Article by Dr. Derek Thomas (original source here)

In the language of the Westminster Confession of Faith, the church comprises the “whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be, gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof” (25.1). This is otherwise known as the invisible church. In another sense, the church is the body of the faithful (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 2:21–22; Rev. 21:2, 9), consisting of those throughout the world who outwardly profess faith, together with their children (WCF 25.2). This is otherwise known as the visible church.

The Greek word that is translated as “church” in the Bible is ekklēsia. Conscious as we should be of the etymological fallacy (the idea that a word means what its composite root means), in this case it would seem to have merit. Thus, ekklēsia translates the Hebrew word qahal, the noun form meaning “assembly” or “congregation” and the verb essentially signifying “to call.”

Often in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the word qahal is translated synagōgē. Common to both Hebrew and Greek words is the idea of assembling together before the Lord. Thus, the Bible translation of Paul’s day (the Septuagint) rendered Deuteronomy 4:10 (“assemble the people before me”) using the word ekklēsia — the gathering together of the Lord’s people as a covenant community before their covenant God.

Taking this etymological clue, we can expand what the word church in the New Testament means along three lines of thought:

First, the preposition ek (or ex) in ekklēsia suggests a particular dimension to the meaning of the word: the church is an assembly of people called out of the world. The church comprises those who are “called to be saints [holy ones]” or, possibly, “the holy called ones” (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2), just as their Old Testament counterparts were called “a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). As the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (381 AD ) affirmed, the church is “one, holy, catholic and apostolic.” We are “set apart as holy” (2 Tim. 2:21); we are chosen to be holy (Eph. 1:4); we are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (Col. 3:12), “a holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5), “a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9), and “a holy temple” (1 Cor. 3:17). Brutally honest as we must be about the unholiness of the church, “the church is so holy that every one of its members is a saint” (Philip Graham Ryken).

Second, the church is an assembly called together into a homogenous, integrated unity. Several perspectives reinforce this in the New Testament. The church comprises the “family of God.” Each member of the church has become an “adopted son” (huiothesia; Rom. 8:15; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5). Now we are “members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19), in which Jesus Christ is our elder brother. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers (Heb. 2:11). We come to God in prayer, saying, “Our Father” (Matt. 6:9). To those whose experience of family is dysfunctional in this world, the experience of belonging to a community of brothers and sisters is redemptive and restorative, particularly when they experience the loving concern (fellowship [koinōnia]) of “those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).

Third, the church is comprised of those who are called into fellowship with the Lord. The church of God lives in God’s presence. Paul, addressing the issue of the need for orderliness and interpretation in the use of the Apostolic gifts of prophecy and tongues, adds the remark that when these gifts are correctly used, an unbeliever will be forced to declare that “God is really among you” (1 Cor. 14:29). From the very beginning, the community of the Lord’s people was called together in order to worship the Lord (Ex. 3:12). The primary relationship is vertical, not horizontal.

This brings us to the nature of the church as both here and there, on earth as well as in heaven: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:22–24).

The church, then, consists of those whom the Lord has called out of the world into union and fellowship with Christ and into communion with each other. And, as John Calvin (citing the church father Cyprian) says, “To those to whom he is a Father, the Church must also be a mother.” (Institutes 4.1.1). I wonder if you would agree with him.

Article: by Eric Davis (original source here)

A wise man once said, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22 ). The “many,” “tribulations,” and “must” combine to make life really, really hard at times. Pain seems to crash upon its victims with inhumane force. It comes in all forms—physical, spiritual, relational, some excruciating combination. There are times when it just seems impossible to continue another moment.

Thankfully however, we have a loving God who is sovereign over suffering. He’s not pushing buttons from a distance, but intimately walking through it with us. What a great thing it is to have the Lord as our shepherd. He cares for us, not by always sparing us from sorrow, but leading us through it. He binds us up through various means; the word of God, prayer, corporate worship.
But, what about when a trial reaches a new level of difficulty? What about when the spiritual and emotional pain seems too crippling to be at church? Certainly there are situations like this. What should we do?

Beth Moore, a highly influential evangelical, said this on mother’s day:

Beth Moore
✔@BethMooreLPM
If you feel like sobbing, do. If you feel like going to church on Mother’s Day would crush your heart, don’t. You won’t lose your salvation because you don’t want to go to church on Mother’s Day. Grab pen and paper and get alone with God and pour out your heart to Him in full…

On the one hand, the advice is understandable. In some seasons of suffering, it seems impossible to do anything. There are certain things which feel as if doing them would only plunge the knife deeper.

But on the other hand, this kind of thinking backfires. It’s hazardous. It can create damage and propagate error. I assume that the intention of the advice was to help and bless. But the stay-home suggestion can communicate several consequential errors. Here are a few for consideration:

1. God’s means of grace are insufficient for certain struggles.

The corporate gathering is to be a time of worship to the glory of God. As we worship together with gifted saints, we are fed, strengthened, transformed, encouraged, and equipped. That’s why the gathering exists. As the word of God is read, sang, prayed, pondered, and preached, God administers his care. So, to suggest avoiding the gathering because of a trial is counter-productive. Corporate worship is intended to bring care in suffering. It might feel impossible to gather; too painful. But our God knows. And he desires to care for us precisely through corporate worship. So, to avoid church due to the pain of a trial is akin to avoiding eating due to the pain of hunger. Continue reading →

Article by Adriel Sanchez, pastor of North Park Presbyterian Church, a congregation in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, he also serves the broader church as a contributor on the White Horse Inn radio program. He and his wife Ysabel live in San Diego with their three children.(original source here)

It has been in vogue for the past few years to talk about “gospel-centrality.” I don’t know about you, but I appreciate the language. Having experienced churches that had a very truncated view of the gospel (i.e., the gospel is something that only relates to your conversion, but not to the rest of your Christian life), I’m refreshed by the fact that churches have been emphasizing the sanctifying power of the work of Jesus.

A gospel-centered church is a church which focuses primarily on Christ’s work. It recognizes that Jesus’ priestly ministry doesn’t just relate to our justification (the act of our being made right in God’s sight), but to every aspect of our salvation. In gospel-centered churches, we’re continually reminded of God’s initiative and action toward us, what some theologians have called, “redemption accomplished.” It’s this good news that creates and sustains the church.

Here are three fruits of a gospel-centered community:

1. Gospel-Centered churches produce humility.
Throughout the Bible, God condemns pride. The arrogant person makes himself God’s enemy (Js. 4:6). Sadly, pride is a weed that can grow in our own hearts if we aren’t careful to cut it down. Moralistic churches often water our pride because they focus on human achievement. When we think we’re living up to God’s standards, we start looking down on others whom we deem less obedient than ourselves (Lk. 18:11). Ironically, we can even grow arrogant in our theological learning (1 Cor. 8:1). The gospel is like God’s heavenly weed whacker, shredding our pride to pieces as it reveals to us how desperately we fall short of God’s standard. We need more than just a little bit of assistance here and there; we need God to come to earth and fix the job we have botched.

Gospel-centered churches ought to produce radically humble disciples because the focus is always on our need and God’s great grace. Since the solution lies outside of us, we have no reason to be proud in ourselves. This is precisely what Paul was getting at when, after discussing God’s free justification of sinners, he wrote, “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith” (Rom 3:27).

2. Gospel-Centered churches produce diversity.
Sadly, this fruit of the gospel is much rarer than it should be in our churches. Oftentimes today we walk into a church and find an affinity group rather than a gospel-built community. Here’s what I mean: in many of our churches, what brings us together isn’t primarily Jesus and his gospel, but shared interests. This is what Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop call “gospel-plus community” in their helpful book The Compelling Community. We’re here because of Jesus—plus the fact that we’re all white-collar professionals, or lower-income Hispanics, or millennials who listen to Head and the Heart. We have to understand that our churches will always become affinity groups by default unless we talk about the implications of the gospel for forming diverse communities. The gospel doesn’t speak to one demographic; it speaks to sinners. Sin doesn’t discriminate and neither does Jesus.

When the gospel is central to the life of the church, it should attract people from all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds. This is a fruit we should strive to see in our local churches because it’s such a powerful depiction of what the good news of Jesus is capable of. No one is surprised when a bunch of friends sit down for a meal; everyone is surprised when two people with nothing in common—indeed, people who had even harbored hostility toward each other—sit down to break bread. Among Jesus’ first disciples you had one guy who wanted to terrorize the government (Simon the Zealot) along with a corrupt official who had been colluding with the government (Levi the tax collector). Mortal enemies by the world’s standards, they were brought into Jesus’ church to serve side-by-side. When the world tastes this sweet fruit of the gospel, they’ll have a hard time denying its power.

3. Gospel-Centered churches are welcoming toward sinners.
Gospel-less churches don’t know what to do with sinners. So many of us have experienced this type of church that we’re curious about whether it’s safe to be ourselves around other Christians.

A pastor in Germany named Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy” (Life Together, p. 110).

We live in a merit-based world where people can’t be honest about their failures. This culture sometimes seeps into the church, and we can have a “pious” fellowship that’s ultimately built on pretending. The gospel breaks through this fake piety and allows us to be honest with each other about our failures. It allows us to bring our sins into the light because Christ’s blood can cleanse us and remove our shame. When we stop pretending we’re perfect, we become a people who welcomes sinners instead of looking on them with an “us vs. them” mentality. We are them, who have been mercifully washed by Jesus. Building a culture of transparency and dependence on the gospel helps other sinners see that there’s a God who isn’t afraid of them.