Pilgrimage

(An Unrevised Piece of the Prospectus)

The New Testament describes the church as both a local body of believers (local church) and all those who have believed in Christ at all times and places (church universal) (Erikson 2006, 340; Schreiner 2008, 695).  “To become a Christian is to enter into the community of faith and, along with other true believers, share in the life of this community, the church (Arrington 1994, 165).  The terminology used in Scripture to describe the church provides insight into its primary nature. The word most often translated “church” in the New Testament is ekklesia.

Yet the early believers did not coin the term.  Instead, “church” (ekklesia) was a common word in the first-century Roman world.  Arising from the verb “to call” (kaleo) plus the preposition “out of” (ek), ekklesia simply means “assembly.”  More specifically, an ekklesia was a gathering of the citizens of a given community who had been called together to tend to city affairs (Grenz 1996, 207).

The choice by New Testament writers to use the term ekklesia seems to signify the importance of personal relationships and fellowship within the Christian covenant community (Guthrie 1990, 506-507).

While the church is comprised of people from every “nation, tribe and tongue” (Rev 5:9), Gene Getz suggests there are three biblical terms used to describe individuals who make up the church:

1. Disciples: “The term ‘disciple’ literally means both ‘a learner’ and ‘a follower.’  In the book of Acts…they [disciples] were not just ‘learners’ and ‘followers,’ but believers who had been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Jesus Christ.  They were all born again Christians, though clearly at various levels of Christian maturity” (Getz 2003 50).
2. Brothers: “Biblical authors used the term ‘brothers’ more frequently than any other word to refer to people who embodied the local church.  Many times it is used to refer to both men and women who are believers in Jesus Christ–members of the family of God” (Getz 2003 51).
3. Saints: “Hagios (‘saints’) is another word New Testament writers used frequently to describe born-again people in a local church.  We are to become more and more conformed to the image of Christ, reflecting the fruit of the Holy (hagios) Spirit in all of our relationships with one another (Galatians 5:16-26)” (Getz 2003 52).

These terms define the church as a group of people unified with a common mission and purpose in Christ (Warren 1995, 87).

Nature of the Church

Erikson, Schreiner and Guthrie concur that the church is a spiritual community that is physically manifest through local assemblies of Christian believers (Erickson 2001, 345; Schreiner 2008, 695; Guthrie 1990, 507).  These communities reflect the nature of Christ and work of the Holy Spirit in the earth.  In these communities, there are several unique elements that distinguish the church from other organizations.  Among these are the redemptive work of Christ and the apostolic foundation of the church (Arrington 1993, 177).

Redemptive Work

The redemptive work of Christ is the identifying mark of the church (Rev 12:11).  The common characteristic of all those who are part of the body of Christ is that they are redeemed from the bondage and penalty of sin.  “The goal of redemption is that, in knowledge as well as in other aspects of their lives, God’s people will be totally and flawlessly image-bearers of God” (Hoekema, 1986, 26).  I Corinthians 1: 13-14 states, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  Christ’s death became the penalty for sin committed by those who accept His sacrifice.  His resurrection is the hope of all those redeemed (Schreiner 2008, 367).

Redemption is not a static occurrence.  It has lasting effects that impact a believer’s actions as well as personal contributions to the church (Schreiner 2008, 378).  Redemption leads to a renunciation of and spiritual battle against sin.  “Personal holiness is the result of our response to God’s call, which is worked out in our individual lives and with others.  Living and growing together in holiness, as a community, is vital to our relationship with God and others” (Arrington 1993, 179).  The church is holy because the people that comprise it have been made holy by the redemptive work of Christ (Grenz 1996, 198-201; Grenz 1994, 639).

Apostolic Foundation

A second foundational component of the church is that it is an apostolic community.  This is closely linked to the first in that the redemptive work of Christ is practically worked out through the apostolic community.  Ephesians 2: 19- 20 states, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone…”

The notion of an apostolic community is two-fold.  First, the teachings of the apostles, as directed by the influence of the Holy Spirit, gives form to the universal church  (Tenney 1985, 241).  (Not sure you adequately defined “universal church” earlier as compared to the local church.) Their words and writings formed the basis of what is believed, taught and practiced in the church today.

Second, an apostolic community is a sending community that passes leadership from one generation of believers to the next.  “The passing on of leadership is not defined as the passing on of apostolic office but of apostolic mission–leadership and care of the Church” (Stepp 2006, 3).  Churches should be regularly setting forth pastors, evangelists, missionaries and ministry leaders.  One true sign of stagnation is a lack of workers going into the harvest (Ogden 1990, 97).

By strategizing to meet the apostolic mandate in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth,” (Matt 28:19-20) the local church will develop a globally focused mindset.  The emphasis will be fulfilling the mandates of Scripture through obedience to God’s Word, fervent prayer and following the leading of the Holy Spirit (Lawless 2002, 83-84, 149-152).  It is through this that churches can minister to those on the front lines of the Christian faith and contribute to the worldwide ministry of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Biblical Criteria

In addition to the foundational components of Christ’s redemptive work and the church’s apostolic mission, Ed Stetzer describes six components that identify a biblical church.  They are:

1. Scriptural Authority:  “In his itinerant ministry, Paul customarily began ministering in the synagogue, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus must be the Messiah (Acts 17:2-3).  In 2 Timothy 3:15-17, Paul established for all time the authority of the Scriptures in the life of the church” (Stetzer 2007, 2-4).
2. Biblical leadership: “The New Testament speaks of elders, bishops, pastors, deacons, evangelists, prophets, and apostles.  These leaders all gave themselves to equipping the believers for ministry (Eph. 4:11-12)” (Stetzer 2007, 2-4).
3. Preaching and teaching: “People need to hear, read, study, apply, and meditate on God’s Word (Rom 10:14; John 8:32; 2 Tim. 2:15; etc.).  The style and length of the sermon varies from culture to culture, but the preaching and teaching of God’s Word has to be a transcultural constant” (Stetzer 2007, 2-4).
4. Ordinances: “The church in Jerusalem devoted itself to the ‘breaking of bread’ (Acts 2:42).  This references the Lord’s Supper.  Jesus’ command to ‘do this in remembrance of me’ and the apostle Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 11 show how important the Lord’s Supper was, and is, to the church.  Jesus commissioned His disciples to baptize the nations, and the book of Acts and the epistles show that the early church faithfully baptized new believers (Acts 2:41)” (Stetzer 2007, 2-4).
5. Covenant Community: “Biblically, the church is not comprised of some who are believers in covenant community and some who are not.  The letter of James insists that al the believers be treated the same.  As a covenant community, believers share…common ideals, as reflected in Acts 2:42-47” (Stetzer 2007, 2-4).
6. Mission:  Churches are called to the mission of propagating the gospel.  Scripture clearly and frequently teaches this.  Jesus’ last words to His disciples, recorded in Acts and in each of the four Gospels, pertain to missions” (Stetzer 2007, 2-4).

The foundational and biblical criteria are timeless aspects of the mission and purpose of the church.  As a church ministers in its host culture, however, it must adapt to communicate the Gospel message with increasing relevance (Singh and Farr 2008, 2).  Rainer suggests, “if the world does not understand the church, if the church is not relevant to the world, then the unchangeable message of the gospel is never communicated to the lost” (Rainer 1993, 186).

To be relevant, the church should learn about its cultural surroundings and provide leadership to ensure the communication of its message to future generations.  This adaption process requires the church to be a learning organization.  As a learning organization, the church will be prepared to provide future leaders and fulfill its global mission.