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Proper Terminology when Referring to Church

james1523

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,719

A quick word search of the Bible of "my church" or "your church" will reveal that there is no such thing as "my church" or "your church" in the Bible.

The only time when the phrase "my church" appears is when Jesus said:

Matt 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

The church is Christ's church, not your church or my church or the pastor's church (how often pastors talk about "their church" and "my church"?)

Oftentimes we are asked by another "how is your church"? And then we may say "my church is well, how is your church?". But this type of question comes from the fallen human concept about church, not from the Holy Spirit. The moment we say "your church" and "my church" when talking with another believer, we have just created a difference between us, when in reality we are the same.

The concept of you having your church and me having my church does not exist in the Bible. In the Bible the situation of denominationalism did not exist. There was only "the church".

Let us examine the proper biblical terminology.

Matt 18:17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church;

Rom 16:5
Greet also the church that meets at their house.

Col 4:15
Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

Rev 2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write

When we refer to the church, we should not refer to my church or your church, but "the church that meets at", or "the church in". It does not say tell it to your church. It says tell it to the church.

The truth is that every believer belongs to the one and same church, and this church is Christ's, not yours or mine. In the Bible it is referred to as "the church". When we talk about the sun or the moon, we do not say "your sun", and "my sun", we say "the sun". In the same way, like the sun, the church is universal and one, with a visible presence all over the Earth, such that when referring to it, we should simply say "the church". Contrary to the belief of some, who say that universally there is "the church", and locally, there is "your church" and "my church", in the Bible both the universal church and the local church assembly are referred to as "the church". Like the rays of the sun that shine on different areas of the Earth are not themselves individually sub-suns, the local churches are not sub-churches within the universal church, but the visible presence of the universal church within a local area.







 
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