As to its usage, the word appears in literature outside the New Testament letters that describe a class of people with the same craft, profession, or citizenry to conduct business. In the New Testament, the word is used by Luke to describe Israel in the wilderness (Acts 7), an assembly of people in Ephesus and a class of judges (Acts 19). Our translators use the word “assembly” to translate ekklesia. As we discuss this text, you will see the difficulty of using this word to translate ekklesia. That it has some validity can be demonstrated from the fact that it is a collective noun and therefore collects individuals of the same kind into a particular class of people. To show this, consider the two usages of the word in Acts 19 and one in Acts 7.
City/People of Ephesus
After Demetrius had incited a riot, the city rushed into the theatre with two Christians. The city is defined as the “people” (demos). They are the same class into which Paul was thinking of entering. They could rightly be described as an assembly of people because they were the people bound together as citizens of the same city. Verse 32 describes the city people (demos) as the “ekklesia.” It reads, “So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly (ekklesia) was in confusion and the majority did not know what reason they had come together” (Acts 19:32). Give special attention to the fact that some translations even translate the Greek word “demos” (the people) by the word “assembly.” The very next verse reads, “Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly (Greek, demos, the people).” The people of verse 33 (demos) were “the assembly” (ekklesia) of verse 32. Placing all three terms, the ekklesia here were a collection of people of the same class, that is, people of the city of Ephesus. Given Moulton and Milligans observation that ancient Israel was an assembly whether physically assembled or not, Luke appears to describe the city people of Ephesus in just that way. The “people” of Ephesus formed a class of people socially bound together in one place and they need not be physically assembled in one place to fit that description. In this case, this assembly or church “had come together” (19:32). What were they before they came together? Were they not the people of Ephesus before they gathered or did they have to come together to be the city people of Ephesus? One can clearly see that the people of Ephesus were an ekklesia whether physically gathered or not. What made them this assembly or ekklesia was the fact that they were all residents and citizens of the same city. They can come together or they can be dismissed. Either way, they are still the ekklesia.
This text has the city people (the ekklesia or assembly) assembled in verse 32 but later dismissed in verse 35. Again, even after dismissing the people, they were still the ekklesia because they still shared the same classification – people of Ephesus. Assembling them together in the courthouse square is not what makes them an ekklesia. The city people as a class of people were the ekklesia and “they had come together” in verse 32 and dismissed in verse 35. They neither have to be physically assembled to be “the people,” nor do they cease being the people when dismissed. They were still the ekklesia known as the Ephesians.
In discussing the local church arrangement, it is argued that the local church is such because they assemble at the appointed times for worship. The reason follows that if they were the assembly because they assembled, they must not be the assembly when they are dismissed. Perhaps this is the reason people speak of “going to church.” This opens the door for the local church organization concept that imagines the local church being created when individuals assemble in one place. Yet, we have shown from this first example that the people are the ekklesia not because they assembled but because they are of the same class. They form a collectivity of individuals bound by something held in common. That they would most naturally form physical gatherings to fulfill their common goals is without question but this is not what defines the word. This definition of ekklesia is consistent whether speaking of God’s people unlimited by time and space or God’s people living in a certain geographical area. What makes us “the called out” is not that individuals physically assemble but that we are of the same class of people. In a similar way, a cow is not identified as a cow because it assembles with others at feeding time. It’s a cow whether it ever assembles with other cattle or not. But, it will naturally gather with other cattle because of the common bond shared as cows.
Lawful Judges
There are two “ekklesias” in this chapter. After speaking of the Ephesians, he encouraged that ekklesia to allow the deputies to detain them for a lawful assembly (ekklesia) to convene and judge the matter and he then dismissed the assembly (ekklesia). In one case, the city dwellers of Ephesus were the ekklesia that formed this class, the people of Ephesus. The other assembly mentioned is a “lawful assembly” of judges. Similarly, this class called “judges” formed an “assembly” that would convene to hear a case. It is not required that these judges be gathered in order for them to be called an ekklesia. Just as the people were the assembly whether they gathered or not, this class of judges were an assembly whether or not they were actually gathered to hear a case. Once again, their relationship and work would naturally form a class of individuals gathered together for a common purpose. It is inevitable due to the common task that binds them together. Their common ties and work naturally formed a bond that would find them being together. Yet,, these individual judges need not form an organization through which they may work as judges in a given location.
Church in the Wilderness
Instead of using “assembly,” some chose to use the word “church” to translate ekklesia when applied to the Israelites in the wilderness (Acts 7:38). It reads, “This is he that was in the church (ekklesia) in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us.” This assembly was God’s people of whom he spoke when he said, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” They were called out from other nations to be his special people. This relationship existed whether they were all gathered together in one place or not but that they naturally gathered together is a given expectation due to the relationship with one another as they journeyed through the wilderness.
Another passage found in Acts 14:27 shows that the church is not the physical gathering. It reads, “And when they (Paul & Barnabas) were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all things that God had done with them.” Notice that Paul and Barnabas had gathered the ekklesia together. If the use of the word demands a physical gathering, we catch Paul in a redundancy. Again, it seems that the church in Antioch is the church whether gathered or not gathered together. It was still the church before Paul gathered them together. Paul could have accomplished the same thing individually and it still be said that he “rehearsed all things that God had done with them.” But, as he had done before the trip when the text tells us that he “met with the ekklesia,” he did the same when he returned. If an ekklesia is only an ekklesia when they are gathered, what were they before they were gathered together? The “called out” by God is still the saved assembly whether they are all gathered physically or not. In the same way, the called out in Jerusalem that was persecuted was still the called out whether gathered or scattered (cf. Acts 8).
- The Use of the Word For a Spiritual Relationship
This spiritual assembly when viewed as the saved from all time and places can rightly be described as being “universal.” We speak of the “universal church” as being the collectivity of all the saved of all time and place. This collective noun gathers together all of those recognized by God as being His children. Adding them together into one body defines the idea of the Greek word “ekklesia” (Acts 2:47). They are gathered by God and form one special class of people bound together in fellowship with God and each other (1 John 1:1-3). Once again, this relationship is assembled from the standpoint that God called them together in one body. They are of the same class of people – the called out. Both the universal and local uses of the term speak of a special class of people that form a natural bond. We have illustrated this from its use in Acts 19 and 7, but now consider biblical texts that demonstrate its application to God’s people, in general.
First, the 3,000 Jews that were “added unto them” on the day of Pentecost were people whom the Lord had added. They were described as having “gladly heard the Word” and “were baptized” (Acts 2:41). Luke closes his discussion with these concluding words: “And the Lord added to them day by day those that were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Notice that the Lord “added” to this saved body of individuals. The called out (ekklesia)is not the organization into which individuals enter to be saved. Instead, the already saved ones are grouped by God as belonging to Him and for that reason become “the assembly,” or the collection of saved individuals.
Furthermore, these saints lived in Jerusalem before persecution arose (Acts 8). The Bible reads that the persecution was against the ekklesia and Luke explains that the ekklesia is composed of “men and women” who were taken from their houses. These “scattered” individuals of men and women (the ekklesia) went everywhere preaching the Word. Would you agree that you can hardly be physically gathered together when you are scattered? Yet, the ekklesia was scattered and then went everywhere preaching the word. Did a group of individually saved people gather together to preach the word? Was there some church program of evangelism or did they not preach the word as each individual carried the message with them? Among those scattered to whom Peter writes, he speaks of this class when he explains,
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, cf. Colossians 1:13).
God did the adding and the gathering of each individual soul as each rendered obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. In this sense, they are gathered or assembled in Christ. Though the Hebrew writer uses a different word than ekklesia in chapter 12:13, we are not surpised to find the English words “church” and “assembly” used together to describe the same grouping of the firstborn ones who are enrolled in heaven. It reads,
“to the general assembly and church (called out) of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.” (Hebrews 12:23).
This unique class are called together by the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14) and form the body of Christ, the spiritual house of believers. Paul writes, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Col. 3:15).
They are further described by the Lord in John 15 as being the branches on the vine (Jesus Christ). Abiding in Him enables them to have life and bear fruit. Again, this description is one of individual saints in fellowship with Christ (1 John 1:3) and therefore, are living branches who remain in the living vine. This horizontal relationship of living branches is a natural bond due to a common relationship with the vine, and to the common faith and salvation (Titus 1:4, Jude 3). They have the same mind, love, and care and they walk by the same rule (Phil. 2:18, 3:16). Those living in the same town share a working relationship with each other to a greater degree than those living far distances. Still, there is a fellowship in the body of saved individuals to the degree that brethren travel from place to place and communicate by letter (2 Thess. 2:2). Yet, the point is that they do not form an organization on either level – local or regional.
It is unfortunate that the Lord’s people is thought of as being made up of local churches identified by a sectarian name and creed. This is not what he promised to build in Matthew 16:18. Neither did he promise to build a corporate institution in the local church organization. The smallest and largest functional unit is the individual that when collected with others make up the ekklesia. The local church organization was not designed to act as a functional organization. Instead, the ekklesia is the collectivity of a saved body of individual members whose light reflects the glory of the Savior. The functioning unit of work is the individual, not the local church organization. God gave gifts unto men and men performed their individual obligation in the ekklesia (“assembly of saved”) without forming some organization to which they join and through which they work. For example, He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11-12). The Bible teaches that God “set in his called out” first, apostles; then prophets, etc. (1 Cor. 12:28). There is no demand of these two texts to change the meaning of the word “ekklesia” to be anything other than this saved collectivity of individual saints. Yet, when we think about any “body” of people working together to accomplish something, we assume this is the “local church organization”. Not only is this not a necessary inference, it clouds the identity and work of God’s people.
That there were brethren living in the same town and interacting with each other and gathering together is not denied. From that standpoint, they are a local “church” (ekklesia). The many “one another” passages indicate a community of believers who served one another. These saved individuals were among other saved members because they were members of one another and of the same body. Certain traditions or apostolic patterns needed to be “set in order” that served God’s purpose to edify the body (universal). Keeping the same definition of ekklesia, God purchased or built people who are made up of individual saints some of whom were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers from whom all of God’s people can be edified. The description is a description of individuals who work in the ekklesia (the work of the ekklesia). Further, that there is organization and order is a given expectation but the establishment of an organization is not required to be organized.