CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRUE CHURCH

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

Jesus said:'I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it'.

According to T. C. Hammond: "'The Church' is a Universal Society' of the faithful, whom God has predestinated from Eternity, to Everlasting Life".
It is generally considered however, that much harm has been done to the church by those who dogmatically assert that their definition of 'church,' is 'the only true way'.
Hammond asserts that by some strange irony, those who set themselves up in this way end up by securing to themselves an even greater 'mixed multitude'... under other names, which in turn become liberally and Sacerdotably defined by numerous other perversions of The Apostolic Tradition, of what a 'Church' is.


So what then is 'The Church'?
To clarify Hammond's perception of the 'The church' of The New Testament, we must first understand what 'The Church' is not.
The Church is not an organization in which certain 'orders of succession,' are handed down in lineage form, often conferred on others by bishops or pastors, on members to whom they are related. Neither is it controlled by a limited few, who dominate its authority, in terms of supremacy of leadership and order.

As an organization, a church that is so constructed, does not have the leadership of The Holy ghost at its helm, but is rather, superseded by the deliberations and intents of 'rulership', more than that of 'stewardship' despite its dogmatic, or charismatic appearance. The Church is not a hierarchical order, as supposed by some, in which church governance is limited to just a few well placed persons simply because of advantage, who assign themselves to mediatorial work as 'priests' with varying levels of office, as these offices are the God given right of all believers in Christ Jesus. It is not the sole right of any ‘Clerical Caste’, be it ‘Bishop’, or ‘Pastor’.

Ministers are not to be differentiated from the rest of the body of Christ, as all believers have this right conferred upon them through the laying on of hands by the Holy Ghost. The Bible declares: "Now are we are all Kings and Priests unto God..."

The Church is not an unguided democracy. Instead it is as scripture tells it, 'that as many as are led by the Spirit of God 'They' are the sons of God'.

The Church is not of itself a meeting place of worship as defined by the construction of bricks and mortar. Neither is The Church a denotation of the inhabitants of any country and therefore cannot be used to claim a substitute for nationality, as defined by others historically, such as is commonly used to describe Britain for example.


How then can we understand the true definition of 'The Church'?

What is the True Church?

The Church: A People of Worship

The Old Testament definition of The Church was originally understood as,
'The Lord's House'.
Initially this 'House' was constructed as a mobile Temple, or Tabernacle, originally used by the Isrealites after their escape from Egypt. This Tabernacle was in a sense, 'The Heart' of the people, as it was placed at the centre of all the Isrealites said and did. Every morning they would look up and see the Tabernacle in the centre of the camp and whenever the Isrealites moved, the Tabernacle moved with them. Here then, is one of the earliest principles of God concerning the benefits of the meaning and purpose of The Temple being at the centre, or heart of the people.

Later, under king David and his son Solomon, the Temple became a fixed structure, this was a symbolic ideal that suggests the Temple should now be viewed not only as the heart of the people but also as an immovable and permanent force, a visible establishment of the invisible purposes of God for a people whose eyes were always upon The Lord, for direction. It was the place of communication where the people assembled themselves to hear the word of the Lord and Worship God (Acts 19:32, 39, 41).

In the New Testament, 'The House of The Lord' is translated into 'The Ecclesia' meaning 'the ones’ who assemble' or 'The Gathered Ones', (those who assemble themselves together, or those who gather themselves together to Worship), in Jesus Christ. Ecclesia, also refers to the body of Jesus Christ, as the body of the redeemed: 'The Called Out Ones', or 'The Separated Ones'. These terms signify the whole body of the redeemed of The Lord Jesus Christ comprising all those that the Father has given to Him (John 17).

There are numerous scriptural references to the concept of 'The Church' in the New Testament.

Some believers gathered in houses and others out in the open air, whilst others gathered in larger congregations in places such as in Antioch, or Corinth, or Rome. These groups became know as the Church at Corinth, the Church at Antioch etc., this is very different concept from todays 'organised churches', which tend to be the Church 'of' some place, or group or other.

The True Church then, is made up of people who are redeemed, and saved, and obedient, to the voice and commandments of God.



Moreover, The Church can be summarised in this way.
It is not a Human Organisation but the precise workmanship of God (Ephesians 2:12, 1 Peter 2:10) and in this context, The Church is seen as 'the people' of God, which includes Israel, having obtained mercy by the Grace of God.

It is the Household, or Family of God (Ephesians 2:19, 3:15, 4:6), and consist of those who are adopted by The Lord as Sons and Heirs together with Jesus Christ.

The Church is the planting of the Lord to bring forth fruit to His Glory (1Corinthians 3:10 and John 15:1).

The Church is a Holy temple built by God himself through Jesus Christ and is made unto Him a Dwelling Place founded on Holiness and Worship. (Ephesians 2:21, John 2:19, 1 Corinthians 3:9, 1 Peter 2:4).

The Church is 'The bride Of Christ' cleansed and sanctified awaiting the eternal marriage of the Lord (Ephesians 5:25).

The Church is the whole Body of Christ and the fullness of him who fills all in all.
As believers, the trust of 'The Church' for its master, comes from the heart, and is demonstrated by the obedience and actions of the Lord's people as a result of the special sanctified work of the Holy Ghost in those who are redeemed.

God's Church consists of a ‘Spiritually Transformed People’, who are not conformed to this world, e.g. not affected by secularist views of the Christian faith, but who are transformed by the renewing of the mind, proving what is both, good and acceptable and perfect to the Will of God. (Romans 12:2). This transformation is a work of the Holy Ghost in conjunction with believers seeking to humble themselves to walk in the light of God. St Paul says: ‘Brethren, be not deceived, but rather test the spirits to see if they be of God’.