The best way to understand what the assembly truly is, is to first determine what the assembly truly is not. From that point, the truths and falsehoods concerning all aspects of the foundation and structure of the assembly can be explored and exposed. This article is intended to be a starting point in your study of the structure of the true assembly and not an all-inclusive statement of the foundation and structure of that body.
The Assembly is Not...
The house of our Eloah, whose name is Yahuwah - That role is played by the physical body of each individual who is a member of the body of our Savior, whose name is Yahushua.
A building - Most people, when they think about or talk about "their church," are referring to the structure or building where they go on whatever day is designated by their sect's religious beliefs, usually the pagan day of worship, Sunday, to associate with others who believe the same way they do.
A system of belief - such as a particular "faith system," or the religious creed that is espoused by a group, such as the Catholic Church, Baptist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, African Methodist Episcopalians, etc.
The Assembly is...
The body of Yahushua - Opened for general membership on the day of Pentecost, in the year that Yahushua was impaled on a tree, it has continued unchanged in doctrine and practices since then. It is built on the foundation of the Delegates and Prophets with Yahushua Himself being the chief cornerstone. These things cannot change. The only change that has occurred has been in the number of incarnate members at any given moment. Yahushua (erroneously called Jesus) the Anointed (Mashiach or Christ), the same today, yesterday, and forever.
The true Assembly of Yahushua, or what ever other scripturally accurate name you may desire to call it, is comprised of those who are in obedience to Him and have satisfied those conditions stated in scripture for inclusion in His body. Yahushua said that His mother, brothers, sisters are those who do the will of His Father.
Structure of the Assembly
The items listed below are intended to give you a starting point for serious study of the subject. Care has been taken to ensure that all statements made are contextually accurate, but you have to ensure that for yourself. Your responsibility in this area extends to all matters of the assembly and your relationship to it and not to just this article.
The assembly as the body of Yahushua
The verses listed below and the scripture that surrounds them are some that spell out that the assembly is the body of Yahushua.
Rhomaios (Romans) 12:5, 1 Korinthios (Corinthians) 10:17, 1 Korinthios 12:12-27 Ephesios 1:22-23, 2:16, 3:6, 4:4, 4:12, 4:15-16, 5:29-30, Kolossaeus (Colossians) 1:18, 2:17, 2:19, and 3:15
Word definitions and sources
The word "church" and "churches" appears 114 times in the King James Version of the Holy Scriptures and is always translated from the Greek word "ekklesia" with the exception of in Acts 19:37 where the phrase "robbers of churches" is translated from the Greek word "hierosulos, which literally means "a despoiler of temples".
The Greek word "ekklesia" (Strong's G1577) appears 116 times, of which 113 times it is translated as church or churches, and the other three times as assembly (Acts 19:32, 39, and 41). The Ibriy word qahal (Strong's H6951) is the equivalent of the Greek word ekklesia and means identically the same thing. It is rendered as "assembly, company, congregation, and multitude" in most versions.
The actual English word "church" is said by some "scholars" to come from the Greek word kyriakon, a totally different word that means "belonging to the Lord." A form of this Greek word (kuriakos - meaning belonging to the Lord or house (building) of the lord) appears in the scripture in 1 Corinthians 11:20 and Rev 1:10. Unhappily for these scholars it can readily be seen that this word is used to designate a structure while the word used in the Ibriy and Greek for those in the body of the Anointed (and erroneously rendered as church in some versions) always designates a group of people who have been called out for a specific purpose. There is a world of difference in a building and a group of people.
Also the word "Lord" is a title for the pagan deity Ba'al and must never be applied to our Creator and Savior or His assembly.
How the word "church" ever came to be used as the translation of the word ekklesia is deemed to be a mystery. Although the "assembly" does belong to Yahushua, the meanings of the two words kyriakon and ekklesia are totally different. The German word Kirche (kur-kee) and the Scottish word kirk appear to be more likely as the source words of church." Those also were used as the name of a Celtic pagan "goddess" named Circe (Kirke) and the place where they met to admire her every "sun-day." As a matter of fact, in Scotland today the building used for worship purposes is still called the "kirke." This is more evidence of the early accommodation of paganism by those who called themselves Christian.
As you can see, the modern usage of the word church has nothing to do with the word that is translated as church in most versions of the Sacred Scriptures. This unhappily is not an unusual occurrence in matters of the Word of Yahuwah. Very small, insignificant words have been twisted all out of proportion, given meanings that were not what the writer intended, and then used by Satan to muddy the waters that the aspiring children of Yahuwah must wade through in their search for the truth. Please do not take someone's word for the meanings of words that may affect your salvation. Study and learn. The resources are available and you are responsible for using them.
C.F. Castleberry
http://www.considerthis.net
buck@considerthis.net