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By Neal Griffin
There is a distinct similarity between the Jews of Saul’s day and the sectarians of our day. "Give us a king that we may be like the nations about us!" The present day clamor is to have a church that competes with the religious denominations about us. What we need is larger edifices and greater memberships of which to boast. Give us a priest of some sort or a paid pulpit minister to intone blessings, preach eloquent pulpit sermons, preside at weddings and funerals, and continually reassure us that we are in the right institution that guards the path to heaven.
Our faith requires visible objects even as those doubters in the wilderness. Our golden calf is the church. We need a visible object to which we can dedicate our money and efforts. We need something other than the Bible and Holy Spirit to direct our lives. Our church should have a visible and splendid sanctuary that evokes awe and worship and which gives us a convenient place in which to show off our children and fancy clothes. A designated place to worship is essential for the command to worship implies a place to worship does it not? We require designated places to worship even though Jesus said that true worship in spirit and in truth would not be at designated places (John 4:21-24), and, Paul, by the Holy Spirit, defined New Covenant worship (Romans 12:1) as being something entirely different from the performance of rituals. God is not impressed by hugh crowds of religionists performing their Sunday morning rituals. What does impress Him is the conduct of our lives and whether or not we love our neighbors.
We require a denominated religious organization whether God does or not. It was a religious organization that crucified Jesus. Religious institutions are entirely the creations of men, organized by men and ruled over by men in positions of authority even though Jesus said, "It shall not be so among you". Matthew 20:26. Membership in religious institutions is not once mentioned in Holy Writ. In fact, Church membership is not once mentioned.
The word, "church", is a creation of the 15th or 16th century. It is a derivative of the Old English word, "kirk". "Ecclesia", does not translate the word, "church". When Jesus said, "I will build my ecclesia", the word, "church", with all of its religious implications, had not been coined. There is no early Greek word that does in fact translate the word, "church", for the same reason that there is no early (koine) Greek word that translates, "helicopter", "jet plane", "computer", and etc. The simple fact of the matter is that there were no such critters in existence at that time, so there could not possibly be an early Greek word that translates them, and the same is true of the word, "church". There was no such thing in existence at that time that fits our current perception of a religious institution called, "church". As a matter-of-fact, the early Greek word, "ecclesia", as used in the Bible, has no religious connotation what-so-ever. In fact, it is used in Acts 19:35 to describe an angry mob of unbelievers. It refers to a gathering and nothing more. To read more into it is to wrest the Scriptures.
The idea of, "doing church", "going to church", or, "planting a church" is foreign to the Bible. These phrases are all the distortions of men. Paul never once went anywhere to "plant" a church. Paul planted Jesus. He was a Jesus planter.
It is what we want that matters. We care not what God wants and we demonstrate that fact in our continual promotion of the church system. John wrote that it is what God wants that matters, and the man who does what God wants lives forever. "Come ye out from among them", was the plea of old and it certainly is appropriate for us today. God did not authorize churches. Come ye out from among them!.
Please consider these comments whether they be true to the Word.
Neal Griffin
10514 Bar X Trail
Helotes, Texas 78023
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