WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH?

[bumperjack]

http://carm.org/what-the-christian-church

[MMRbkaRudog]

I noticed something interesting in that link. It stated that the original meaning of church was a place of gathering. I don't see how that was supposed to help support their message. This is why the Catholic church had the Bible translated into Latin, because Latin is a dead language and therefore it would be harder to bastardize the words.

[bumperjack]

Church has many meanings, but it is defined by a assembly or gathering in greek.We are also known as a temple or church being the body of believers,Where the Holy Spirit dwells is holy inside every believer,the Church is also the bride of Christ,scripture also states God does not dwell in Physical Structures (Churchs)made by human hands because he dwells within ever believer,What some don't understand is the cost . Our Savior paid on the cross,and the greatest commandments he set out for us and it is all up for interpretation every Religion is debatable and many think they are right and . Have all the answers not saying Silent is one of them,because I have run into Priests,Ministers,Chaplins,Im not in agreement with and have had legitiment conversations with about my faith and there's so it's all up for debate,Nobody has seen God or the Devil or or Hell and once I meet someone who has I pick bbc.co up my cross and follow them for sure I'm a student of my faith and a Ambassador for Christ also I'm a priest.

[MMRbkaRudog]

Church has many meanings, but it is defined by a assembly or gathering in greek.We are also known as a temple or church being the body of believers,Where the Holy Spirit dwells is holy inside every believer,the Church is also the bride of Christ,scripture also states God does not dwell in Physical Structures (Churchs)made by human hands because he dwells within ever believer,What some don't understand is the cost . Our Savior paid on the cross,and the greatest commandments he set out for us and it is all up for interpretation every Religion is debatable and many think they are right and . Have all the answers not saying Silent is one of them,because I have run into Priests,Ministers,Chaplins,Im not in agreement with and have had legitiment conversations with about my faith and there's so it's all up for debate,Nobody has seen God or the Devil or or Hell and once I meet someone who has I pick bbc.co up my cross and follow them for sure I'm a student of my faith and a Ambassador for Christ also I'm a priest.

Are you saying God cannot dwell in a building?

[bumperjack]

Merry Christmas Rudog God does not dwell in buildings made By human hands scripture tells us, because he dwells within us the "Holy Spirit the New Covenant,Where ever 2 or 3 are gathered" in His name He is there in the Midst,So when believers go to church and worship Him He is there,Heaven is His home and earth is His footstool.

[bumperjack]

Rudog... first Merry Christmas as we Celebrate the birth of Christ, The heaven of heavens, where angels and glorified saints are, and some in bodies, as Enoch and Elijah, and where now Christ is in human nature; this is the seat of the divine Majesty, where he in a most illustrious manner displays his glory; and therefore we are to look upwards to God in heaven, and direct all our devotion to him there, and not imagine that he dwells in temples made with hands; or is confined to any place, and much less to any on earth, as the temple at Jerusalem, the Jews boasted of, and trusted in; and which were the unworthy notions they had of God in the times of Christ and his disciples; to confute which these words are here said, and for this purpose are quoted and applied by Stephen, Acts 7:48. See Gill on Acts 7:48, Acts 7:49, Acts 7:50,

and the earth is my footstool: on which he treads, is below him, subject to him, and at his dispose; and therefore is not limited to any part of it, or included in any place in it; though he for a while condescended to make the cherubim his throne, and the ark his footstool, in the most holy place in the temple; which were all figurative of other and better things, and so no more used:

where is the house that ye build unto me? what house can be built for such an immense Being? and how needless as well as fruitless is it to attempt it? where can a place be found to build one in, since the heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool? and therefore, if any place, it must be some that is without them both, and that can hold both; but what space can be conceived of that can contain such a throne and footstool, and much less him that sits thereon? see 1 Kings 8:27,

and where is the place of my rest? for God to take up his rest and residence in, as a man does in his house? no such place can be found for him, nor does he need any; indeed the temple was built for an house of rest for the ark of the Lord, which before was moved from place to place; but then this was merely typical of the church, which God has chosen for his rest, and where he will dwell, as well as of heaven, the resting place of his people with him to all eternity; no place on earth is either his rest or theirs. Hopefully this will give you a better understanding of what I have learned we must focus on Him and really understand The God who made this world and everything in it is the LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH AN DOES NOT LIVE IN TEMPLES BUILT BY HUMAN HANDS,BUT DWELLS IN TEMPLES THAT ARE NOT MADE WITH HANDS,THE TEMPLE OF CHRISTS HUMAN NATURE IN WHICH THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD DWELLS BODILY AND IN THE HEARTS OF HIS PEOPLE,WHO ARE TEMPLES OF THE HOLY GHOST OR SPIRIT.God Bless Bumperjack

[MMRbkaRudog]

Merry Christmas and on that note I personally believe God can be anywhere.

Rudog... first Merry Christmas as we Celebrate the birth of Christ, The heaven of heavens, where angels and glorified saints are, and some in bodies, as Enoch and Elijah, and where now Christ is in human nature; this is the seat of the divine Majesty, where he in a most illustrious manner displays his glory; and therefore we are to look upwards to God in heaven, and direct all our devotion to him there, and not imagine that he dwells in temples made with hands; or is confined to any place, and much less to any on earth, as the temple at Jerusalem, the Jews boasted of, and trusted in; and which were the unworthy notions they had of God in the times of Christ and his disciples; to confute which these words are here said, and for this purpose are quoted and applied by Stephen, Acts 7:48. See Gill on Acts 7:48, Acts 7:49, Acts 7:50,

and the earth is my footstool: on which he treads, is below him, subject to him, and at his dispose; and therefore is not limited to any part of it, or included in any place in it; though he for a while condescended to make the cherubim his throne, and the ark his footstool, in the most holy place in the temple; which were all figurative of other and better things, and so no more used:

where is the house that ye build unto me? what house can be built for such an immense Being? and how needless as well as fruitless is it to attempt it? where can a place be found to build one in, since the heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool? and therefore, if any place, it must be some that is without them both, and that can hold both; but what space can be conceived of that can contain such a throne and footstool, and much less him that sits thereon? see 1 Kings 8:27,

and where is the place of my rest? for God to take up his rest and residence in, as a man does in his house? no such place can be found for him, nor does he need any; indeed the temple was built for an house of rest for the ark of the Lord, which before was moved from place to place; but then this was merely typical of the church, which God has chosen for his rest, and where he will dwell, as well as of heaven, the resting place of his people with him to all eternity; no place on earth is either his rest or theirs. Hopefully this will give you a better understanding of what I have learned we must focus on Him and really understand The God who made this world and everything in it is the LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH AN DOES NOT LIVE IN TEMPLES BUILT BY HUMAN HANDS,BUT DWELLS IN TEMPLES THAT ARE NOT MADE WITH HANDS,THE TEMPLE OF CHRISTS HUMAN NATURE IN WHICH THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD DWELLS BODILY AND IN THE HEARTS OF HIS PEOPLE,WHO ARE TEMPLES OF THE HOLY GHOST OR SPIRIT.God Bless Bumperjack

[alexalonso]

Jesus and the disciples never used the word church, rather they used Congregation, which has a different meaning. It is slightly different. Trace that word church and see what you get.

[bumperjack]

Well when we search the word "Church" the Greek word "ekklesia" it is used in the New Testament 115 times,and in most bibles it is always translated as "Church" except in Acts 19:32,39,41 where it is properly translated as "Assembly"The first complete English bible was the Tynclale Bible in about 1524 and that bible did not use the word Church anywhere in it's pages it used the word "Congregation"sometime after this bible they started replacing the word "congregation" with the word "church" Now some people might say we're just mincing words,they say Church or Assembly what's the difference? But words are very important according to the word of God. Christ only used the word "ekklesia" three times.It's not recorded in the book of Mark,John,or Luke,Matthew is the only one who recorded it! It actually means to be called out (Ekklesia) Christ is the one that's calling us out. It's definition were called out of self will and all of those things that have to do with the flesh & That is His "ekklesia" The "Patristic writings" would be the "Church Fathers" after the apostles and Christ.So thats where the word "Church"popped up and it's not in the word of God.So. obviously it's a Creation of man. Actually the scripture does tells us that believers in Christ worshipped in buildings but not untill the early 200's AD,But they were not called Church, they were called a synagogue,the word assembly in James 2:2 and the word congregation in Acts 13:43 is translated from the Greek word synagogue,which is translated as synagogue,in all 56 other places it appears in the New Testament books. Christ's Followers were still using synagogues,Early Christians did not have buildings,because they couldnt afford them.Thats the real origin of the word "Church"Great Question Alonso.