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Metaphors of the Church: Lampstand, Light, Pillar of Truth
Three metaphors emphasize that the Church is the bearer of Christ’s testimony and gives witness to the world of the true way. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: Branches in Jesus the Vine
How would you communicate both that the Church is totally dependent on Christ to thrive and do good, and that it does thrive and do good? Jesus uses a metaphor, likening the Church to branches in himself,
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: One New Humanity
When God destroyed the earth with a flood, He destroyed all humanity except Noah’s family, and started a new humanity. It was still descended from Adam. The world will be destroyed again, this time by
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: The Flock of God
The patriarch Jacob, who had been a shepherd all his life, described God as his shepherd all his life (Genesis 48:15). David, the shepherd boy, said, “Yahweh is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: God’s Family Household
Matthew 12:46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: The Bride of Christ
The Church is never directly called the Bride of Christ, but the metaphor is made indirectly. Paul, speaking of the Corinthian local church says, 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: A Kingdom of Priests
Yahweh brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and led them to Mount Sinai to give them the Law and enter into covenant with them. He told Moses to tell the people, 5 Now if you obey me fully and
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: The Temple
When Jacob was fleeing from his brother and had a dream of a stairway to heaven and a promise from God, he named the place where this happened The House of God, that is, Bethel, because, he said, “Surely
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: The Body of Christ
We love stories of people taking over another person’s body, for humorous or dramatic ends (think Big, Freaky Friday, or Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Face/Off). We also are drawn to stories about
Continue reading...Metaphors of the Church: The People of God
When Yahweh called Abraham and gave him a promise, there were already identifiable peoples, masses of humans who belonged together, nations we would say, and ethnic groups, and cultural groups. So God
Continue reading...New Testament Concepts of the Christian Ekklesia – Should We Have Church Membership Rolls and Requirements
May I suggest that it is impossible not to have “church membership” in the abstract, if not in the concrete. My local congregation is going to be delimited by my own sense of who belongs to it, whether
Continue reading...New Testament Concepts of the Christian Ekklesia – Should They Still Apply Today? The Question of the Local Church
In my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, there are over 2,000 churches. None of these churches is governed by one local Christian governing body, none of them submit themselves to the others in doctrine and
Continue reading...New Testament Concepts of the Christian Ekklesia – Should They Still Apply Today? The Eastern Orthodox Answer
Wikipedia notes: The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with
Continue reading...New Testament Concepts of the Christian Ekklesia – Should They Still Apply Today? The Roman Catholic Answer
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.378 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2021. It is among the world’s oldest and largest
Continue reading...New Testament Concepts of the Christian Ekklesia – Local, House, True Church, Professing Church
Jesus and the apostles could think of the church as the universal church (all believers, living and dead, past, present, or future, in heaven or on earth), the church worldwide (all living believers around
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