The Thoughts of Wesley son of Cornelius

Through marriage, Christ and the assembly are one. And the members of the assembly are one as well.

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were given the one Spirit to drink. … Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the [assembly] God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, …” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27 NIV)

And

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. … It was he [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:4-6, 11-13 NIV)

Of course, man cannot be unified perfectly with Christ in earthly bodies. Therefore, the perfect union will occur at the Wedding of the Lamb mentioned earlier in Revelation.

What then can be said? The word ekklesia appears to represent the assembly of believers, those who have faith in Christ. The assembly is the re-establishment of David’s tent. The assembly has Christ as the cornerstone—the stumbling block to the Jews—and is built on the teaching of the apostles and prophets. The whole collection of the faithful—Jews and Greeks—are members of the assembly, and they will be perfectly unified in Christ, and, therefore, with each other when Christ returns. At his return, the assembly will be made a perfect bride. Oh what a glorious day that will be!

Two analogies come to mind that concern ekklesia: the assembly as Christ’s body and the assembly as Christ’s bride. Both can probably be considered one and the same since through marriage the bride and bridegroom become one flesh.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the [assembly] and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant [assembly], without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the [assembly]—for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the [assembly].” (Ephesians 5:25-32 NIV)

One phrase I want to note is ‘to present her to himself.’ I found a similar passage in 2 Corinthians.

“For I [Paul] am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.” (2 Cor. 11:2 NASB)

This picture of the presented bride is also seen in Revelation.

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure … And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 19:7-9, 21:2 ESV)

These passages surround the mysterious passage of the thousand year reign (chapter 20). Many interpretations of the final days exist; they are beyond the scope of this analysis. However, I strongly believe that the bride mentioned in Revelation is the assembly of believers. First, in Ephesians and 2 Corinthians, Paul has established that the assembly of God is the bride of Christ. So either (1) God is a polygamist, or (2) the assembly and bride in Revelation are the same, or (3) the analogies are unrelated. I believe in a strong unity of the Bible, so I dismiss (3). Furthermore, God as a polygamist does not seem logical at all. Hence, I come to the conclusion that the bride and assembly are the same. This idea would make sense since John wrote the book of Revelation to God’s people.

“John to the seven [assemblies] that are in Asia …” (Revelation 1:4 NIV)

To further emphasize that the whole book of Revelation is for the assembly, Jesus is quoted at the end saying:

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the [assemblies]. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Revelation 22:16 NIV)

Therefore, it makes sense that the bride (the assembly) is the recipient of John’s letter. Once again, to tie the new and the old, the prophet Isaiah writes:

“‘For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,’ says your God.” (Isaiah 54:5-6 NASB)

“It will no longer be said to you, ‘Forsaken,’ nor to your land will it any longer be said, ‘Desolate’; but you will be called, ‘My delight is in her,’ and your land, ‘married’; for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:4-5 NASB)

Even Hosea speaks of the marriage.

“And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.” (Hosea 2:19-20 ESV)

“What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?” (Romans 3:1 NIV)

Paul turns around and answers this question in the following verse. Several chapters later he adds more to the advantages.

“Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. … They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 3:2, 9:4-5 ESV)

But Paul continues in chapter 9:

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: ‘through Isaac your descendants will be named.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” (Romans 9:6-8 NASB)

And we saw in Ephesians that the promise now belongs to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. All are now one in the assembly. It has appeared that we have digressed from the topic of ekklesia. But we have not. We have connected the old and the new.

The passage from Amos quoted in Acts leads nicely into the first use of ekklesia in the Gospels.

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my [assembly], and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18 ESV)

If the passage in Acts and Matthew are related (as I believe them to be), we see that the assembly of God is rebuilt upon either (1) Peter, (2) Christ, (3) Peter’s confession stated earlier in the above passage, (4) Christ’s teachings or (5) all of the above. I have heard of a theological belief that the assembly replaces Israel. I do not believe this to be true. Given the two passages above, the appearance is that Israel is rebuilt; the assembly of God is re-established, not replaced. A nice passage that appears to tie the above ideas together can be found in Ephesians. I quote the passage in full length because it captures the full picture.

“Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:11-22 NASB)

This passage clearly reveals the building of the “tent of David.” To be noted in the above passage are phrases like ‘formerly,’ ‘at that time,’ and ‘but now.’ The covenants of promise now belong also to the Gentiles—to the whole assembly. Also note the phrase ‘built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.’ This phrase fits nicely with what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew. The assembly is built on the (1) the Apostle Peter, (2) Christ the cornerstone, (3) Peter’s Messianic confession taught by the prophets, (4) Christ’s teaching which filled up the Law and Prophets, that is (5) all of the above.

The first use of the term ekklesia in Acts is found after the death of Ananias and Sapphira.

“Great fear seized the whole [assembly] and all who heard about these events.” (Acts 5:11 NIV)

I believe it is safe to assume that the assembly did not originate after Ananias and Sapphira died, but that the word ekklesia is being used for the first time in Acts when referring to the believers in Christ. Therefore, we can learn about how the assembly functioned from Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:23-37, as well as, from Acts 5:12-16. Furthermore, even though the word ekklesia does not appear in Acts 6:1-7, it seems that we can assume that the author of Acts is still referring to the assembly. In other words, what the group of believers was called at the beginning does not seem to be all that crucial. At this point in time, the believers were almost all Jewish if not all Jewish. So the idea that the assembly is a Gentile concept or a concept for Gentiles alone does not appear to be Biblical.

“On that day [Stephen’s stoning] a great persecution broke out against the [assembly] at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” (Acts 8:1 NIV)

Following the scattering, Gentiles were added to their number: the Ethiopian through Philip; Cornelius through Peter; Greeks in Antioch through Paul and Barnabas; etc. The idea of Gentiles being added to the assembly caused a few disagreements. A meeting was held in Jerusalem to discuss the situation. Following the discussion James, quoting Amos 9:11-12, said:

“After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name.” (Acts 15:16-17 NASB)

This passage might be ultimately fulfilled in the end times; however, from the assemblies’ response, it appears that they applied the prophecy to their current situation.

From a quick glance, it appears that the Greek word ekklesia was used to translate the generic assembly of Israel. Further evidence (outside of the Septuagint) can be seen in Stephen’s speech to the Council. He uses the word ekklesia in reference to Israel in the wilderness.

“This is that Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will send you a prophet like me from your own people.’ He was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us.” (Acts 7:37-38 NIV)

“… This is the one [speaking of Moses] who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you.” (Acts 7:38 NASB)

“… This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.” (Acts 7:38 ESV)

It appears that the English word congregation or assembly is a good translation of the Greek word ekklesia. I will refrain from using congregation because, like church, the word congregation may also carry preconceived notions. The word assembly appears to be neutral, and Biblical references can fill up the word with little or no predetermined meaning. Therefore, from now on, the Greek word ekklesia will be translated assembly and inserted into the three English translations used.

Not surprising, ekklesia was used before the birth of Christ and, therefore, before any New Testament writings. The Septuagint, the 1st to 3rd century B.C. Greek translation of the Old Testament, uses ekklesia often. One of the earliest appearances of ekklesia in the Septuagint is in Deuteronomy.

“No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD. No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation.” (Deut. 23:1-2 NIV)

“No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD. …” (Deut 23:1 NASB)

“No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD. …” (Deut. 23:1 ESV)

The Septuagint translates the Hebrew word qahal as ekklesia, where the three English versions translate the Hebrew word as assembly. But in this context what does the word assembly mean? Clearly eunuchs were not rejected in the nation of Israel (see Isaiah 56:4-5). Furthermore, the passage in Deuteronomy goes on to say that Ammonites or Moabites may not enter the assembly. However, Ruth is an example of a Moabite who was not excluded from Israel. Therefore, the word translated assembly in this passage probably refers to those Israelites who were allowed to bring the sacrifices to the temple.

The word ekklesia is also used in referring to an assembly of leaders. Once again, ekklesia is the Greek translation of qahal.

“David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. He then said to the whole assembly of Israel …” (1 Chronicles 13:1-2a NIV)

“Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, even with every leader. David said to all the assembly of Israel …” (1 Chronicles 13:1-2a NASB)

“… And David said to all the assembly of Israel …” (1 Chronicles 13:2a ESV)

However, a more interesting use of ekklesia can be found in the Psalms.

“Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.” (Psalm 149:1-2 NIV)

“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones. Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.” (Psalm 149:1-2 NASB)

“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!” (Psalm 149:1-2 ESV)

From a quick glance, it appears that the Greek word ekklesia was used to translate the generic assembly of Israel.

I am upset at myself for saying in the last post, "a personal Bible study that some may find dull." The study has been far from dull; therefore, I am going to take my 6 page written study and break it up into parts. I hope you enjoy!

The word translated church in the New Testament is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia. The word ekklesia comes from ek, “out of,” and klesis, “a calling.” Oddly, the word church came from the Old English word cirice, which came from the West Germanic word kirika, which came from the Greek word kyriake. Kyriake means “of the lord,” or “belonging to the ruler” and is derived from the Greek noun kyrios. Therefore, the word church from its etymology may not be the best word to translate the word ekklesia. Interestingly, the English word ecclesiastical did come from ekklesiastes, meaning “teacher”, or ekklesiastikos, meaning “of the assembly.” And both these words have the root ekklesia. Due to the Greeks’ high regard for education, the teachers could hold an office in assemblies.

Whereas the word church has come to mean “a body or organization of believers,” many other preconceived ideas might be tied to the word church. Especially in Western culture, the word church might make one think of the Catholic Church with the Pope as its Head or the building with a steeple found on most street corners in the Southern United States. Therefore, to eliminate any confusion of definition or preconceived ideas, a new and fresh word is needed to translate ekklesia.

I apologize for the lack of fresh posts. However, I am still here. I am just doing a personal Bible study that some may find dull. Until next refreshing post:

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8 NIV)

As seen in the comments of the previous posts, Uncle Jesse’s favorite hymn is “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” My guess is that this hymn brings hope to Uncle J, and the words are words of comfort and reassurance. We can see examples of memorable hymns in the Bible as well.

“But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

‘I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
My father’s God, and I will exalt him. …’”
TEXT: Exodus 14:29-15:2 NIV

The people of Israel had been saved from their enemy—Egypt. The writer of Psalm 118 alludes back to this famous hymn.

“The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” (Psalm 118:14)

Seven hundred years after the Exodus, Isaiah faces a new enemy—Assyria and Babylon. Recalling the hymn of Moses, Isaiah writes:

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)

“Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
‘Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.’” (Exodus 15:20-21)

"What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and grief to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

"Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

"Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our Refuge;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He'll take and shield thee;
Thou wilt find a solace there."

TEXT: Joseph M. Scriven

"O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow'r through out the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When thro' the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim: my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

TEXT: Stuart K. Hine

"Amazing grace! how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

"Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

"The Lord has promised good to me;
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

"Thro' many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come.
'Tis grace hath bro't me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

"When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun."

TEXT: John Newton; John P. Rees, stanza 5

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."

It is well (It is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

Tho' Satan should buffet, tho' trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin--O, the bliss of this glorious tho't--
My sin--not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
"Even so"--it is well with my soul.

It is well (It is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

TEXT: Horatio G. Spafford

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2 NIV)

I made the argument in the last post that only one thing—one person—could comfort perfectly. So should we stop trying to comfort? No. Through the prophet Isaiah, God tells us to comfort his people. I found a beautiful passage in 2 Corinthians that shows how we, too, can be good comforters.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

The comfort is still Christ centered; however, the more we trust God and become more unified with Christ, his comfort we experience will overflow to those who, too, need comfort. Which makes sense!

“Then Job replied: ‘I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all!’” (Job 16:1, 2 NIV)

Today at lunch E and I were talking about how people always fall short in truly comforting others. We explain the situation away, or say something stupid, or avoid the situation (maybe avoid the person). In the above passage, Job is speaking about the words of his visitors. The writer of Job calls the three visitors friends; we might argue that they are not very good friends. But are any of us?

I am going to work my way from the bottom up and show how only one perfect comfort exists—that is God. From the start a person might look for food, pets, or nature to comfort. How is it that these items can comfort at all? My guess is that with all of these items being apart of God’s creation, they some how give us a ‘natural’ comfort. However, we are just fooling our selves with these items. Most of these items will only comfort for a short while, and none of them could careless about our problems. The chocolate bar will eventually be eaten, the bird will fly on, and the nice weather will pass.

How about humans? I believe people can give some of the best comfort. What makes humans different than other created objects is that they are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). This image includes concepts like love, patience, kindness, etc. But we see that even Job’s friends were not perfect comforters. The same is true of family. Most people are dealing with their own problems or cannot relate to yours.

‘You must narrow the type of friends or family,’ you might say. Comfort from Christian friends and family is the best. Since Christians have Christ living in them, I can see where they might be better comforters. However, like other people, they too fall short. Like other friends, Christians cannot enter your mind or know your heart. They are limited.

“Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalm 69:20 KJV)

“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” (Psalm 142:4)

However, “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

All of the pseudo-comforters above had something in common; they brought you near to God. But nearness to God only solves problems temporarily because the next moment you can be far from God. The only way to have true perfect comfort is to have God—the Holy Spirit—living in you.

“If you love me [Jesus Christ], you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. … On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. … The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:15, 16, 20, 26, 27 NIV)

Praise God for family!

I thank God for my Dad and Mom, Joe and Heather, BJ and E, J and E, and L. Thank you, God.