Ekklesia: God’s Idea of ChurchSample

Day 1: The church is built on Jesus Christ

Powerful empires throughout history were thought to last until the end of time, yet are absent in our world today. Many multi-national corporations were successful for decades but have since vanished from the global landscape. Why do we have such confidence that the church will outlast these empires and corporations? The church has existed for more than 2,000 years and will continue through the generations because it is built on Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself offered a powerful promise – that He will build His church and the forces of darkness will not prevail against it.

In this passage, we see the very first use of the word “church” in the New Testament, which was the Greek word “Ekklesia”. This simply meant, “gathering, congregation or assembly”. Jesus had been engaging His disciples in discussion about who He was. At the time, the public had varied opinions about this matter. Some saw Him as a herald for repentance like John the Baptist, others viewed Him as a worker of miracles, and still others regarded Him as a prophet of God.

Yet, Peter was the only one who recognised that Jesus was not only the long-awaited Messiah, but was the Son of the living God Himself! This was Peter’s declaration of faith in Jesus. In response, Jesus declared that He would build His church on Peter, the first apostolic witness to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus was prophesying of a community that would soon be birthed through disciples like Peter who believed that He was indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God.

While the church is built on the biblical foundations that generations of Christ followers have laid, Jesus Christ is and will always be the cornerstone of this spiritual house (1 Peter 2:4-6). We believers are part of this ekklesia because of our shared faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. The church is built firmly on the person of Jesus Christ, who brings disciples of Christ together in one house and empowers them with His authority. With the Son of God at the helm, we can be the church that opens the Kingdom of Heaven to the rest of the world.

Reflect & Respond

• How does the church differ from organisations built by man?
• Commit to genuinely exploring God’s idea of church in the next two weeks, and ask God to give you revelation about His church.