Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25-27; 3:

24 THIS IS THE SUM Jesus chose the term EKKLESIA deliberately He demonstrated how it would work by the places he visited and taught He set up its internal relationships Luke 22:24-27 and procedures for settling matters Matthew 18:15-20 The openness of the Church and the Spirit s presence within her attracted the people Two modes of governance developed and eventually merged into one 24

25 THIS IS THE SUM The struggle between institutionalism (human organization) and spontaneous direction by the Spirit is millennia-long We must keep striving for the right balance which leaves the Spirit free to direct, control, correct, and to be seen as the mighty power of God among us Our relationship with Him is the Church s true identity! 25

26 WHERE WE ARE NOW HARVEST LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PRAYER AND MINISTRY OF THE WORD Effective Administration SPIRIT AND WORD GOD S GUIDANCE, APOSTOLIC LEADERSHIP REPRESENTED BY THE WRITTEN WORD AS INSPIRED, INTERPRETED, AND APPLIED BY THE SPIRIT: This GOD-DEPENDENCE is OUR ECCLESIAL IDENTITY! 26

27 LIKE A MIGHTY ARMY Like a Mighty Army moves the Church of God Brothers we are treading where the saints have trod We are not divided, all one body we One in hope and doctrine, one in charity Crowns and thrones may perish Kingdoms rise and wane But the Church of Jesus constant will remain Gates of hell can never, gainst the church prevail We have Christ s own promise and that cannot fail 27