The presence of a church in any community is seen when individual saints are hard at work being the light and salt in a world lost in sin. When the world sees the consistent and harmonious pattern of Christians in their unity, love for one another, and their life-style of faith, they are seeing the ekklesia at work. Christ is the head of this assembly of saints who have presented their bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:2), and exert their influence as lights in the world. Now, I grew up speaking of this as the church at work. If this is the correct term, though I cringe to use it, then the church is at work when such individuals work,
Furthermore, God is glorified when such work is being done. This idea of “doing things through the church (institutional concept) that the church receives the glory” separates the church from the people and seeks to replace the glorious body(individual saints) for an institution. This is not to say that such individuals cannot cooperate with others as when a collection is taken up for the needy saints. But, it is still the work of the individuals, not an organization. When Jesus taught individuals to let their light shine before men that they may see your good works, he was not referring to the work of the church organization. Applied individually, God gets the glory. Applied through a corporation, the organization receives the glory. God is glorified in or by the ekklesia. Ephesians 3:21 reads, “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.” The word translated “church” here is not a local church organization but the class or assembly of people known as the saved. That assembly demonstrates the glory and wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10). This is not the same as God being glorified through the decision and work of an organization. Such a pattern is not from the apostles. That is the pattern begun by the “fathers” that elevates/glorifies man instead of God. God is glorified as each dedicated person that forms this class of “the saved” gives their lives to Jesus Christ. The amount of money, time, possessions, or talents is never a question. For, if Christ reigns in the heart of the “new man,” everything is surrendered to Him, already. This explains the example of the Macedonians’ giving recorded in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. The “giving of their own accord” and “beyond their ability” is associated with their having “first given themselves to the Lord” (2 Cor. 8:5). Once that commitment is made, all one possesses is never his own (Acts 4:32), and as Paul described it in Galatians 2, Christ lives in the one who is crucified to self. Paul reasons, “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” This description of the “new life” is that which glorifies God and His son, Jesus Christ.
To review the institutional organization, we must return to its root. Historically, the reformers called the church the “invisible church.” It was used by them to distinguish a priesthood of believers from the visible hierarchal class of Roman Catholicism. We can immediately see a change in the right direction. Yet, the church institution was still perceived as being the means of salvation since the priesthood of Catholicism required “the people” to come to “the church” (the clergy) for the blessings/sacraments. If you want to be baptized, only the priests could administer it and that for children. Then, the need for confirmation was needed to perfect the process of initiation into the church by teaching the doctrines of the church (institutional concept). If you wanted forgiveness, you must go to the church to confess your sins. In particular, the people were expected to go to the priests (representatives of the church) who would them absolve the sin and/or require penance. If you wanted to be married, you had to go to the church for this union to be blessed. This whole form of Catholicism has no right to exist as it violates the very nature of the people of God. You will notice that the emphasis of Roman Catholicism is on what the church approves, administers, blesses, sanctions, or teaches. Rather than what the Bible teaches or what Christ approves, blesses or sanctions, the Pope becomes the sole vicar of Christ on earth. Within him lies the authority while the Roman Catholic clergy usurps the role of every believer who should exercise their God-given privilege to approach the throne as priests and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
While the great defender and promoter of this institutional concept of the church is Roman Catholicism, its children are the church organizations that follow after that institutional model. We must rid ourselves of this monstrosity of error that speaks in this institutional way. We should not think in terms of going to church (institution) to receive God’s favor. If we have been raised with Christ, we are the called out, priests unto our God, and the recipients of rich blessings from the hand of a gracious Father (Ephesians 1:3) who provides for us on a daily basis.