Church - community not solo
Jesus and the New Testament uses the word ekklesia to describe the followers of Jesus. The original word means “those who are called out”. I thought I’d devote my second (or first if you don’t count the intro) post on the topic of church to the communal aspect of it.
The first Christians (like in the book of Acts in the Bible) seemed to be quite single-minded in their pursuit of community together. They gathered every day, it says. They sold their possessions, they shared meals together. They prayed together. They listened to and adhered to the teachings of the apostles. They seemed to very much united by their faith.
I think it’s quite important for us to get this. Following Jesus is not something you primarily do on your own. You follow with others. Jesus sent two people to fetch a donkey before he rode into Jerusalem (he could have sent just one), he sent out his disciples on mission journeys in teams of two (never singular). Is there something here that we have missed?
One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is how there was a myriad of people following Jesus. Sure, he had his core of three and twelve, he had his 70 (or 72), but he also had the crowds. I come from a tradition which has emphasized the individual conversion and the point in time when you become a follower of Christ. In many ways this is good, calling people to make decisions. And in some sense you’re either in the covenant, or then you’re not. But it is not always a helpful picture - before Christ and after Christ, BC & AD? ;-). Most people are not that binary (on/off). And the on/off thing also makes you think that once you’ve made the decision you’re in the boat, you’re done. I think it is much more helpful to view discipleship as moving towards Jesus, coming closer to him, which is a continuing process (and at some point along that line making a public declaration of faith; I want to follow Jesus). So it has to do with becoming more like him. Being disciples. And that’s something you share with others. There’s always a crowd (or a group) following Jesus.
So what do you think of this: church is a community of people following Jesus, wanting to become like Him?
Me, husband, father of three, 
yes! Church is the people of Jesus living the way that God created humanity for, in community and inviting others to this way of life. Thus we usher in the government of God aka the kingdom of God.
Nice to see that you’re following my blog, especially at this time of day (night where you are).
It’s an interesting relation this, the church linked to the kingdom of God. Covenant, Kingdom, Church. Thanks for giving me tips for future posts!
Well I figured someone has to keep you on your toes, and posting.
The Kingdom is the all important message of Jesus. It is imperative that we set aside our preconcieved notions that the kingdom happens at the end of the world, or when we die and then look seriously at what Jesus said about it. When we do this, we can then view church in light of Jesus emphasis on the kingdom of God and things start taking on a whole new shape. What it means to Be the church is brought into light and the lesser things that we have made major issues, for far too long, fade into the background, where they belong.
Dallas Willard has a great book on the Kingdom of God called the Divine Conspiracy. Some have said it is one of the most valuable works in the last hundred years or so.
Check it out: http://www.dwillard.org/books/DivConsp.asp
Good post. I like the idea of discipleship as a process where one moves closer to Christ. One thing I was thinking about community is that people often seem to think of community also as a one-time-event. You become a member in a church, and then you are part of the community. I’d like to think about community too as a process, as something to always work on to ensure that people always feel secure and intimate with others. At least in a scandinavian tradition community has been something to passively be part of, but not to actively develop into a context where people grow closer to each other. Without mentioning names, I talked to a guy that had been in a church for like thirty years, and he had known another guy in church for a least as long, and had tried to get closer to him, but hadn’t succeeded in it. The other guy was still as locked up, he wasn’t able (and perhaps he didn’t even THINK of it) to let people close to him. It’s really, really sad.
So yes, following Jesus is optimally done with others, I think.