CHURCH AND THE KINGDOM

It is noteworthy that Jesus used the word "church/ekklesia" only three times in the Gospel accounts: Once in Matthew 16:18 and twice in Matthew 18:17. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus used the word "church" sixteen times: Revelation 1:11, 1:20, 2:1, 2:7, 2:8, 2:11, 2:12, 2:18, 2:23, 3:1, 3:6, 3:7, 3:14 and 22:16. This does not include the number of times (68) the apostles used the word "church" in the epistles.

References by Jesus concerning the "kingdom" were used 35 times in Matthew, 19 times in Mark, 42 times in Luke and 4 times in John, for a total of 118 and this does not include the references the apostles made to the "kingdom" in Acts (8 times) and the Epistles (25 times).

One of the best ways to understand the difference in the words for "church" and the word "kingdom", is to use words in Scripture that best describe these two terms. For the word "church" the words "family and household" are among the best descriptions, i.e. Ephesians 3:15, Ephesians 2:19 and Galatians 6:10. And for the word "kingdom", the word "work" is one of the best descriptions, i.e., Acts 15:38 "John Mark went not with Paul and Barnabas to 'the work'."

We are born again by the Spirit into the family of God and are discipled, nurtured, grow and mature as a part of the "church" "family", where we learn who we are in Christ, what our gifts are and what our function is in "kingdom" "work".

As we mature from spiritual children into spiritual adults in the "church" "family", having come to discover and develop our gifts, and to know our function in the "kingdom", we begin to do the "work" of the "kingdom".

The "church" "family" and the "kingdom" "work" can also be illustrated in the following way: In the "family" we learn to do "chores", i.e., cook, set the table, wash dishes, wash clothes, make our beds and clean our rooms, bathe, dress ourselves before going out to play or to school.

And if we grew up in a farm family, our "chores" included feeding the animals, gathering the eggs and milking the cows, etc. All of these "chores" were done in the early morning hours often before daybreak. Then as we grew older, matured, and learned more responsibility, we would go to the field to "the work" of plowing, planting, harvesting, gathering, etc.

The Ephesians 4:11-12, the equipping servants, including the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are to equip the the saints for "the work" of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."(Ephesians 4:11-16)