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Why Church? by Dr. Abidan Shah

Abidan Paul Shah

WHY CHURCH? by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction: Today, we are starting a new series on the Book of Ephesians, also known as Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I preached through this book at our church about 16 years ago. As I was looking through my notes, just like James, the message hadn’t changed but the messenger had grown up. There was a depth now that I did not have before. It was still truth, but it was truth that had been tried, tested, and found to be true. I’m really looking forward to preaching Ephesians again, but I promise that I won’t do as the puritan William Gurnall did. He preached on the Book of Ephesians for over 30 years! He took one word at a time and developed it! This book is rich and it covers almost all the major doctrines of the Christian life. But we will not be doing that – because we will “miss the forest for the trees.” We will miss the big picture. By the way, someone asked me if I had forgotten about our series on the end-times. Actually, I’m still on it. In Ephesians, we will understand the significance of the church, which is very important in understanding end-times prophecy. In our world where people don’t trust “organized religion” and where “church has disappointed them,” we’re going to see why the church matters, especially today. Our message is titled “Why Church?”

Ephesians 1 (page #1796) 22 “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Ephesians 3 (page #1798) 20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Context: Originally, I had planned on beginning with how the gospel had come to Ephesus, as found in Acts 19, or even with Paul’s long praise to God from Ephesians 1:3-14, a 202-word sentence! Instead, the more I prayed over this series, the more I knew that if we are truly benefit from this series, we need to understand the meaning of church, as Paul understood it to mean. The Greek word for church is “ekklesia.” It is an important word in the Bible. To help you understand how important, here are some numbers:

What is even more significant is that the use of the word “ekklesia” has a deeper meaning in Ephesians and Colossians, more than in any of the other letters. If we’re going to truly benefit from our series through Ephesians, we need to understand what “ekklesia” truly means.

Application: Before we go any further, how do you see the church? What comes to your mind when you think about the church?

No matter what, here’s a bigger question – Are you saved?

With that said, what is the “ekklesia?”

1. Classical Usage:

In the Greek city-state (6th century BC and following), ekklesia meant “an assembly of citizens” (For more info, see Roy Bowen Ward). The trumpet was blown to summon all the citizens to assemble. Most of our knowledge regarding “ekklesia” comes from Athens where the citizens would gather periodically as deemed by the council, the Boule. Keep in mind that this would only be male Athenians, not females, foreigners, or those who had been dishonorable (“atimos” = bribes or not paying taxes, etc.). Altogether, they would meet about 40 times a year. You were called to vote over election of the councils, foreign policies, laws of the land, etc. Most of the time, it was by just by show of hands.

Here’s something important to remember: Ekklesia meant the coming together and the not the people who came together. There was a new ekklesia each time they gathered. When they voted, it was not the ekklesia that voted but the demos (the people). In time, the ekklesia did not have the same function. It just meant “assembly.” The Romans kept using that word, even in Latin, for various society meetings – shipyard works, metal workers, etc.

2. Jewish Usage:

In the LXX, it is found about 80 times. There are 2 Hebrew words for gathering: “qahal” and “edhah.” “Qahal” refers to the actual assembly of God’s people, while “edhah” refers to being the “people of God,” whether gathered or not. Most of the time, the Greek word “ekklesia” is used to translate “qahal.” Sometimes, “qahal” is also translated as “synagogue,” but usually that’s the word for “edhah” = “people of God.”

Sometimes, people have tried to make the case that “ekklesia” in the Old Testament meant the “true people of God.” The examples are few and not convincing. Here’s an example from Deuteronomy 23:3 “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever.” The word for “assembly of the Lord” is “qahal Yahweh,” which is translated “ekklesian kuriou.” In the context, it is not about the special people of God. It is simply about the gathering of the people of Israel. No different than when David said before fighting Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:47 “Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S, and He will give you into our hands.”

Bottom line: The word “ekklesia” just meant an assembly. It did not have any religious meaning, although it could be used by religious assemblies. By the way, the Jewish people used “synagogue” from “edhah” = “people of God” for their gatherings. Some (Paul Trebilco) have suggested that the NT believers chose “ekklesia” because they didn’t want to infringe on the Jewish community. Some (Young-Ho Park) have disagreed with this view.

3. New Testament Usage:

After the Day of Pentecost, we start seeing the word “ekklesia” used in a very unique way. Let’s go to Acts where it is found about 23 times. Although, some are still used in the original sense of a gathering, as in Acts 19 against Paul in Ephesus, but listen to—

As you can see “ekklesia” = “assembly” became the standard designation for believers. 

When did the “ekklesia” meet? On Sunday. Why Sunday? Because Jesus rose from the grave on a Sunday; the church was born on a Sunday. Revelation 1:10 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…” Interesting Point here: The Genitive “Lord’s” or “of the Lord” in Greek is “kuriakon.” This word passed into the Gothic languages as “Kirika.” This gives us the German word “kirche,” the Scottish word “kirk,” and the English “church.”

What was different about them? Galatians 3.    27 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

How were they looked upon? They were hated because they were exclusive in worship. 1 Corinthians 8.     5 “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”

Where did they meet? In homes. Why? Because it was illegal to make buildings for religion. Christianity was still not on the approved list. After AD 313 (Edict of Milan), they built buildings to meet because the needs were so great. They used the Roman “basilicas” as the model. They were civic halls used for large gatherings for legal hearings. They were the counterparts to the Greek “stoa” (See Sible de Blaauw and Isabel Cardoso). Sometimes people have a fascination with the different, the off the beaten path, the unique, the unconventional, the unorthodox, the atypical, something new… Don’t forget: Even before the bigger buildings, they had organization of pastors, overseer, and servants. Furthermore, the early church also had a big problem with heresies. When you have lots of house churches, there are not enough trained pastors to go around. Furthermore, without properly trained pastors, the door is left open to anyone who does a great job marketing. It’s not that house churches are bad, but what is needed are small groups. This is where you can connect and share lives, but you can still have proper grounding. A church has so much more to do.

What did they do when they met? (See Michael Gorman)

How did Paul describe the “ekklesia” in Ephesians?

Are we truly the ekklesia of God? Are you seeing each other as that? Are you reaching others to join in? Are you saved?

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