First of all, ekklesia is the Greek word translated as Church in the English Bible. Ekklesia is a Greek term and in Hebrew it's Qahal (as used in the Old Testament), while Jesus probably used the Aramaic word "Kehala" when he was speaking to Peter in Matthew chapter sixteen. We can't actually be sure of the exact word Jesus used because the new testament was written in Greek not Aramaic. However, ekklesia means the assembly of the called out ones.
In its Greek origin, the word came from the Athens direct democratic system where the adult male were "called out" to form a congress to make decisions for the community, it was a governmental body. In the Hebrew origin, we find the word when the children of Israel were "called out" of Egypt to be a people unto God — a people that governed themselves through a direct democratic and republican system.
In essence, it is a community, called out, assembled together to form a congress, governing themselves. It is a government, a community and an assembly (congress). However, the aim of this article is to look at how the ekklesia is supposed to be expressed. But first we must look at how it is not expressed.
It is not expressed in a building where only a few is allowed to perform on the altar while the rest sit back and watch like in a cinema, or a concert. In such kind of setting everybody is not given the right to speak, and governance does not take place. In a true expression of ekklesia everybody must participate, they must all express their rights to govern. This may bring us to the question, "how does each member express their rights to govern"?
First we must understand that Christ is the only King, and each member is a king only because they are the body which is the expression of the only King. In essence, to exercise our rights as kings (or government) is to express or manifest Christ. Hence, a proper expression of the ekklesia is each member participating in the expression of the one King (Christ).
They meet to express this Christ among themselves, each member participating as Christ build his body and equip them in order to bring into manifestation his reign on earth. Hence, two things happens in the meeting; first is the building or the edification of the body, and the second is the ministry of the King.
"for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," (Eph 4:12).
Yes the body must be edify, but edifying is not the main purpose of the ekklesia. The ekklesia is a government and the main purpose of the government is to rule, to reign. The ekklesia is meant to bring into manifestation the reign of Christ, that when the world looks they will see Christ reigning as he exercises his authority over death, sickness, sin, poverty, depression and every form of darkness.
So they meet to edify each other and to also arrive at the will of the King — his decision on how he wants to manifest his reign on earth. It is at the ekklesia that Paul and Barnabas received instructions to be separated and go forth, and manifest the reign of Christ in certain ways. It is at the ekklesia decisions are arrived at, it is where the King's will is unveiled.
Jesus goal is not to have a religion, he came to manifest the kingdom of God on earth. And his body should be focuse on this one goal, to see a kingdom, a reign, a government manifest. In scripture we see that immediately Jesus declared, "all authority in heaven and earth is given unto me", the next thing he said to his disciples is, "go". A new King has been enthroned and we, his disciples, are meant to go and manifest the reign of this new King. Our purpose of gathering is not to appease an angry God or carry out any kind of religious rituals. Rather we gather to see how the King wants to manifest his reign on earth, and to bring ourselves to yield and manifest his government.
The ekklesia is not merely for the edification of the saints, it is a governmental body where decisions are made. Believers are supposed to get there and come out with precepts from the Lord, that they each must go and carry out in order to enforce the reign of Christ in this dark world. The meeting is not a religious meeting, but a decision making body, where heaven meets the earth and the will of God is made unveiled to man for the sake of governance.
It is not about religion, but a government. In the ekklesia you do not find a people trying to appease God, rather you find a people pressing into God to bring down heaven on earth. No, you do not find an audience watching a group of people performing on the altar. Rather, they are all participating, for the Lord will express himself through anyone and everyone, because all are kings. It is a fellowship of kings trying to arrive, together, at the decisions on how the Lord will them to reign on earth.
What is the King (Christ) doing?
How is he moving on earth today?
What is his will at this moment?
In what dimension is he wanting to manifest his reign?
What does the King have for his people (the community, the body of Christ)?
These are the questions that the believers are gathering together to find answers to. They are not gathering to hear one man preach, that is not ekklesia, that is probably a preaching center. For too long we have assumed that preaching centers are ekklesia, no. We must now understand the difference, ekklesia is not a preaching center, it is not a workshop, it is not a cinema or a concert. We are eagerly waiting for the reign of Christ, but the ekklesia is the vessel that is anointed to bring down the reign of Christ. The truth is that Christ will not come until we have true ekklesia on earth.
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