We see the first use of the word church in Acts in the story of Ananias and Saphirra. Acts 5: 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. [1] Today, we can use the word church to mean a gathering of people for religious worship or the building they meet in.
The word “church” is translated from the Greek word ekklesia which means a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.[2] The word is made up of two parts. The first, “ek,” means out of, while the second part is the verb “kaleo,” which means called out ones. To this point, the followers of Jesus had been a sect of Judaism, but now they are becoming their own entity.
From this, we can see that church means a group of believers who assemble with other believers to be God’s light here on earth. 1 Peter 2: 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. [3]
The Church in Judgment
The word “church” first appears in Acts when God judged Ananias and Sapphira for lying about their donation to the apostles. It produced great fear and, thus, respect for God. God is indeed rich in love and abounding in mercy, but He is also holy. This means that He hates and judges sin. The church was young, and God needed committed followers to take the Gospel to a sick and suffering world. God was not going to let Satan get away with a ploy of spiritual pretense.
Those outside the group of believers also took notice of God’s judgment. It became apparent that God desired completely devoted people as followers. Joining the church was not to be done on a lark. No more hypocrites or pretenders were interested in joining the church. This judgment separated the curious from the committed, the fakers from the followers, and the make-believers from the true believers.[4]
The Church Today
Today, we see the church marketed as “seeker-sensitive” and trying to make the Gospel user-friendly. We must be careful not to skim over the truth that God is to be feared and respected. The good news is that because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we can come boldly into the very throne room of God. Christ has paid the price for our salvation, but if we really believe that, it will change how we act. Philippians 2:12b Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [5]
God still desires fully committed followers. He desires that we unite to worship, encourage, and serve as we grow in our faith journey. We are called out of the world to be His light to the world. How has God called you out to be a part of the church? Are you fully committed to serving God?
To learn more about the first use of the word “church” in Acts, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/ananias-sapphira
[1,3,5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] G1577, Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
[4] Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts (p. 79). Tyndale House.