1.1The Kingdom of God

1.1: The Kingdom of God Why is the church that we read from the Bible, look so radically different from today’s church? Is it merely the normal evolution of an organization, or could it be that today’s church actually moved away from God’s plan of what church supposed to have been? To answer this we need to ask what was the purpose of church? To answer that question we need to look at, what was Jesus’ mission on Earth in the first place. Christ’s mission is pretty evident through the Gospel that Christ preached. For instance we read in: Mat 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. We also read in: (KJV) Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (KJV) Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (KJV) The apostle also preached the Kingdom of God: Act 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (KJV) Act 19:8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. (KJV) Act 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. (KJV) The apostles also taught about the Kingdom through their letters to the churches:

Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (KJV) 1Th 2:12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. (KJV) 2Ti 4:18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (KJV) 2Pe 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (KJV) In actual fact there are over 140 verses in the New Testament alone that speak about the kingdom of God. When Jesus asked His disciples who people said He was; His disciples said that the people say He might have been one of the prophets of old, or John the baptizer who was raised from the dead. Then Jesus directed this question to them: Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Mat 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. Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (KJV) The church is being built on the revelation of Jesus the Son of God being the Christ. Yet what does it mean that Jesus is the Christ? Christ comes from the Greek word “Christos” which is the Hebrew equivalent for the “Messiah” which means “the Anointed One” . In the Old Testament a person would be anointed to function as either priest or as king over Israel. Being called The Anointed One – the Messiah or the Christ refers to the prophetic expectations of the One that would be the King over Israel, who would establish God’s kingdom on earth from the line of David. So the church being built on the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, means the church is built on the very revelation that Jesus is the anointed

King and Priest of God’s kingdom. The gospel of the kingdom is about the awaited One of God— the one who would rule and establish God’s righteousness and judgment on earth. We read about this in: Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (KJV) The everlasting kingdom would come from the tribe of Judah – from the loins of David; as David declared in: 1Ch 28:4 Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel: (KJV) What is amazing to see is that the proclamation of the kingdom of God started in the city of Jerusalem the city of David. Jerusalem is the starting point from which the kingdom of Christ would advance to over the rest of the world, which we can read about in: Act 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? Act 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (KJV) God’s everlasting kingdom was furthermore prophesied in: Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (KJV)

Further on Daniel prophesies in: Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (KJV) This is then confirmed by John in: Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (KJV) Even Christ’s birth speaks of the kingdom of God from the wise men’s perspective in: Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Mat 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (KJV) What has this all got to do with the purpose of church? To understand the purpose of church we must first grasp the fact that Christianity was never meant to be a religion, but a kingdom. This means that the purpose of church is about the kingdom of God and not about some new religion. We ask you to prayerfully consider seriously what is going to be taught from this point on, because we are going to unmask the last 1700 years of institutional church traditions. This is not something to approach light-heartedly, since the consequences of what one believes the church actually is, does have a tremendous influence on our effectiveness in God’s kingdom.

1. W.E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vine Copyright Ltd., Bath, England and Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN (Bath, England & Nashwille, 1984, 1996.) “Christ” e-Sword 13.0.0

1.2Ekklesia

In this section we deal with the question how does the church meeting represent a kingdom as opposed to a religion? In answering this, we need to look at the actual biblical meaning of the word “church”. For now we can say that most Christians do understand that church does not mean a building but an actual assembly of believers. Yet church was not just any kind of assembly. To fully grasp the church of the Bible as a kingdom gathering, we would need to look at its Greek roots and also at the variety of assemblies with their emphasis in the New Testament. Should you want to look at some of these Greek words for yourself, please make use of Greek dictionaries that explain the meanings of the words as they were understood in biblical times, like the Greek Lexicon or Vines or similar scholarly Greek dictionaries. The Strong’s dictionary, for instance, only translates words into their current English meaning and is not meant to be used to interpret the original meaning of the words of the text. The first word that we are going to look at that describes an assembly is the word: synagogue. The word: synagogue comes from the Greek word “synago” which entails an assembling of people brought together from those who were 1. scattered. After the temple of Solomon was destroyed and the Jews were scattered among the nations; the Jews came together in small groups where they continued to be taught by the Law of Moses and the instructions of the prophets. The synagogue gathering helped them to not forsake their heritage as a nation, even though they were scattered all over the world, without a temple. To the Jews, the synagogue was a kind of religious school, similar to a Sunday school or Bible classes. It was never seen by the Jews as a temple or place of worship at that time. We do want to remark that some modern Westernized Jews have incorporated some of the Westernized church practices in their gatherings, which were not present in bible times. Keep in mind though that synago only meant bringing together scattered people or things. For that reason the word synago was sometimes used when it referred to bringing the church together. Yet the word synago never referred to the actual church gathering. In other words synago was never used to mean church, but only that the church was brought together or assembled as seen in: 2.

Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together [synago] in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (KJV)

2.

Jas 2:2 For if there come unto your assembly [synagögyn] a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; (KJV) There are other Greek words that also refer to an assembly, but are not as commonly known. One of them is the Greek word “plethos” which refers to a general gathering of people for no particular purpose as such. It just referred to 3. a common gathering of people for any type of gathering. An example of Scripture of this type of assembly is found in: Act 23:7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the 3. Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude [plethos] was divided. (KJV) Another is the Greek word “soostrofay” literally meaning a twisting together generally referring to a crowd or a riot for instance as used in:

4.

Act 19:40 For we are in danger to be called in question for this day’s uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse 4. [soostrofay]. (KJV) The next Greek word is “panegurous”. This word is more interesting in that it 5. was used to describe an assembly that was spectator orientated in nature. This word was used to describe the Greek Olympics gathering, or religious gatherings. It was used to indicate religious gatherings, because most of the people who gathered were spectators to the ritual performances of the priests up front. Attendants might participate in prayer or bring something forward to sacrifice, but for the majority of the time they were spectators at a religious show. This word was used in a prophetic and spiritual sense of the church in: Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 5. 2. Heb 12:23 To the general assembly [panegurous] and church [ekklesia] of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (KJV) You would think that looking at today’s church, the word “church” came from this Greek word: panegurous. For instance, if we go into most church gatherings today, we enter a spectator-oriented religious gathering, where we hardly participate except for maybe singing songs and giving money. Unfortunately, neither of these Greek words for gatherings was ever used to refer to mean the church or the church meeting in the Bible.

The actual Greek word for church is: ekklesia. It is a combination of two words “ek” which means “out of” and the “klesia” which means “called”. Literally, it can be translated as “called out” or “elect”. Yet the word ekklesia meant much more than an assembly of the elected of Christ. The word ekklesia actually indicated a town or city council meeting. . Both the Greeks and the Romans used the Greek word ekklesia to refer to a meeting where people were called out to discuss and make decisions concerning the affairs of state. The council meetings were attended for the sake of the stability of the state and the advancement of the current kingdom. The ekklesia was the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens during its Golden Age between 480–404 BC. In 594 BC, it was the popular assembly, open to all male citizens over the age of 19, meaning that all classes of citizens in Athens were able to participate. The ekklesia opened the doors for all citizens, regardless of class, to nominate and vote for magistrates – indirectly voting for the Areopagus, which was like a “high court of appeal”. The ekklesia had the final decision on legislation, war and peace, military strategy, electing army generals and other officials and had the right to call magistrates to account 7. after their year of office. In the 5th century BC their numbers reached about 43,000 people. However, only those wealthy enough to spend much of their time away from home were able to participate, until Pericles’ reforms in early 451-2 BC allowing payment for jurors. Originally these meetings were held once every month, but later on they met three or four times per month. The agenda for the ekklesia was generally established by the servants of the king, the popular council. Votes were taken by 7. a show of hands. A quorum of 6,000 was sometimes required to do business. Something interesting and quite humorous to note on the side-line, is that a gang of slaves, called Scythians, carrying ropes dipped in red ochre named “miltos”, would travel through the city on the days the ekklesia was to meet, and would lash those citizens not in attendance with theses miltos. With garments stained, shamed citizens could legally not carry out any business until they 7. visited the meeting grounds of the ekklesia. So it is evident from Greek culture that the word ekklesia was never used by the Greeks to indicate a religious or informal gathering. This was true under the Roman Empire as well. This meaning of the ekklesia is clearly seen in an incident found in Acts 19. From verses twenty-four up to verse thirty one we read of a silversmith name Demetrius who was greatly offended by the new beliefs Paul

brought to Asia, which entailed turning away from idol worship towards faith in Christ. It had drastic financial implications for Demetrius and other silversmiths who made these idols for profit. Demetrius got a whole mob together at the theatre to make a decision about what they were going to do. Let us read from Scripture what happened from this point on, from: Act 19:32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly 2. [ekklesia] was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. Act 19:33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. Act 19:34 But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Act 19:35 And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Act 19:36 Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. Act 19:37 For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. Act 19:38 Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. Act 19:39 But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be 2. determined in a lawful assembly [ekklesia] . Act 19:40 For we are in danger to be called in question for this day’s uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. Act 19:41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly [ekklesia] 2. . (KJV) Here we find the Greek word ekklesia being used three times to indicate the type of assembly the silversmith Demetrius called for. It is also why the city clerk questioned the lawfulness of this particular ekklesia gathering, as it became a soostrofay, which as we saw earlier on, means “riot”. Would you say that this ekklesia meeting was intended to be a judicial meeting or a religious meeting in this instance? It’s quite obvious that it was a city judicial council

meeting, because their intention was to decide what they were going to do with Paul and the influence he had on the idol worship industry of that city. It was only when they were shouting praises to their idol named Diana that the secretary came to bring order to the ekklesia gathering. If only we had such a city clerk to come and create order in many of our modern day churches… ok bad joke .

1. Vine’s “Essemble” e-Sword 13.0.0 2. Paul R. McReynolds, Word Study Greek-English New Testament Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, Illinois 1990. 3. Vine’s “Essembly” e-Sword 13.0.0 4. Vine’s “Gathering” e-Sword 13.0.0 5. Vine’s “Essembly” e-Sword 13.0.0 6. Vine’s “Essembly” e-Sword 13.0.0 7. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ecclesia-ancient-Greek-assembly, 16 May 2021; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesia_(ancient_Greece),16 May 2021.

1.3Interactive Meeting

Does the Bible really indicate a city council meeting when it refers to an ekklesia church gathering? The problem we have when reading Scripture is that we already have a pre-conceived idea about church, understanding it to be a religious gathering at a religious building; so we read that perspective into Scripture. Let me challenge you to take a step of faith now, by taking off the tinted glasses of man- made tradition and read the Scripture purely on what is actually written, and your eyes might open to a church you never knew was actually taught in Scripture. Let us start with Jesus’ teaching concerning church in: Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (KJV) Is there any indication that Christ is referring to church as a worship service here? No, because it is clear that Christ is speaking of a type of council or judicial meeting where decisions are to be made concerning an unrepentant brother. Take note that here, Jesus is talking about the whole church putting someone out of the church, and there is no mention of this being the role of church leaders, as is practised in many traditional churches. The fact that the church may bind or loosen anything on earth with the result to having it bound or loosed in heaven is evidence that the church being spoken of refers to a judicial council meeting concerning the kingdom of God. This is very much the same as the ekklesia of ancient Athens.

In fact, the correcting of brothers in a church meeting is not uncommon in Scripture at all! Paul writes in: 1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (KJV) Is Paul talking about a worship service or a town council meeting when he instructed the Corinthian church as a whole about what to do with an unrepentant brother? Keep in mind this was Paul’s instruction to the whole church and not just to the leaders of the church. Please don’t misunderstand me here. I am not saying that church is a secular meeting. The biblical church is very clearly a spiritual meeting. Christ is in our midst, heading the meeting of royal priests. We are coming together to discuss and make decisions concerning the affairs of His kingdom. It is therefore a spiritual town or city council meeting – very different from the “worship service” that we are accustomed to. So far, does it seem to you that church should be an interactive meeting where everyone can participate, or does it still seem right to have the traditional three point monologue sermon? Well, let us go on and explore the Scriptures even further. The author of Hebrews writes in: Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (KJV) This passage does not say that we are not to forsake the assembly so that we can listen to one man’s opinion. We are to exhort one another. Even when it comes to singing, we read in the Bible that it was done “to one another” in an ekklesia gathering. For instance we read in: Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves [each other] in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; (KJV)

To whom are the songs directed to when we make melody in our heart to the Lord? The answer is – to each another. Paul’s letter to the Colossians confirms this in: Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (KJV) Again, what was the purpose of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as we sing to God with thankfulness in our hearts? It was for the purpose of teaching and admonishing one another. Remember the ekklesia gathering is a spiritual city council gathering where the focus is on stirring one another to love and do good works. It is where we make decisions concerning the kingdom of God in our lives as the body of Christ. So it is of no surprise that psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs were sung to one another to teach and admonish one another to stir up love and do good works among each other. The songs spoken of here are not meant for a worship sessions where we need someone on stage to perform. Surely any person may sing songs of praise to God to encourage and teach the church as one would by teaching, prophecy or a word of knowledge. Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church is most probably the clearest indication of all believers taking part in the meeting. For instance we read in: 1Co 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. (KJV) According to Paul, when we come together, who is to contribute to the meeting? A) Only the one who has a theological diploma or degree? B) Those whom the Pastor allows. C) Each of us may contribute to the gathering according to what God gives. We will need a lot of creative interpretation in order to make any sense of this passage it in the traditional church gathering? Let us read further from: 1Co 14:29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

1Co 14:30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 1Co 14:31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 1Co 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. (KJV) The word prophet in Greek “prophetes” refers to someone speaking a word 1. from God. So according to this passage, who is to speak a word from God? A) The pastor B) Those who the church has appointed C) Two or three prophets – or spokespersons of God. We read that two or three people may speak God’s word. Who is then to judge whether these words spoken are from God? A) The pastor B) The elders C) The whole church Can you picture a church meeting where everyone is involved in judging the word; where it is not only an appointed pastor that plays police? But wait; here is another question. What needs to happen if someone who sits by has something to add to what the first three prophesying are speaking about? A) He has to stay quiet because you are not to interrupt the pastor when he is speaking. B) You need to ask the pastors’ permission to say something to the church. C) The first two or three need to keep quiet and give heed to the one who has something to add, for we all may prophesy one by one. Let us repeat the passage in: 1Co 14:30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 1Co 14:31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. (KJV) The Bible teaches us that the meeting is to be interactive, where there needs to be more than one person giving the “Word of God”. In other words the whole church may take part in the gathering. This is only possible in a city or town council ekklesia meeting. It is clear that this judicial council ekklesia meeting is about much more than just dealing with unrepentant brothers or sisters. It is

about the affairs of God’s kingdom in our lives. Picture having a city council, where every time they meet, they have a single appointed person who expounds on his interpretation of the council’s policy, rules and procedures’ manual. Now this appointed person might even give a brilliant motivational speech on the fact that they are the chosen council members of the city. However, the council meeting never gets to be about dealing with issues on hand such as which roads needs to be improved, what to do about the crime in the town, or what funds need to be allocated for schools. Even though the council members feel they were motivated and gained knowledge on the policy, rules and procedures manual, their meetings do not fulfil the reason why they were chosen to be the town council. The council also may have meetings where everyone gets to have a say and even have a discussion on their views and interpretations concerning the policy, rules and procedures manual. The appointed person might insist that they follow his interpretational study notes. This meeting does not differ that much from a book club? The town council is still not fulfilling the reason why they were chosen to be members of the city council. In the same way the church meeting should not be a religious book club, nor a motivational gathering held from the appointed person’s view of the Bible. The ekklesia is the elect of God who come together to discuss and make decisions concerning the affairs of God’s Kingdom in their lives and the areas they effect. As the ekklesia, they have the authority to bind and loose on earth, that will then be bound and loosed in heaven.

1. Vine’s “Prophet” e-Sword 13.0.0

1.4Equipping the Saints

If the ekklesia meeting is to be interactive; where then does the monologue sermon that we are so used to in the Sunday service fit in? The monologue sermon in an ekklesia meeting was unheard of in the first three hundred years of the church’s existence. Yet, with the church being institutionalised in 325AD by Constantine, and with the church being given religious buildings, the meetings 1. became spectator orientated religious shows, run by ordained clergy. The sermon that we are used to in the institutional church was made popular by the 2. man with the name of John Chrysostom in about 386 AD. He was nicknamed the man with the golden mouth, because of the Aristotelian art of rhetoric which he acquired before his conversion to Christianity. Some would argue that the monologue rhetoric in church can be found back in Scripture. Their proof text is found in: Act 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to 3. break bread, Paul preached unto them [dialogomi] , ready to depart on the 4. morrow; and continued his speech [logos] until midnight. (KJV) Keep in mind when reading this passage, that this passage was translated from Greek by those who had a traditional church background. You see, the phrase “spoke to them” in this passage is the Greek word “dialogomi”. It is where we get our English word “dialogue” from. To the Greeks it had a much stronger 3. meaning that indicated “heated discussion or debate”. It is true that Paul did lead the discussion but it was a discussion none the less. The word “message” is from the well-known Greek word “logos” which indicates a “word” that depicts 4. “reason or thought”. The translators could not imagine that there could be discourse in the type of church meeting that they had become accustomed to. They therefore translated debates and reasoning as speaking his message. But think about it; Paul had to leave the next day and the church had a lot to sort out before he left. It is unreasonable to think that he addressed these issues through a sermon. As in all ekklesia judicial meetings, these issues were discussed. Logic also dictates to us it’s unlikely that a monologue sermon would last till midnight, but discussions can easily make hours pass quickly. Discussion in a church meeting over certain issues was not as uncommon in an ekklesia judicial meeting as one would think. For instance we read in:

Act 15:1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. Act 15:2 When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. (KJV) Do these accounts of discussions and even disputes resemble anything we are used to in our traditional church services of today? Imagine that there was actual dissension – interactive dialogue, because of wrong doctrine being taught. This is only possible in an ekklesia judicial meeting. This kind of church is really beyond our imagination. Here is another interesting question to consider: If it was not possible that there were dialogues in a church meeting, why would Paul bother giving Timothy instructions concerning dialogues that end up in useless arguments? We can read for instance in: 2Ti 2:14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. (KJV) This whole aspect of disputes in the church needs to be explained further, but that we will get to at a later stage. The point that I am making here is that in a judicial ekklesia meeting there was open dialogue and not a monologue sermon from one member, while the rest of the congregation had to sit in pews looking at the backs of each other’s heads and just accept all that was being preached behind the pulpit. Even when Paul preached the gospel to those outside the church gathering he would reason with them as demonstrated in the following example: Act 19:8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. Act 19:9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. (KJV) Keep in mind that neither the synagogue nor the school of Tyrannus, was a

Christian ekklesia meeting. These were only places where Paul went to preach the gospel to non-Christian Jews. Nevertheless, Paul’s way of preaching in these scenarios was not a monologue sermon. Instead he disputes with those he proclaimed the gospel to. This would lead us to the question of how the “ministry”, as some call it, would function in a judicial meeting. For instance, what do we do with Paul’s writing in: Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (KJV) We already had a look at this passage in the previous chapter. Permit me to repeat the point I made in the previous chapter. According to Paul, what is the purpose of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers? Read the passage carefully and you will see that it was actually intended that the saints are to do the work of ministry. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are only there to show or equip the saints, give them the tools, so that they can minister to one another. Do you think one can be equipped to minister purely by listening to a monologue sermon week after week? The answer is obviously NO. Equipping is to be compared to an apprenticeship. When an apprentice learns a trade, he learns by the teacher’s example and through questioning the teacher concerning the trade. Then, at a point the teacher would let the student practice the trade while he looks and assists where necessary. Finally, when the student seems to be able to function in the trade, the teacher would move on and only would come back when further assistance is needed by the student. A perfect example of equipping the saints is Jesus with His disciples. Jesus might have preached to the crowds who were not in His circle of disciples, but He spent quality time equipping the twelve disciples. He discussed with them the issues of God’s kingdom. He shared His life with them, eating, and living with them. He taught them by example how to deal with everyday situations. He first showed them by example how to preach the kingdom of God and then gave them the opportunity to do it themselves. Then after three years he left them, with the Holy Spirit to empower them. Look what Peter wrote to the elders in:

1Pe 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 1Pe 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. (KJV) How are shepherds to look after the flock? By being examples, not lording over them! Being a pastor is not about giving motivational speeches every week, but about equipping the saints in order for them to take over the work of ministry. Equipping can only be done through close relationship. Let us now read the whole passage of Ephesians 4:11 again, but right up to verse 16. Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (KJV) According to this passage of Scripture, in what way will the Body of Christ grow? When every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share in edifying of itself in love! Equipping the saints is getting the saints to a place where they are joined together to supply and edify each other with the gift that God has given them. This is about being part of the Body of Christ and not a religious organization. Are you able to minister to the church according to the grace that has been

given to you by God? Why do you think might the reason be for your answer? Your answer most probably has to do with what is understood by equipping the church to minister. We read in: Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. (KJV)

1. Francis Opoku, Constantine and Christianity: The Formation of Church/State Relations in the Roman Empire. (Ilorin Journal of Religious Studies, 2015), 25. 2. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-Chrysostom, 16 May 2021; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chrysostom, 16 May 2021. 3. Paul R. McReynolds, Word Study. 4. Vine’s “dialogue” e-Sword 13.0.0 5. Vine’s “word” e-Sword 13.0.0

1.5The Priesthood of All Believers

One of Luther’s grievances against the institutional church of his time was that the church neglected the reality of the priesthood of all believers. Luther believed that all believers were called to minister to one another, yet the institutional church was designed to function as a religious gathering and 1. therefore had no room for everyone to interactively participate as priests. The expectation of the average church attendee on a Sunday morning is to get dressed, go to church, sit in pews, listen to motivational speaking, sing some songs that were planned beforehand, give money, and perhaps drink a cup of tea or shake the pastor’s hand at the end of the service. Yet, this weekly religious practice called the worship service is one of the most detrimental practices to the church’s spiritual growth. The “worship service”, as it is known by many, is so intertwined with the mainstream church that it is almost impossible to think of church without it. It is how most Christians and the rest of the world defines Christianity. Yet this worship service seems to be the very thing that prevents us from functioning as the church that Christ is building. Still, people will fight with every fibre of their being to try and sustain this holy cow, even though it is nowhere to be found in Scripture. Not only is it not found in Scripture, but is in actual fact contrary to the description of church in Scripture. It is contrary to Scripture because it is based on the idea that Jesus came to establish a new religion, where, as we have seen, Jesus in fact came to establish a heavenly kingdom. The ekklesia is about the elect coming together to deal with issues about God’s kingdom in their lives and on earth. In this meeting it is not just one person giving his three point sermon, or a band; choir, or worship leader performing the pre-programmed songs. It is about saints that share their lives together serving one another as priest through the life and Spirit of God that was breath onto the church. Peter writes in: 1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (KJV) A “royal priesthood” means a priesthood that belongs to the king. Our priesthood functionality is kingdom oriented; yet as priests we are responsible

to minister to one another about the affairs and praises of our King. In a secular judicial meeting there are the board members with a chairman discussing the affairs of a company or a governmental state region. With the church, Christ, through His Spirit, is the chairman heading the ekklesia of God’s kingdom on earth, and all the members contribute according to the ability Christ has given them. Look what Peter writes further in: 1Pe 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1Pe 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (KJV) Does Peter’s instruction to minister to one another with the gifts we’ve received give any indication of a one man or band show on a stage? Absolutely not! Peter’s reference is plural people doing the ministering to one another. Paul writes the same thing in: Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Rom 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Rom 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. (KJV) Is Paul talking about one person or more than one person doing the ministry to the church? There is an absolute focus on the plural in this passage, which makes sense in the context of the ekklesia being an interactive judicial kingdom meeting as opposed to a religious spectator-oriented meeting. In the ekklesia meeting everyone takes part according to the ability and function that Jesus has given them through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Head or chairman of this meeting. Why is this? Well, because He is the King of God’s kingdom. This kingdom is at war with the kingdom of darkness. To fully grasp this, we need to have a look at the Hebrew equivalent of ekklesia which is “qahal”. The Hebrew word qahal has varies emphasises. One of those references for instance has to do with a nation being called together by a herald or crier for to go to

2.

war. If one thinks about it, the gospel of Christ is about; calling people together into God’s kingdom. We are at war with satan, but we have the confidence that the ekklesia that Christ is building, the gates of hell will not prevail against it. When the Old Testament was translated into Greek, the Septuagint – the translators would translate qahal as ekklesia in Greek. For instance: Psa 22:22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the 3. congregation [qahal – ekklesia] will I praise thee. (KJV) Assembly in this passage is the Hebrew word: qahal and as you can see was translated in Greek ekkelsia in the Septuagint. Some theologians believe that the gospel according to Mathew is the only book that could have been written in 4. Hebrew, where the rest of the New Testament was written in Greek. It is therefore assumed by some scholars that the Greek word ekklesia was originally the Hebrew equivalent: qahal when the gospel of Mathew was later translated into Greek from the following passage: Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church [ekklesia/qahal],; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (KJV) In certain occasions the word qahal meant an assembly gathered to plan or execute campaigns of war. From a Christian perspective, every saint is called to be a royal priest to function in a judicial meeting that would execute God’s kingdom against the kingdom of darkness. Jesus speaks further of this in: Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (KJV) Being called to be part of the ekklesia is not only our privilege but also our responsibility. God has made us Christ’s church the executive office of His

kingdom on earth. Yet this goes much further than our meetings. The ekklesia kingdom meeting is a function of God’s kingdom in us. The form of our meetings is only a shell that contains the fellowship of our true life in Christ. The form might either have a positive or negative influence on how we function in God’s kingdom with Christ’s life in us, but it does not guarantee it. Jesus said the following in: Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (KJV) The kingdom of God starts within us. Christ’s rule has to start within our hearts. We have now come to the end of chapter three. If this is all new to you, you might feel overwhelmed by all of this. For some it might feel like their whole world, that is all they have been accustomed to, has been pulled out from underneath them. Keep in mind, though, that there is a reason why you have got your hands on this material. God wants to prepare us for the crucial times that lie ahead of us. He wants us to grow up and stop playing church. We don’t have time to waste away any longer by being religiously entertained. We are the royal priests elected by God to function in the kingdom of His Son. Church can no longer be a place where we go to get blessed by the paid professionals. The church of God’s kingdom is where we are to be the blessing as opposed to getting blessed all the time. Our faith needs to be exercised as opposed to us just being fed all the time and growing to be spiritual slobs. You might have many unanswered questions at this point. We encourage you to continue this series of teaching on A Church at Home. 1. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther, 16 May 2021; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther, 16 May 2021. 2. Vine’ s Old Testament “Essembly” e-Sword 13.0.0 3. James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, (1890; public domain), e-Sword 13.0.0. 4. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Godspel-According-to-Matthew, 16 May 2021; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_Gospel_hypothesis, 16 May 2021.

Chapter 2: Ministers of the Church