as we all contemplate beginning this journey together. some questions i think it would be good to begin with are
what is a church?
what is the church?
the apostles creed has a statement near the end "the holy catholic church" so what does it mean to us, "holy," "catholic," "church." lets dialogue about what each of those means, what we want it to mean, etc.
one of my seminary friends and i were talking the other day about what church is. i think it can be anywhere, anytime, whenever more than one christian sits together and talks about god. he thought it was anytime we gathered for a specific reason, namely to worship. what do you guys think? im not sure there is a right answer, but i think it is important to think and talk about.
if this falls flat, let me know a better way to start these discussions and i will try to make them better
so. what is a church, what is the church, what does it mean to be the holy catholic church?
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by the way, i posted that, and now i can post in my own name, just to avoid confusion.
I really think that "church" is more than one Christian together worshiping. And, I really think that the Holy Spirit definitely needs to be among the group for it to be considered "church". One always has to be alone in the Word to grow but there’s something effective and comforting in gathering with other believers.
A Catholic Church I believe is just a church that is supported by Christ and His teachings. A church in it’s purest form, I know we talk about that a lot but it’s pretty important that we lean on what Christ says and not what men maintain is the way to worship.
Chris, I agree with you that church can be anywhere, anytime when two or more gather in his name. My point was that there has to be a purpose (i.e. talk or teaching about God). I think I made that statement regarding church can be guys simply gathered to watch a basketball game. I would say that would not be church, unless the conversation turned towards God and his teachings were discussed and meditated on as a community. I think two or more guys gathering together to watch a basketball game is not church, but I think it can turn into church. As I read this I don't want to make it sound like church is something we do, rather than what we are, but i do think there has to be a distinction between gathering for the purpose of watching a game and gathering for the purpose of hearing and discussing God's word. The scripture passage says "when two or more are gathered in my name" I think the "in my name" is a key part to defining church. I hope that makes sense...and does not sound like I am merely trying to argue, rather I am trying to enter into a conversation..
i like to think of church in regards to what it is not rather or what it should be recognized against. Church is the presence of the "body of christ" (which i take to mean the functioning of christ)where the the presence otherwise is not sensed (which i guess would be everywhere). so anyways, that being said, church is the presence of that which has been redeemed in man actively participating in reality. anytime the redeemed are functioning in a manner by which the body of christ fulfills its purpose to be a light to darkness, then church has happend. just some quick thoughts, certainly due some revision and further thought.
no, i understand seth. and i think its ok if we do argue, as long as we remember the point, which i dont think either of us will forget.
i guess my question about that would be, can we ever do anything "not in his name" as christians? i guess i jsut think that everything we do goes back to our lord in one way or another.
the word "church" isnt used much in the bible, so its fairly ambiguous.
but, just because everything we do should go back to jesus doesnt mean it fits into the category "church." i def see what you are saying, i just dont know where i fall on it.
i think church is believers that are in community with one another. I know that the early church in Acts is used a lot but that to me is church. They lived, worked, ate, shared their things, and learned more about God together. Church is also a group of believers striving together to be obedient to what God has called them to do.
i hear this quoted a lot, "...when two or more are gathered in his name, there he will be also..." (pf). is this verse just about the church? what happens if it's just me?
i agree with what tanner said...the church is the body of Christ, here to meet needs. i also think a huge part of being a church is affecting change, both in members and in the world. i am fed up with churches that put on a good show on sunday and drive out of the parking lot exactly the same, looking like the rest of the world.
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