WED 02 NOV
That ‘church’ word
BIG PICTURE
Matthew 16:13–20 Acts 7:38 FOCUS
‘… on this rock I will build my church …’ (Matt. 16:18)
Church … it’s still God’s idea
LOLED ND 11_internals.indd 4
recently I watched a documentary that almost made me despair. It featured the infamous Westboro Baptist ‘Church’, of Topeka, Kansas. Under the ranting leadership of Fred Phelps, this church is infamous worldwide for its raging attacks against the homosexual community, and its picketing of the funerals of American military personnel killed in action. Phelps says that he wishes millions would die, because their deaths would demonstrate the judgment of God. Such vitriol and hysteria are a million miles from the true gospel of Christ, which has at its heart this great truth: God is love. But Mr Phelps and his band of followers could make me want to shrug off the word ‘church’, because they defile it. And when I look back at some of the evil that has been done by the Church throughout history, again I could be tempted to distance myself from it. But ‘church’ is not a word that Jesus made up. It’s a term associated with the people of God in the Old Testament. The Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) uses the word ekklesia to describe the congregation of Israel, the people summoned together to meet God and to go where God was going (Deut. 4:10; 9:10; 18:16; 31:30; Judg. 20:2). The Old Testament ekklesia was a dynamic group, on the move with the Lord at their head, ‘the assembly in the desert’, as Stephen described them (Acts 7:38). By the first century AD this word was used to describe any regular gathering for any purpose. Church. It’s an idea that’s been distorted and misused. But it’s still God’s idea. Prayer: Thank You for Your idea that is the Church, Lord. Help me to invest in what You have created, as a member of the community of God worldwide. Amen.
23/6/11 14:27:54