The following is a revision of a post by Patrick Maina from his blog “Life Beyond the Walls.”
I am increasingly feeling the importance of taking a stand, personally, on how I use words as I gain an understanding of their true meaning.
Through this journey of mind renewal, towards more and more alignment of my thoughts with the thought of God, I have come to appreciate the place of language in the whole process. God has used various vessels/channels to persuade me that language matters. How we speak, and use words matters because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks…For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. With this in mind, I have resolved to use accurately going forward, the word “Church”.
As if to challenge/confirm this thought, as I wrote this on a Sunday morning at 11:30am, a friend of mine calls me and says he’s confident he’d find me home since I told him I do not go to church anymore.
Church is the body of Christ and just as the head and the body are one, so is Christ one with the Church. Church is actually Christ Himself expressed through His body, made up of many parts, believers in Him. The Church is the bride of Christ and she’s been brought forth from His ribs, flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone. The church is one with Christ.
I believe as I use the word according to its true meaning, the strongholds of the mind built over the years by wrong usage are broken and I am free to experience Christ and His love through the church. Language matters indeed.
I leave you with some words by T. A. Sparks:
What, then, is this spiritual house? What is this Church? Let us not have an objective mentality about this, thinking of it as something somewhere outside of and apart from ourselves. What is it? The answer is a very simple one. The spiritual house of God is Christ Himself. Yes, but not Christ personally alone, but Christ in you, in me, the hope of glory. Oh, it is just here that all the mistakes have been made about the Church, with such disastrous results. The Church, the House of God, is simply Christ Himself in undivided oneness found in all those in whom He really dwells. That is all. That is the Church. Seek to root out of your mentality any and every other idea of the Church. It is not Christ divided into a thousand or a million fragments amongst so many believers. It is still one Christ. You and I are not the Church. It is Christ in you and in me that is the Church.
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One response to “Language Matters”
At some point we have to use a correct translation of ekklesia, which could be assembly, a gathering of people being “mine” to Jesus. We ARE his church.
I always have trouble with Sparks on one thing or another.
“You and I are not the Church.”
He gives no scripture for this. Does he expect me just to believe his opinion?
“Now you ARE the body of Christ and individually members of it.” 1 Cor. 12:27
Did Sparks miss this? He claims something else.
“The Church, the House of God, is simply Christ Himself in undivided oneness found in all those in whom He really dwells.”
Jesus is not just “in” me, he has ALSO made me a “member” of Him. It is FAR more amazing than just his “indwelling”, as amazing as that is.
Jesus wants our relationship to be simple to understand, speak to others and display to others.
This is hindered by false translation.
This is hindered by false practice dominating church life for 500 years.
This is hindered by one way communication.
This is hindered by men with Bible degrees who get paid to dominate truth talking, and then lead in practicing the OPPOSITE.
And we know the chief hinderer himself. He is the enemy, not those he has deceived. I used to be deceived, but have since been freed from this, but more is yet to learn.