3.23.25
Good morning!
Happy 1st day of the week...Passover is coming! Yippee. I will be in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida celebrating the Spring Feast Season from April 6-16. Where will you celebrate?
We are one week away from finishing this year's study of the book of Exodus. Yesterday, we examined some marvelous truths out of Vayakhel/and he assembled. Within that word is the word we would use for 'church/kahal or ekklesia in Greek. Romans 16:5 is a familiar passage that uses the English word 'Church'. There's a lot of confusion regarding "church" these days. People are leaving them in mass numbers and looking for something that works. The latest demoralizing statistic that I heard out of the 3,000 abortions that occur in the U.S.A. daily 80% of them come from people who claim to be born again and 25% of them come from people who attend church at least 3 times a month. Now that's an amazing and discouraging statistic.
Regardless of the different numbers, something’s missing. That seems to be the general consensus of a large number of those who attend church regularly. We’re not quite sure what it is, but we know that our expectations are often greater than the actual delivery. We want that mysterious something – desperately – and so we travel from congregation to congregation, searching, hoping, waiting for the final spiritual enlightenment that will tell us, “You’re home.” What is most discouraging in this quest is the picture painted of the early church in the book of Acts. It seems more vibrant, more filled with the Spirit, more apostolic. Miracles accompany its proclamation. Power and deep humility attend its leaders. “Why can’t we have that?” “What’s wrong with us?”
When people don’t know what to do, they do what they know. Like good Christians, we go back to the planning table and come up with another program, another series of sermons or another revival meeting. We see change, but it doesn’t last. And back we go again. Maybe there is another way. Passover's coming!
Since none of us were there for the Book of Acts Assemblies let's turn back to the one thing that we do know, the words that have been left for us to study and draw some conclusions from there.
"praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to the church/ekklesia daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47)
But did you know that the word ekklesia is never used in the gospels the way we think of church? The two times it's used have to do with a house of prayer (literally) and the Beit Din (the assembly of leaders in the assembly for discipline) Matthew 16:18 and 18:17. You might think that this only means that Yeshua and the disciples used the word “synagogue,” but that statement is also incorrect. The only place where the early Christians used the word synagoge (which is also a Greek term) is in James 2:2. Now, this should make us pause. If Yeshua doesn’t use the word ekklesia, with the exception of the two in Matthew, and the disciples do not use the word synagoge, then how are we supposed to understand what the church is?
Let’s get technical and add two more crucial facts. The TaNaKh (aka Old Testament writings) uses two different words for the religious gathering of God. They are almost interchangeable – almost, but not quite. The first is Kahal. This word means “to assemble” and is used for nearly any kind of gathering, even gatherings in rebellion against God. However, in connection with Israel, it is especially the assembly for religious purposes such as the giving of the Torah (Deuteronomy 9:10). There is another Hebrew word, ‘edah, which also generally means “assembly of witnesses” and is often translated “congregation.” But, while kehillah (from the verb Kahal) can be translated by both Greek words, ekklesia and synagoge, ‘edah is never translated as ekklesia. Only synagoge translates both qehillah and edah. That means that ekklesia can be an assembly, but it can never be a congregation (in Hebrew). Only a synagoge can be both an assembly and a congregation. Now that you're thoroughly confused (lol)...read that again, slowly...then go on :-)
I know that this seems confusing, but hang in there. Something’s happening, and you don’t want to miss it. There is a clue here that the modern church lost along the way and it's leading to a lot of division and confusion today among family members.
Hebrew culture used Kahal for a very important concept: gathering to accept the covenant. Kahal is a word that carries the idea of calling by appointment to a particular purpose of God. This is an event, not a place! It is focused on God’s purpose, not our participation. However, when it comes to “congregation,” the word is almost always ‘edah. 123 times this word is found in the Torah. It is related to the verb “to appoint.” It is all about the unity of those appointed, not about the individuals gathered. It is not bound to a special place or time. It is always about a special people appointed as one unified whole before God.
Isn’t it interesting that ekklesia, the word that we usually take to mean “the church” is never connected to this Hebrew idea of perfect unity in appointment and purpose? Something’s happening. Can you feel it? Passover's coming!
So far we have learned that the two Hebrew words for “assembly” are not quite the same. Kehillah focuses on the event of experience with God. ‘Edah focuses on the unity of the whole people God appoints. We found that ekklesia, the Greek word translated “church”, is never ‘edah, only kehillah. But synagoge can be both qehillah and ‘edah (You can make a chart to help sort this out...take your time. It's vitally important for the future).
What can we conclude? Please remember that the doctrine of the church is not going to be concluded in just a short look at the words. We can only point the direction since there is so much more to consider, but we can say at least this much. It appears as though the Hebrew idea behind ekklesia is about a “happening”, an event, not a place. A church is a gathering event called by God for His purposes. It doesn’t appear to be a routine meeting in a particular place with a set agenda. Remember that Kahal is first found in the idea of a gathering of soldiers for war...I detailed this in yesterday's zoom call: Fighting the fight and armed for war
It is the purpose that precipitates the gathering, not the other way around. Church, from a Hebrew perspective, is all about why we come together, not about where we come together.
But there is more. When we point in this direction, we realize that there is an element in the Hebrew idea that is not present in the Greek word ekklesia. ‘Edah – the unity of the gathered assembly – is never picked up by the word ekklesia. The event of church does not mean unity. The event is focused on the reason for the event, namely, the call of God. We gather because God calls us to gather, and we gather because He has something to tell us and something for us to do (Heb. 10:23-25). But that is not the same as being in unity. It is the word synagoge that enables us to communicate the idea of a single, unified whole. If we are going to experience ‘edah, which is the root of the Lord's moedim/appointed times (Passover's coming), our gathering cannot focus on the individuals in the group. It must focus on the whole group all together. Does this give you a clue about the book of Acts' comments on sharing the singular mind of Christ or Yeshua’s comments on unity?
The “church” is a unity, a single body (Rom. 12:4,5; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:12,13; Eph. 2:16; 4:4; Col. 3:15) where every individual fades into the whole, integrated unit, where no single member is any more valuable than any other and where every member is vital to the functioning of the whole. ‘Edah is a body without hierarchy, without “professionals”, without status-seekers and without individual glorification. It is the one assembly, doing what God commands.
What directions begin to emerge? Perhaps we need to rethink “church.” If the Bible’s view of church is an event called for a purpose of a single, completely unified body, a lot of things will have to change. Now, what will you do about it? Passover's coming!
Shalom!
We are one week away from finishing this year's study of the book of Exodus. Yesterday, we examined some marvelous truths out of Vayakhel/and he assembled. Within that word is the word we would use for 'church/kahal or ekklesia in Greek. Romans 16:5 is a familiar passage that uses the English word 'Church'. There's a lot of confusion regarding "church" these days. People are leaving them in mass numbers and looking for something that works. The latest demoralizing statistic that I heard out of the 3,000 abortions that occur in the U.S.A. daily 80% of them come from people who claim to be born again and 25% of them come from people who attend church at least 3 times a month. Now that's an amazing and discouraging statistic.
Regardless of the different numbers, something’s missing. That seems to be the general consensus of a large number of those who attend church regularly. We’re not quite sure what it is, but we know that our expectations are often greater than the actual delivery. We want that mysterious something – desperately – and so we travel from congregation to congregation, searching, hoping, waiting for the final spiritual enlightenment that will tell us, “You’re home.” What is most discouraging in this quest is the picture painted of the early church in the book of Acts. It seems more vibrant, more filled with the Spirit, more apostolic. Miracles accompany its proclamation. Power and deep humility attend its leaders. “Why can’t we have that?” “What’s wrong with us?”
When people don’t know what to do, they do what they know. Like good Christians, we go back to the planning table and come up with another program, another series of sermons or another revival meeting. We see change, but it doesn’t last. And back we go again. Maybe there is another way. Passover's coming!
Since none of us were there for the Book of Acts Assemblies let's turn back to the one thing that we do know, the words that have been left for us to study and draw some conclusions from there.
"praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to the church/ekklesia daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47)
But did you know that the word ekklesia is never used in the gospels the way we think of church? The two times it's used have to do with a house of prayer (literally) and the Beit Din (the assembly of leaders in the assembly for discipline) Matthew 16:18 and 18:17. You might think that this only means that Yeshua and the disciples used the word “synagogue,” but that statement is also incorrect. The only place where the early Christians used the word synagoge (which is also a Greek term) is in James 2:2. Now, this should make us pause. If Yeshua doesn’t use the word ekklesia, with the exception of the two in Matthew, and the disciples do not use the word synagoge, then how are we supposed to understand what the church is?
Let’s get technical and add two more crucial facts. The TaNaKh (aka Old Testament writings) uses two different words for the religious gathering of God. They are almost interchangeable – almost, but not quite. The first is Kahal. This word means “to assemble” and is used for nearly any kind of gathering, even gatherings in rebellion against God. However, in connection with Israel, it is especially the assembly for religious purposes such as the giving of the Torah (Deuteronomy 9:10). There is another Hebrew word, ‘edah, which also generally means “assembly of witnesses” and is often translated “congregation.” But, while kehillah (from the verb Kahal) can be translated by both Greek words, ekklesia and synagoge, ‘edah is never translated as ekklesia. Only synagoge translates both qehillah and edah. That means that ekklesia can be an assembly, but it can never be a congregation (in Hebrew). Only a synagoge can be both an assembly and a congregation. Now that you're thoroughly confused (lol)...read that again, slowly...then go on :-)
I know that this seems confusing, but hang in there. Something’s happening, and you don’t want to miss it. There is a clue here that the modern church lost along the way and it's leading to a lot of division and confusion today among family members.
Hebrew culture used Kahal for a very important concept: gathering to accept the covenant. Kahal is a word that carries the idea of calling by appointment to a particular purpose of God. This is an event, not a place! It is focused on God’s purpose, not our participation. However, when it comes to “congregation,” the word is almost always ‘edah. 123 times this word is found in the Torah. It is related to the verb “to appoint.” It is all about the unity of those appointed, not about the individuals gathered. It is not bound to a special place or time. It is always about a special people appointed as one unified whole before God.
Isn’t it interesting that ekklesia, the word that we usually take to mean “the church” is never connected to this Hebrew idea of perfect unity in appointment and purpose? Something’s happening. Can you feel it? Passover's coming!
So far we have learned that the two Hebrew words for “assembly” are not quite the same. Kehillah focuses on the event of experience with God. ‘Edah focuses on the unity of the whole people God appoints. We found that ekklesia, the Greek word translated “church”, is never ‘edah, only kehillah. But synagoge can be both qehillah and ‘edah (You can make a chart to help sort this out...take your time. It's vitally important for the future).
What can we conclude? Please remember that the doctrine of the church is not going to be concluded in just a short look at the words. We can only point the direction since there is so much more to consider, but we can say at least this much. It appears as though the Hebrew idea behind ekklesia is about a “happening”, an event, not a place. A church is a gathering event called by God for His purposes. It doesn’t appear to be a routine meeting in a particular place with a set agenda. Remember that Kahal is first found in the idea of a gathering of soldiers for war...I detailed this in yesterday's zoom call: Fighting the fight and armed for war
It is the purpose that precipitates the gathering, not the other way around. Church, from a Hebrew perspective, is all about why we come together, not about where we come together.
But there is more. When we point in this direction, we realize that there is an element in the Hebrew idea that is not present in the Greek word ekklesia. ‘Edah – the unity of the gathered assembly – is never picked up by the word ekklesia. The event of church does not mean unity. The event is focused on the reason for the event, namely, the call of God. We gather because God calls us to gather, and we gather because He has something to tell us and something for us to do (Heb. 10:23-25). But that is not the same as being in unity. It is the word synagoge that enables us to communicate the idea of a single, unified whole. If we are going to experience ‘edah, which is the root of the Lord's moedim/appointed times (Passover's coming), our gathering cannot focus on the individuals in the group. It must focus on the whole group all together. Does this give you a clue about the book of Acts' comments on sharing the singular mind of Christ or Yeshua’s comments on unity?
The “church” is a unity, a single body (Rom. 12:4,5; 1 Cor. 10:17; 12:12,13; Eph. 2:16; 4:4; Col. 3:15) where every individual fades into the whole, integrated unit, where no single member is any more valuable than any other and where every member is vital to the functioning of the whole. ‘Edah is a body without hierarchy, without “professionals”, without status-seekers and without individual glorification. It is the one assembly, doing what God commands.
What directions begin to emerge? Perhaps we need to rethink “church.” If the Bible’s view of church is an event called for a purpose of a single, completely unified body, a lot of things will have to change. Now, what will you do about it? Passover's coming!
Shalom!
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