Gathering as Christ's Ekklesia

 by Rick Owen

Introduction

Many who love and appreciate the Protestant Reformation believe it did not go far enough in its reformation of church practices. It perpetuated a distinction between clergy and laity, although in a different way than practiced within Roman Catholicism. The clergy were the ordained religious specialists (priests, clerics, preachers, ministers) who dispensed spiritual things to a largely passive laity (average church members). This division within the church was and continues to be unbiblical. The New Testament presents the church as one unified body under the headship of Christ -- not two groups consisting of clergy and laity. (See Building Up the Body -- One Man or One Another?)

• The word “clergy” comes from the Greek word kleros. The fundamental meaning of this word is “portion, lot, inheritance.” In reference to God’s people, it may allude to the inheritance God has given to His people; or it may refer to God’s people as His own portion or inheritance who belong to Him and have been entrusted to the spiritual care of church leaders (Acts 26:18; Col. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:3). This word never refers to ordained religious professionals who lead a church or its services, baptize people, dispense the Lord’s supper, visit people in the hospital, or conduct weddings and funerals. This word applies to all of God's people.
• The word “laity” comes from the Greek word laos. The basic meaning of this word is “people.” In reference to the church, this includes all of God’s people -- those who lead as well as those who are led. Every believer is part of God's people (Matt. 1:21; Luke 1:17, 68, 77; Rom. 9:25-26; 2 Cor. 6:16; Titus 2:14; Heb. 8:10; 1 Pet. 2:9-10).

The Reformed “Regulative Principle of Worship” means that we should approach and worship God in the only way He has approved and appointed: through Christ alone, in spirit and truth. This part of the definition is important and essential. However, there is more associated historically with this concept than this. The underlying assumption is that a 'worship service' consists of people in the pew (the laity) sitting in front of specialists in the pulpit (clergy) who preach to them, pray for them, pronounce certain blessings upon them, and then part from them, as each one considers his or her religious duty completed -- 'we had church.' The specialist’s role is similar to that of an Old Testament priest standing before a congregation of Israelites. In addition to these underlying assumptions, it is considered a given that the reason a church meets is to have such a worship service. (These ideas are apparent in this fairly typical article, "The Regulative Principle of the Church.")

Worship in the New Testament

The New Testament never states that the reason a church meets is to have a traditional worship service as we usually conceive of this and practice it in the modern church. This is not to deny that Christians should worship God in various ways when they come together. How can Jesus’ disciples help but honor and glorify God as they consider the amazing truths of Scripture together, sing His praises, fellowship in His Spirit, share the Lord’s table, encourage and exhort one another, and pray? Such collective activities clearly constitute meaningful spiritual sacrifices or expressions of worship (literally, “service,” Greek: latreuó) to God. God-centered devotion should be the overarching purpose and outcome of all we do in the Christian life (Rom. 12:1), including when we assemble as Christ’s church.

My point here is that the New Testament never states that a worship service (whether we conceive of this as an orthodox, traditional or contemporary service) is the reason for Christ’s brethren gathering as His church. As Daniel Thompson has written,

"There are few doctrines in the New Testament that give us as much surprise as the doctrine of worship. One might even say we are stunned. Although there are references to worship in the Gospels, the book of Acts and Revelation, the New Testament Epistles -- the doctrinal/ explanatory part of the New Testament -- is completely silent as to worship. This is all the more incredible when we consider: First, 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 is an extensive treatment of church life and interaction with no mention of worship. Second, 1 Timothy was an epistle written to make known 'how thou [Timothy] might behave thyself in the house of God.' Surely one would expect a reference to worship here, yet there is none. Third, our Lord tells the Samaritan woman that 'the hour is coming ... and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him' (Jn 4:21-23). With such a definitive statement of future devotion, it is inconceivable that worship would be passed over completely in the instructional part of the New Covenant, the Epistles, yet this is exactly what we find."

Old Covenant Model versus New Covenant Model

Advocates of the regulative principle often say we should not offer 'strange fire' (or do unapproved things) when approaching God in worship. This is an illustration from the Old Testament cited in “The Regulative Principle of the Church” referenced above. This imagery, however, applies primarily to the removal of sin in salvation. It is true that we cannot approach God any other way than He has appointed through Christ. But this paradigm was fulfilled by Christ through the offering of Himself once for all time (Heb. 10:10-14). We gather as Christ’s people on the other side of the Cross. The veil of the holy of holies in the earthly temple was split in two when Christ offered himself to God in the holy place of heaven (Heb. 9:11-12). The days of sacrifices are over. Christ is seated now at the right hand of God, ruling with all authority until His enemies are made His footstool (Heb. 10:12-13).

The Roman Catholic church re-sacrifices Christ in the mass as if an Old Testament priest were presenting an offering to God on behalf of a gathered assembly for the forgiveness of sins. This is an idolatrous misuse of an Old Covenant paradigm which became obsolete when Christ fulfilled it (Heb. 8:13). New Covenant believers gather together to remember, proclaim, celebrate and share in the New Covenant realities they now possess together in Christ (1 Cor. 3:21-23; Rom. 8:32), as God’s inheritance and chosen people, through the perfect and complete work of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:15-23). The church is not reenacting the Day of Atonement when it gathers as God’s people. It celebrates the blessings of Pentecost poured out by a risen Savior (Gal. 3:14). God’s people live now in light of the good news of an empty tomb and a reigning Lord (Heb. 12:22-24).

The Regulative Principle of Ekklesia

Instead of the Reformed regulative principle, I would propose what might be called the regulative principle of ekklesia (pronounced ek-klay-see'-ah). What is "ekklesia" all about? The word "ekklesia" (sometimes spelled "ecclesia") goes back to the ancient Greek city-state. This Greek word carries the idea of a "called-out assembly" or a "summoned assembly." Citizens were summoned to a meeting, like a town-hall meeting, where they considered issues related to the whole community. These included everyday matters as well as serious legislative and judicial matters. So the citizens acted with combined authority like a parliamentary or congressional body. In the days of the New Testament, the word "ekklesia" also referred to a group that came together to deliberate as a decision-making body. We see an example of this with a secular assembly in Acts 19:23-41.

Jesus used this same word, and same basic idea, when describing the church (or "called-out assembly," from ekklesia) which he would build (Matt. 16:18). Believers are called out of the world and called together as one body in Christ Jesus (1 Pet. 2:9), to function as a participatory assembly, "according to the proper working of each individual part" (Eph. 4:16, NASB).

This tells us something about the nature of the church and the New Covenant model, in contrast to the era of the Old Testament. The Old Covenant model consisted of a hierarchy of priests and the high-priest who followed detailed procedures of the Law. There was a clear division between the ordained priests and the unordained people. But this is not the model for the church today. Under the New Covenant, every believer is a member of God's royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10); and Christ alone is the High Priest (Heb. 3:1; 6:20), King (Rev. 17:14), Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) and Head of His church (Col. 1:18). Jesus underscored that His disciples should relate to one another as co-equal brethren, in contrast to the authority patterns of the world and abusive practices within Judaism (Matt. 20:25-28; 23:8-12; Luke 22:25-27).

As Jonathan Lindvall has written,

"Every member is to be connected to the Head of the church (Jesus), and decisions that are made are to simply reflect each of them listening for His direction. When they are correctly connected to the Head and to one another, they speak with one voice."

Christ-Centered, Unique and Simple

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).