What is church?

koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

13 August 2010

Ecclessiology is a long word from the Greek meaning the science or logic regarding the church or ecclessia. What is church? It is better to start with a long list of what it is not and then work our way towards what it is.

Church is not a social club

The church is not a club for members to hang out. It is not an extension of Lion's club or Rotary club or similar VIP clubs. It is not a club for a few selected people only. The church cannot decide who can attend the church and who not. There is no mechanism to prevent anyone from entering the church and sit and listen and enjoy the privileges of good music and good thoughts coming from the event. The church has an open approach mechanism since it is mission and evangelism orientated. The rule is more, more, more. Not less, less, less.

Church is not confucianism

Regardless how sober one feels with confucianism, the church is not the embodiment of what the ideals of confucianism propounded to be. The ideals of Jesus and Confucius may at times run parallel but they are not compatible. To run the church on the principles of confucianism is apt to lead to disaster. The biblical picture is that anyone can be used by the Spirit of God to bring a message so that the Spirit of God does not always work from the eldest to the youngest, in that hierarchy. Children preachers was known under the Waldensians during the Middle Ages. So there is no strict protocol as to who will preach, so as to rule younger excellent preachers and teachers out.

Church is not socialism

There are mechanisms in society who endeavor to secretly use the books and ideals of Karl Marx and Lenin in the church to bring revolution in the name of reform as pseudo ways to spread socialism. The tool is used to take from the have's and give to the have not's or enrich themselves. The biblical picture of care for the poor is those in the church. It is faith-connected. The admonitions of Paul is clear that one should not forget to look after the poor in the church. Poverty projects of the church towards non-members and global society as such, is only mission and evangelism connected. The two go hand in hand. If it is not appreciated in this endeavor [with the role of mission and evangelism], it is better to pull out and spent the money on the poor in the church. That is biblical.

The church is not a family affair

When we say this, we mean to say that the church can survive a family trauma in the church. Family fights or family corruption and other moral problems, can ransack a congregation but eventually the church pulls through the dark valley and come victorious out on the other side with other leaders who in the mean time arrived. The interesting thing is, God use the family system in administration of his remnant and also in the administration of the church. That includes universities, colleges, hospitals, schools and nearly any structure of the church. Think of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and then also the genealogies given with all these faithful ones. It is because God uses a network that is sometimes blood related since they have common grounds that will make them stick together, work together and accomplish together, faster. Ever heard the saying "that family runs the college" or "that family runs the church"? I am not working for the church, but it appears to me that in the Bible that is the best method of God. Nearly all the great men and women of the Bible were interrelated. It was most of the time more than just friendship.

The church belongs to Christ

Here we are focussing on what the church is and not what it is not. Christ is the host of the church [Ephesians 5:23] and we are the guests. That means, we have no right to judge who is in or out. The only right we have is strictly biblical orientated, on our knees, in consultation and prayer with other members on their knees and in consultation with the individual involved. The attitude is one of pleading not fighting. It is one of bringing nearer not separating. The thought is pro-Life not pro-Death.

The church is universal

It is not correct to say that a church is only national. Church includes all nations, races, languages, cultures, countries around the globe. If a church exists only in one country, it is a strange phenomenon biblically. It is almost a no-no. The gospel command is that disciples were to go throughout the world and proclaim the gospel and then the end will come.

The church is adventist

The word adventist means second coming. It means the return of Christ. The whole bible expects the first coming n the old testament and the second coming in the new. For that reason, the church is adventist. Because of prophetic guidelines provided by the Spirit for the church and because of proper hermeneutics that can interpret those prophetic guidelines, we know that the Second Coming of Christ [for us] and First Coming of the Messiah [for Jews] is very near, especially as outlined in the book of Daniel chapter 11 the last part. In chapter 12:1 the Messiah comes. So the last part of chapter 11 relates to real events in history before that coming.

The church is prophetic orientated

Prophecy is the navigation system of world events. It is not just a shot in the dark hope it will hit, it is specific detail accurately outlining what is to happen and our role is to keep an eye out at CNN and the news to see and recognize it as such. A proper hermeneutics is expected, one that is not preteristic, not futuristic but basically historicistic with a touch of preterism when the passage pleads that or futurism when the future reveals that to be so. Even presentism has a place where it is applicable and called as such by the Bible. Mainly, the system is historicism. The other systems will only work when the last events role fast towards the end. If an event is bound to happen soon and one waits and expects that event to occur according to the signal of Daniel 11, then one has to say that it is not historicism, although historicism has brought one to the security of such an expectation. It is rather a mild futurism at work here. Then when it occurs today it is a presentism at work and when tomorrow comes it is already history and thus historicism is at work. The reason is that you always point back to the security data in the outside literature.

The church is visible and invisible

There are other sheep that do not belong to the same fold as to yet. They are coming from the strangest circles that one can imagine. But, it is not for us to speculate who they are or ad hoc fling open our arms to embrace every religion and god as appropriate for salvation. The Bible does not allow Baalism, Astarte sex orientations, cult experiences as appropriate to know God. There are innocent people out there that do not reject God because they do not know Him. Yet, they follow with the little light they have. Atheists and agnostics are normally very religiously updated, so that they know what they reject. They are not included in the innocent ones we mention. Paul has something to say of this invisible church in Romans 2:14-15.

The church is Sabbath keeping

The ten commandments are ten and not nine. Absolutism as to the nine but neglect of detail to the fourth commandment, is not biblical. Sabbath keeping for its members will eventually become a test and they are to strive to keep it very strictly since great temptations will try to ruin them on this point. The Bible is very clear that only Saturday is the Sabbath and that it should last from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. There is no compromise or ifs or buts.

The church is biblical

This is very important. It is not confessional, church father orientated, synod orientated, decree orientated, encycle orientated, papacy orientated, it is indeed biblical orientated. That is the only way. There is no other. A confession is an expression of someone's faith understanding of the Bible, but if that confession is in conflict with the express words of the Bible, there is a serious defect. Adjustment is not only imperative, it is immediately necessary to change. There is no excuse.