The Greek word for church is ecclesia, which means a community, a congregation, an assembly. But it also means to be “called out.” This word was taken from a Roman concept that defined groups of people sent out from the emperor to spread the Roman culture around the world.
I find it remarkable there was no word in the Hebrew religious structure to define God’s true body on earth. One had to be borrowed from the pagans to redefine the church, probably because the one Jesus was about to institute was so radically different from the status quo.
From this definition, we can conclude that the church is to be a community originating in its King and called out to spread the culture on His behalf. Called out requires that we come out from one thing and simultaneously are called forward to something else, sort of like repentance.
What a perfect description of what Jesus did then and what He is calling us to do now! From both Jesus’ example of community with His disciples and the Spirit’s example of His community after Pentecost, we can conclude that He called the lost sheep of God’s house out of the world and its religions and into this Ecclesia to go forth expanding His kingdom!
True community is to be a living foundation of differently gifted people called out of the world, who bring every part together for the common good (1 Cor. 12). Once called from the matrix to heaven on earth’s kingdom community, they are then sent out to take that culture to the world.
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