Hello, HLMoore, and welcome to CC. =)
Your main question being:
Why does denominational religion teach the building is the church. When you are actually the church.
Consider the following:
The SAME GREEK WORD for "church" is used in
another context to refer to [basically] "a mob of people [not saved people]"--
G1577 ekklesia -
Acts 19 (3x) - note the word "assembly" -
Acts 19:32 N-NFS
GRK: γὰρ ἡ
ἐκκλησία συνκεχυμένη καὶ
NAS: thing and some another, for the
assembly was in confusion
KJV: for the
assembly was
INT: indeed the church confused and
Acts 19:39 N-DFS
GRK: τῇ ἐννόμῳ
ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπιλυθήσεται
NAS: in the lawful
assembly.
KJV: in a lawful
assembly.
INT: the lawful
assembly it will be solved
Acts 19:41 N-AFS
GRK: ἀπέλυσεν τὴν
ἐκκλησίαν
NAS: this he dismissed the
assembly.
KJV: spoken, he dismissed the
assembly.
INT: he dismissed the
assembly
... read the context of these verses (vv.21-41) and consider... do you believe that where the word
"ekklesia / assembly [G1577]" is used in this context, that the same word would be used if, say, verse 29's phrases like "the whole city was filled with confusion" and "they rushed with one accord into the theatre" were not the SETTING of such a word (describing the people--"
ekklesia / assembly"), like, say, if Bill was over at McDonalds, and Bob was over at the car parts store, and Betsy was over at her Aunt Freda's, instead? Or, is the word used to be referring to the "assembly" (meaning,
the gathering of the people to "one purpose" at a specific location...
in THIS context [not being a "Christian/saved persons" kind of setting], here--I mean, would it have been called [in this case] "
ekklesia / assembly [G1577]" if each person involved had actually been in those VARIOUS locations I named, instead??)
Sure we are each "members" of "the Church WHICH IS HIS BODY," even when we are at home (sometimes even "home alone"
), but I still believe there is something to be said for the meaning of the word being conveyed by the word "
ekklesia / assembly / church [G1577]" (
gathering to "one purpose," even at a specific location TOGETHER, "AS ONE"--and it's not like the ENTIRE "Church WHICH IS HIS BODY" who are alive at any given time can "meet"
ALL together in ONE LOCATION, for that would require long-distance travel for most of them/us
).
And, whereas God worked through Israel in the OT times (who was to, in essence, show the rest of the world God's "address," so to speak), He presently works through "the Church WHICH IS HIS BODY" (while it is still present on the earth... until "our Rapture").
Thoughts?