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There is a lot of confusion these days about a lot of things. If we want to know God’s mind about the Church (or about anything else He has established) we need to go back to the beginning.
Church—Ekklesia
Church is the word provided in English for the Greek ekklesia. Eklessia derives from ek, meaning out of, and klesis, meaning a calling. The word was used by the Greeks to describe a body of citizens gathered to discuss the affairs of State — “But if ye enquire anything concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly” (Acts 19:39). In the Septuagint it is used to describe the gathering of Israel, or of a gathering regarded as representative of the whole nation. While this gives us a clue to its meaning in Scripture, we must turn to the Word of God to determine its full meaning and application.
The only reference to ekklesia found in the gospels is in Matthew — a remarkable thing in light of that book’s Jewish character.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 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” (Matthew 16:18-19).
Upon This Rock I Will Build My Church
What is that Rock? In the Gospel of John we read concerning Peter: “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone” (John 1:42). Cephas is Aramaic for ‘stone’; and the last word used in this verse —“stone”—is petros, the Greek word from which we get the name Peter.
So what is it that the Lord says to Peter in Matthew 18:16? “Thou art a Stone, and upon this Rock I will build My church.” In the verses immediately prior to this, Peter confesses:
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It is upon This Rock that the church is built —Peter was but a stone.
Christ said He would build the Church Himself on the foundation of His own Person, acknowledged by faith to be “the Son of the living God.”
Two other important points are to be made: it is “I will build,” and it is “My church.”
Christ is the Builder, and the building is His.
The gates of hell will not prevail against it. It is perfect! Also we note that when the Lord made this statement, the Church was not yet—“I will build”—it was a future thing.
We do not find ekklesia (church) used again in Matthew, and not at all in the other three Gospels. The next occurrence of the word occurs in Acts 2: “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47). It is in Acts that we find, on the day of Pentecost, that the Church begins. On that day, when the disciples were together in one place, “suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:2-4).
In the Gospel of John, the Lord promised His disciples: “The Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). And again: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you” (John 16:7). And just before the Lord’s ascension: “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence” (Acts 1:5).
The beginning of the Church happened at the coming of the Holy Ghost, and was dependent upon the ascension of Christ. Not only did the Holy Spirit dwell within the Church—“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2)—but He also dwells within each believer: “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:4).
“By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
“The church, which is His body” (Ephesians 1:22-23).
The Day of Pentecost
It was no coincidence that the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. Four of the Seven Feasts of Jehovah (Leviticus 23) occupy a peculiar place together: The Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of First Fruits, and the Feast of Weeks. It is the last of these, the Feast of Weeks, that is called the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1)—deriving from the Greek word for fifty. In the New Testament we find the meaning and fulfillment of these feasts:
The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12, Leviticus 23:4-8)—“Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened [bread] of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
The Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10-14) — “But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Christ was crucified on the Passover, and rose again as the firstfruits. On the Feast of Firstfruits, the children of Israel brought a sheaf of the firstfruits of their harvest to the priest: “And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it” (Leviticus 23:10-11). The sheaf of the firstfruits was brought on the Lord’s Day—the resurrection day, the day after the Sabbath.
Numbering seven Sabbaths from the Feast of First Fruits, on the day after the seventh Sabbath—that is, on the Lord’s Day—was the Feast of Weeks: “Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord” (Leviticus 23:16). This is the day of Pentecost.
The Feast of Weeks was unique in that it required two loaves of fine flour, baken with leaven (see Leviticus 23:17). These picture the church. The fine flour speaks of Christ, while the leaven speaks of our nature—corrupt and corrupting. Two loaves would suggest that we are not talking about an individual—two is always considered a competent witness. It reminds us of: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them,” (Matthew 18:20). We must not forget that a kid and two lambs were offered in connection with these loaves: “Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings” (Leviticus 23:19). These speak of the work of Christ for the believer, and the response of the believer’s heart.
How Do We Become a Member of the Church?
It is not our doing; it is a work of the Spirit. “For also in the power of one Spirit we have all been baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bondmen or free, and have all been given to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13 JND). Again, the body spoken of—the body of Christ—is the Church: “The church, which is his body” (Ephesians 1:22-23). The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurred once at Pentecost; it was then that the body of Christ was formed, and no one can be a member of the body of Christ until he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
“In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).
What is it that we believe? What is the Gospel (the Good News) of salvation?
“The gospel of God, (which He had promised afore by His prophets in the holy scriptures,) concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:1-4).
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).
In the book of Acts we see the work of the Holy Spirit adding to the Church, first with the Jews, then with the Samaritans, and after that among the Gentiles.
The Jews
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:36-38).
The Samaritans
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did” (Acts 8:5-6).
“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet He was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost” (Acts 8:14-17).
The Gentiles
“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian [band, a] devout [man], and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway” (Acts 10:1-2).
“To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word” (Acts 10:43-44).
With the Jews, repentance and baptism (identification with a crucified and risen Christ) needed to precede the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Samaritans were not only baptized (Acts 8:12), but had the apostles’ hands laid on them with prayer, before they received the Holy Spirit. But at Caesarea, without baptism, without the laying on of hands, without request to God, the richest Christian blessing was given to the Gentiles. For the Jews, repentance was necessary, a complete turn towards Christ—disassociation from the guilty nation. For the Samaritans, hated by and hating the Jews, identification with those in Jerusalem was a must. For the Gentile, mighty in his own estimation, nothing but the free gift of God will do.
N. Simon
(Extracted from Short Lessons From Church History, BTP #4329. “JND” refers to J. N. Darby’s translation.)