In the New Testament the word for “church” is the Greek word ekklesia; literally “the called out ones.” Jesus said His church were those called out of darkness to come into the light (see John 8:12 and 12:36). He also said His church would consist of those who confess Him as Lord and stand on His foundation (Matthew 16:15-19). Unfortunately there are many different views of the church. Not even those who profess Christ as Lord can all agree on what the church is, and the world has its own distinct impression and expectations of who we are and what we should be. But since the church belongs to Jesus, it is His definition that will be the only one that matters. Whatever we think of the church must be in line with our Lord’s view!
My seminary Church History professor Dean E. Walker once wrote this definition of the church: “The church is the divinely ordained institution for making the world Christian.” Thus we are 1) the product of God’s plan and action; 2) established and organized on earth; 3) with a specific task and purpose; which is, 4) to bring others into a saving relationship with Jesus. To put it more simply: We are OF God ON earth FOR people TO find God!
If we are of God then that has many implications. First, He and He alone is the boss. We don’t tell God what the church is, He tells us. There may be many human efforts to define the church (including this article), but they all must be based on the Bible. Unfortunately many groups ignore or change God’s Word to suit themselves, making up their own identity. To them Jesus may someday say “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:22-23). [The church belongs to God!]
But we are on earth because this is where God does His work of redemption. All humans are created in God’s image, but not all are saved. All are loved by God, but not all become His children through the adoption of faith (see John 1:12). It is on this earth that we have one life in which to decide whether to confess Christ as Lord, or remain our own god. If we don’t say to God “your will be done”, He will say to us at the end “your will be done!” [The church is His Body!]
In Christ our focus changes to live for people instead of for ourselves. This is part of denying ourselves, taking up our cross (Luke 9:23) and serving others (Mark 10:43-45). Thus God equips His people with spiritual gifts to benefit the whole church. This includes meeting each other’s needs and fulfilling our ministries. As “family” we are to care for and look out for each other, and is where we learn about grace and forgiveness. However, each individual is responsible for their own growth and maturity. We cannot blame others for our immaturity if we are unattached or haven’t taken seriously our own spiritual health. [The church is people!]
Finally, the church does not exist for its own sake, but so that others are able to find God. A constant danger for the church is to be inwardly focused or withdrawn from the surrounding culture. Jesus left Heaven to save us and He sends us out (Matthew 28:18-20) to tell a message of salvation. In this way we are all missionaries to our own culture, seeking the lost and perishing, caring for them as Jesus does. [The church is evangelistic!]
What do you believe the church is? What we do shows what we believe. Hopefully what we believe about the church matches the definition of the Lord of the Church!

Denis Whittet