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Church Covenant Fellowship is a church. But just what is a church? Some use this word to refer to a building, a place in which religious folk meet. The English word "church" is derived from a Greek word used in an expression describing a place of worship, "the Lord’s house," i.e. a Christian place of worship, or a building. But the Greek word which is often translated by the English word "church" in the New Testament, the word ekklesia, refers not to a structure or a meeting place at all, but to a local assembly of Christians, to people gathered in worship and service. A church is a local assembly of people gathered together to worship and live out their commitment to God the Father through Jesus Christ. Covenant Fellowship is such a local assembly. There are many other such assemblies in Greensboro. It is very important for each believer in Christ in a locale to be connected to and committed to a specific local fellowship or local church. The Lord does not command the follower of Christ in so many words to "join" a church. Of course the New Testament authors did not anticipate the present situation of hundreds of churches of various kinds in a given locale. The early Christian did not face the same dilemma of choice which we face. Who could have imagined the growth of Christianity to its present state, the multiplication of so many independent or denominationally connected congregations? Even 500 years ago, who could have imagined the complete breakdown of the concept of parish created by overlapping denominational jurisdictions, by automobiles, by the breakdown of neighborhood cohesion? Who could have imagined that the Christian would have so many choices, and such freedom to exercise such choice? Who could even have imagined a Christian having the nerve to take upon himself the decision as to which Christians he would associate with? But this is the situation in which we find ourselves today, for better or for worse. I wish I had a word from Jesus which addressed this present situation more directly, but I do not. So, based on the general principles of Scripture, what do I think that the New Testament writers might have said about the issue of commitment to a specific local assembly of believers? Well, here are a few basics. 1. Every professing Christian should be in a committed "love one another" relationship with a particular group of believers in a specific local assembly. 2. Every professing Christian should be shepherded by, and under the authority of, a particular group of pastor/elders in a local assembly. 3. Every professing Christian should be a committed participant in the worship of a particular local fellowship, in order that he or she may be able in that worship to edify the body according to the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. 4. Every professing Christian should be a committed participant in the process of a local assembly becoming a pure and holy bride of Christ, adorned and ready for His appearing, growing and repenting and dealing with issues of corporate life together. 5. Every professing Christian should be committed along with other Christians in a local fellowship to the "mission" of the church in the world, since carrying out the mission of the church is primarily the duty and responsibility of the local assembly. If you are a professing Christian reading this page, I encourage you to become a committed participant in a local church if you are not already. |
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