Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? (
Acts 7:48:49)
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (
Matthew 16:15-18)
In the gospel according to Matthew we have the Lord carrying on a conversation with His disciples, and He then tells them He was going to build His church on this revelation of who he is.
From the beginning we can see its Jesus’ church. He is the builder, and owner.
Acts 20:28 says “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
The word build in
Matthew 16:18 comes from the Greek word oikodomeo, which means to be a house-builder, construct or confirm build edify, embolden.
So we can see Jesus purchased and is building his church. Next we need to Biblically define church. The Greek word Jesus used for church is ekklesia. This word ekklesia means a calling out, a popular meeting, a religious congregation, assembly.
Jesus Christ himself is the architect of this ekklesia. Over the past two thousand years the term church has been misused and misrepresented far and wide.
Nowhere in Scripture will we find the term ekklesia used to describe an organization, an institution, denomination, or a building. The church (ekklesia) is a living organism made up with lively stones of Spirit filled believers. Church is not something we do, nor is it a place we go. As believers we need to establish in our hearts that we are the church, and where we go the church goes.
Let us look at some other translations of
Matthew 16:18
The “Hebrews Names Version” translates
Matthew 16:18 as follows: “I also tell you that you are Kefa, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of She’ol will not prevail against it”
William Tyndale who translated the New Testament into English in 1526, and paid for it with his life, translated
Matthew 16:18 as follows: “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter. And upon this rock I will build my congregation: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The “Analytical-Literal Translation” of the New Testament words
Matthew 16:18 as follows: “Now I also say to you that you are Peter [“a stone”], and on this solid rock I will build my Assembly [or, Church], and [the] gates of the realm of the dead [Gr., hades] will not prevail against it.”
This word "ekklesia" in the New Testament was not a religious word.
Ekklesia is used 116 times in the New Testament. Of those 116 times it is translated church or churches 113 times. The other three times it is translated assembly.
In the nineteenth chapter of Acts where Paul, was threatened by an angry mob who wanted to kill him Luke, the writer of Acts, uses the word, ekklesia and the translators of the King James Version translated it "assembly."
And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre. Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly (ekklesia) was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, (hierosulos) nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. But if ye inquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly (ekklesia). For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly (ekklesia). (
Acts 19:30-41) (Greek word inserts and emphasis mine)
The interesting thing about this passage is that the word assembly in the original language is ekklesia in all three occurrences. Ekklesia just happens to be the word we use to translate, "church." We can see from the Scripture ekklesia is used to describe an assembly of people.
First, it was a confused ekklesia, then their inquiring would need to be done in a lawful ekklesia, and lastly the ekklesia was dismissed. Yet, when describing a building as a temple Luke used the Greek word hierosulos. So when Jesus used ekklesia to say "I will build my church." It was not a religious word. It simply meant a called out group, or crowd, or fellowship, or assembly. The only place in the New Testament where churches is translated using a different word other than ekklesia is in
Acts 19:37 and the Greek word hierosulos is used and it means temple. After all it was in Ephesus where the crowd, or assembly (ekklesia) was concerned about the temple of Diana. If the church was a building, an institution, organization, or denomination surely Jesus would have used hierosulos or some other word and not ekklesia. From the Scripture as well as the definition of ekklesia we can clearly see that the church is an assembly of people whenever and wherever they meet.
Jesus did say “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (
Matthew 18:20)
“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?” (
Acts 7:48-49)
The Lord himself is erecting the building and he is doing it with people. The apostle Peter said the following concerning the people of God and the building of the church
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” (
1 Peter 2:5)
The word house in first Peter comes from the Greek word oikos, which means “a dwelling” The New Testament temple of God is living breathing Spirit filled people.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (
1 Corinthians 3:16)
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (
1 Corinthians 6:19)
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (
Ephesians 2:19-22)
We have established the church (ekklesia) is people, and the Lord is building his church without mortar and brick, without drywall and carpet. If the church was a building, an institution, organization or denomination surely Jesus would have used hierosulos or some other word and not ekklesia. Therefore, let us always be mindful the church (ekklesia) is people (a living organism with Christ as the head) and not hierosulos. (A Building)
The idea of the church being a building is foreign the the early church. The church is people, always has been, and the early church meet many places among them was house to house.