Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Today we are beginning a new series that is designed to help us understand what the Bible teaches about the Lord’s church.

I have titled the series “Understanding Ekklesia.”

EKKLESIA

If you did not know, Ekklesia is the greek word that is used in the New Testament that is translated most of the time in our English Bibles as “church.”

This is an important topic for us to discuss.

There are many misconceptions regarding what the church is, not just in the world, but also among those who are Christians.

I know that even my own understanding of what the church is has been flawed in the past.

I have had many erroneous views that have needed to be changed.

I have talked about the church differently than it is spoken of in the New Testament.

This is an area where our beliefs can at times be based more on the specific religious tradition that we have been brought up in instead of on scripture itself, and we can often be guilty of using words differently than how scripture uses them because of how we hear others use them.

So, for our first lesson in this series today, I would like us to begin by looking at the greek word that is translated church and how it is used in the Bible and at the time of Jesus and His Apostles.

THE GREEK WORD

First, it is important for us to understand this point, and this is usually a surprising point when it is seen for the first time, the Greek word “ĕkklēsia” is not inherently a religious word like our English word ‘church’ is.

Let me say that again.

The Greek word that is translated as ‘church’ in our Bibles (Ekklesia) is not inherently a religious word.

In the Greek world the word ekklesia simply designated an assembly or group of people.

We see this idea even in the use of ekklesia in the New Testament.

It is not just used as a religious word.

THE BIBLE’S USE OF EKKLESIA

First, let’s look at .

In the context of this passage, the people were stirred up by the silversmiths and craftsmen who built idols.

Their businesses were in danger because of the preaching of the Gospel and people being told to not serve God’s made by human hands.

A riot ensues and they all enter a theatre yelling and screaming.

Here is what we are told in verse 32:

“32 Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly (ekklesia) was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.”

(, ESV)

In this passage, the word ekklesia is talking about a mob that was in a theatre.

Yes, it could be argued that it was religiously motivated, but it surely was not God’s people coming together.

Verse 41 also uses the word ekklesia when it mentions the dismissing of this assembly of people.

One other verse in this passage uses the word ekklesia.

Verse 39.

I will read verse 38 also…

“38 If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls.

Let them bring charges against one another.

39 But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly.”

(, ESV)

This is the town clerk saying these this.

The last word there in verse 39, “assembly” is ekklesia.

He is talking about an assembly where that the people of a city were often called to in order to talk about grievances that they had and to get judgments from the authorities.

So in all of these verses the word is translated as an assembly.

One final passage I would like to look at before we look at the religious use of the word ekklesia is in . .

This is during the sermon that Stephen gave before he was stoned to death.

In talking about Moses, he said:

“38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers.

He received living oracles to give to us.” (, ESV)

In this verse, the word ekklesia is translated as “congregation.”

It is speaking of all of God’s people who came out of the land of Egypt, many of which were not faithful to God at all.

They were a congregation — an assembly of people.

THE SEPTUAGINT - EKKLESIA BEFORE COMING OF JESUS

Before Jesus came, we see this same usage of the word ekklesia in the Septuagint — the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures.

Ekklesia is used over 50x in the Septuagint, and in most of the cases where this word is used, it is also talking about an assembly, congregation, a bunch of people, or a group of people.

It is often used to talk about the Israelites who were assembled together in the wilderness.

I would like to give you a couple other examples of how ekklesia is used in the Greek Old Testament:

As David speaks to Goliath, he declares that all “all this ekklesia shall know” that “the battle is the Lord’s” ( [Lxx I Kings 17:47]) Here, ekklesia is used to describe armies that came out for battle

David says that he avoids & hates “the ekklesia of evildoers” ( [Lxx 25:5]) Ekklesia here is an assembly containing “men of falsehood” and “hypocrites” (v4).

In the account of David and Goliath, ekklesia is used to talk about all those who were present and would see David fight Goliath.

SUMMARY

So this Greek word: Ekklesia — was used in the Greek speaking world at to describe collections of people.

Ekklesia was a word that was used to describe a bunch of people, whether they were religious or not.

THE EKKLESIA of JESUS

With these things in mind, let’s begin to talk about the ekklesia of Jesus.

It is important for us to keep in mind what this word meant in the common usage of it in the first century, because doing this will help us to begin to see what the church is.

Whenever we think of the church or the community of Jesus’ people, we should not think of buildings or clergy or church leaders or organizations or institutions.

These views show a misunderstanding of how the word was used in the Greek speaking world.

Instead, we need to think about people.

The ekklesia of Jesus is the assembly or congregation or community of Christ’s people.

I would like us to quickly consider some different contexts in which the word ekklesia or “church” is used in the New Testament in referring to Christians.

We will look at these in more detail in future lessons.

THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

First, the word ekklesia is used in reference to all of God’s people — all who have been saved by the blood of Christ.

You may have heard this group of people referred to before as the “universal church.”

Let’s consider a couple passages where the word ekklesia is used in this way: First let’s look at :

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (assembly/community/congregation), and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

(, ESV)

In this verse, Jesus is teaching His disciples what the foundation — the bedrock principle — that His church — His group of people — His congregation would be built upon.

It would be built upon the foundation of who Jesus is.

Every person who is willing to make the confession that Peter did — that Jesus is the Son of God, and decides to become a disciple of Jesus — is added to this group of people — this one community of people.

We see this in the book of Acts.

As people were obeying the Gospel — as they were being baptized into Christ, Luke tells us that God was adding those who were baptized to their number — speaking of the group of the disciples who had become Jesus’ New Covenant people already.

They were added to Jesus’ assembly.

“…and to the assembly of the firstborn [Jesus] who are enrolled in heaven.”

(, ESV).

This passage is talking about the same group of people as .

Speaking of all those who are saved — this passage talks about how the names of this group of people are enrolled in Heaven.

Those who are Jesus’ church — His saved people, are known by God and recorded in His presence.

The Lord knows those who are His people — His assembly.

It is important to understand that, in these verses, Jesus is not talking about an organization or institution or denomination that He was going to create.

He is talking about people.

The assembly — the ekklesia — the church is described as individuals whose names are recorded in Heaven.

This group of people is His body — His bride — His holy nation — His priesthood — His people who will be with Him for eternity.

A GROUP OF CHRISTIANS IN A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

The second way the word ekklesia is used in reference to God’s people is in talking about a group of Christians in a specific geographical area.

What we see come about in scripture is that when the Gospel reached different cities, when there were multiple disciples that were made, then they would be called “a church of God” or a “church” in that specific city/town.

VERSES

Here are some examples of ekklesia being used in this way:

“To the church of God that is in Corinth…” (, ESV) “…To the church of the Thessalonians…” (, ESV)

These verses are all talking about local groups of Christians in different areas that Paul preached in, and these passages all give descriptions of these groups.

The Christians who lived in Corinth are described as God’s ekklesia.