What is a church?

Looking just from the bible, there are key things a church is and isn't .

Is.... an assembly of baptised believers, with Jesus as the Head. Covenants together to carry out the Great commission and commandment.

Isn't ...the building this group would meet at.

Is... assembled

Isn't .. unassembled

Is ... visible

Isn't .. invisible

Is... of saved and baptised members

Isn't ...of unsaved people (they would be visitors..not members)

Is... a place to worship Jesus

Isn't ... a social club


What do you say?

Agree, but would add it's also consisting of local, autonomous, congregations with local leadership, i.e; elders, and workers, i.e., decons, and ministers or preachers of the word, and is the body of Christ.

This is very true ---but many get attached to the building itself and it becomes an idol -----there have been many Church buildings that have bit the dust lately but many Church --people have gotten upset over losing their Church Building --Jesus preached outside ----to masses ----He didn't need a building to Preach His Gospel

The Building doesn't make the Church ------Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit make the True Church -----

"Baptized" has nothing to do with it. "Born Again" by FAITH, and indwelled by the Holy Spirit, is what makes a person a Christian


True, the "Church" is PEOPLE. The Building is for convenience.

Partially true. Born again Christians are "the Church" whether they're "Assembled" or not.

In reality it's BOTH. the "ONE TRUE CHURCH" is an invisible body of Born again Christians both physically Alive, and physically dead from the beginning of the creation.

Partially true. "Visible Churches" are ALWAYS a mixture of "Wheat' and "Tares", and will continue to be until the end of the age. The One True Church is and always will be 100% Born Again Christian, who can be found in various concentrations in most visible church organizations.

There generally WILL BE "Social aspects" to any gathering, BUT the emphasis must be Worship of Jesus. When my family, and John's family get together at Denny's for Breakfast, there HE is in the midst of us.

Quite simply "the called out".

The Greek word is ekklēsia (ek-klay-see'-ah). It's a compound of two words: ek and kaleō.

Ek means "out of "
Kaleō means "to call"

So, as a noun, ekklēsia literally means "the called out" or "those who are called out".

From what were we called out?

Peter wrote:

1 Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

We were called out of darkness. Darkness is a kingdom and it has authority in the earth.

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love..."

Furthermore, assembling is a work of the Holy Spirit. The church may gather in one place but, at the same time, be far from assembled.
It's the difference between a box of car parts and a fully functioning vehicle.

"For by one Spirit we were all baptized (immersed) into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit."

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion (shared origin and purpose) of the body of Christ?

To a point...

"..not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

This is not talking about meeting together. It is specifically about receiving one another in the Spirit according to their placement within the Body of Christ. If one is a teacher, receive them as a teacher. If one is a shepherd, receive him as a shepherd. If one is a prophet, receive him as a prophet. etc.

As to......... "Baptized" has nothing to do with it. "Born Again" by FAITH, and indwelled by the Holy Spirit, is what makes a person a Christian

I am not talking about the entity of all born again believers.. but the local body of believers. So baptism isn't part of salvation.. but it is a pre-requisite to join a New Testament church. All through Acts you find groups becoming churches who are already saved and get baptised before the Holy Spirit comes 'in their midst'. This is AFTER indwelling and after immersion baptism.

The 'calling out' .. is from their homes to a meeting. That's how an ecclessia worked in biblical times. It was a meeting. It is true that a local body of believers doesn't always physically meet every day.. so they can be unassembled that way.. but they do assemble. The church at Jerusalem.. assembled. The church at Corinth.. assembled.. Antioch.. assembled.. Phillipi .. assembled.. etc..

It's weird.. we have pretty much the same doctrine on spiritual gifts and the church.. except on the major one.. salvation. I guess you belong to a church of christ congregation?

Actually, the calling out is a call to come out of the world into a peculiar relationship with God. Think about Abraham.
Also, consider 1 Peter 2:9 that Aaron56 quoted.

Nope. Somebody actually already addressed this by using Biblical references: Here.

watti, look, of course they met together. But the warning about forsaking "the assembling of ourselves together" is about receiving one another in the Spirit AND about being one with Christ, not about having meetings in the same location.

1 Corinthians 12:13

Correct

Right, so which body is in question? Because 1 co 12 is about the church at Corinth

Yeah very similar to independent Baptist except on baptism

The most important thing that the vast majority gets wrong


BAPTISM
Baptism is required in order to:
· Be saved

Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved”

1st Peter 3:20/21 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. (3:21) The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost”;

· Wash away/remit sins
· Contact the blood of Christ
· Be added to the Lord’s body which is the church
· Be buried/planted with Him in the likeness of his death thus enabling like resurrection
· Get “into” Him, put on Christ, and become a child of God
· Receive blessings in Him

Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”.

Acts 2:41 “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls”.

Acts 2:47 “Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

Acts 22:16 “And now why tarriest thou? arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord”

Rom 6:3 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death”?

Rom 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”.

Gal 3:26/27 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ”.

1st Cor 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Rom 6:5 “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection”:

Rev 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood”-----

Heb 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water”.

Col 2:12 “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead”.

Steps to becoming a Christian
· (1) Hearing the word/gospel (Rom. 1:16, Mk. 16:15, Rom. 10: 14 thru 17, 1 Cor. 1:21 thru 24, Mat 7:24)
· (2) Believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Mk. 16:16, Heb. 11:6, John 12:46)
· (3) Confessing this before men (Rom. 10:9, 10, Rom. 10:13, Acts 8:37, Mat 10:32)
· (4) Repenting of your sins (Acts 2:38, Luke 13:3, 5, 14:47)
· (5) Being baptized (immersed in water) for the remission (forgiveness) of your sins after which, you are added to the Church (above referenced). (Acts 2:38-41, 47)

1. "A church" is not "the Church". Big difference. "The Church" is indeed invisible to men but visible to God and Christ. "The Church" consists of all the genuine children of God.

2. As noted in Revelation 2 and 3 almost every local church consists of wheat and tares, sheep and goats, good fish and bad fish. So it is not automatically of only saved and baptized members. The sheep are in "the Church" and Christ knows who they are.

3. Yes, it is a place to worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- the one true God. Not for entertainment or a social club.

It is obvious that you have been feeding on false teaching regarding the local assembly/church.

I want to add: for those in Christ, worship becomes a way of life and a culture no matter their location.

“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

An "assembly" is still an assembly whether it is actually "assembled" or not. Likewise, the Church does not stop being the Church when meetings are dismissed.

You are equating "the Church" (the Body of Christ) with the local assembly. They are not necessarily the same. See Revelation 2 & 3.