Has there ALWAYS been a true church?

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

A local assembly of believers is an assembly of the church members who live there locally

If the church refers to a visible organization then why not become Catholic?

Jesus said "Upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it"

2 things. If "Church" refers to a local assembly, then church should be plural. Churches.

Second "Hell" there is Sheol/Hades referring to where dead people go. So the Church must in that respect refer to the entire body of believers

The word Church can refer to a local assembly, but that is simply because the local assembly is a local assembly of the Church.

It really depends on context and what the word "church" means. Sometimes it refers to the assembly, in which case sometimes the plural can be used, and others it is singular referring to the One body of Christ

Is it possible Jesus used church in the abstract? Suppose I said "The automobile is responsible for too much pollution" would anyone think I meant a universal invisible "automobile"?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Is it possible Jesus used church in the abstract? Suppose I said "The automobile is responsible for too much pollution" would anyone think I meant a universal invisible "automobile"?

He used it as a reference to hades and we know that we believers are loosed from hades right?

The word is used that way too in the singular many times...How many local congregations were there in all those cities? Just one?

To THE Church (not your church)
Eph 1:22 And He has put all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church,

The church, THE body
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

Gave Himself for THE Church...just the local assembly in Ephesus?
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,

One church. It not Them
Eph 5:27 that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Again The body, The Church
Col 1:18 And He is the Head of the body, the church, who is the Beginning, the First-born from the dead, that He may be pre-eminent in all things.

The Body is the Church..>The Church is His Body
Col 1:24 who now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and I fill up the things lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, on behalf of His body, which is the church;

There is One body
Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling,

This verse seems to refer to one assembly
Heb 12:23 to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are written in Heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Again sometimes the word refer to a local assembly of the great Assembly/body/church of believers and sometimes it refers to the Great Assembly/One body of believers as a whole