Epaggelia

“Church” (ekklesia – Greek) meaning “to call out of”. Before the New Testament was written “ekklesia” was a word used to describe what Roman Senators did throughout the many different provinces of the Roman Empire, when they were called out of, and into Rome for an annual meeting to give account of their work in their particular Province and the State of the Empire. But Jesus used it towards his disciples, who would become apostles teaching believers to become Christians, Matthew 16:18-19. This meant that Jesus intended us to be coming together out of the world as we are called into the body of Christ. Every Sunday we physically show this by coming together as a congregation, out of the world and into worship. When our Sunday worship service is finished, we go back out into the world physically, and if we are in Christ, then we are spiritually the church throughout the week. Monday through Saturday we should be living daily lives that are called out of worldliness and into the righteousness of Christ. The English word “Church” and the Scottish Gaelic word “Kirk”, derives from a Greek word, kuriakos, that means “house of the Lord.”  It applies to any lord, whether a landlord, a master, a lord of slaves or any other lord.  It is this word, from which “church” is derived, that occurs only twice in the Greek New Testament.  In I Corinthians. 11:20, it is used to identify the “Lord’s Supper” as belonging to the Lord.  In Rev. 1:10, it is used to refer to the “Lord’s Day” as belonging to the Lord. Kuriakos doesn’t appear in the NT Greek, but it’s obvious meaning is literally used as “My Father’s House” or the Lord Jesus, saying “My House”, see John 2:16 & Luke 14:23 & Acts 7:49.

Descriptions or names in the “Gospels & Acts”

The Kingdom, Matthew 16:18-19, Luke 9:27, Colossians 1:13

The Flock, John 10:16, 1st Peter 5:2

The Family, Mark 3:35, Ephesians 3:15.

The “Way”, Acts 24:14 & 22

The “Congregation”, Acts 5:11, 7:38 & Hebrews 12:23

The “Christians” Acts 11:26, 1st Peter 4:16

Titles in the “Epistles”

The Church of God… as Saints, Acts 20:28 & 1st Timothy 3:15, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 3:9, 10:32, 11:22, 15:9, 2nd Corinthians 1:1, Galatians 1:13. (Saints is used over 64 times in the New Testament)

The Church of the First-Born, Hebrews 12:23

The Churches of Christ, Romans 16:16, this title can be applied to all the various phrases in the New Testament that are written as “churches of ….. Galatia, Thessalonica, Laodicea, etc.,

There are many different words used to describe the church in the New Testament, like Bride, Body, House/Temple, Field/Vineyard and City, but these descriptions are not used like real titles, but rather they help us understand how the church should function, work and grow in the world. They help us understand what the will of the Lord is in the life of the church of Christ from day to day. The real titles of the church help us tell the world who we belong to and who has purchased us. We are owned by the Lamb of God who bought us with his blood, 1st Peter 1:18-19. Who do we belong to? Wherein lay our identity and citizenship? Philippians 3:20