May 31, 2023

This summer Wellspring is going to pursue the mind of Christ in answering the question, “What is church?” Is it a building? Is it a worship service? Is it the people in a designated building? Is it just a gathering of people looking for community? Is it a weekend activity for religious people?

To some Christians, “church” is nearly equivalent to a 4-letter curse word. I’ve known many Christians who say they love Jesus but they hate the church. And I’ve talked to some who think the church is something lesser than the Kingdom of God and equate church to religion. To some, it’s an option but not a mandatory part of our salvation experience. Whenever a Christian says they have a problem with “church”, I can’t help but believe they don’t know what “church” truly is. If one loves and follows Jesus, one can’t help but fall in love with His Church. Even as I wrote the previous statement, I imagined some readers wincing. Why? Because their paradigm is clouded and corrupted by what they’ve experienced or mis-learned.

“Church” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word “ekklésia”. This word is used 114 times, and it comes from a compound of “ek”, meaning “out from and to” and “kaléō”, meaning “to call”. The Church of Jesus Christ is an assembly or gathering of people who have been called out from the world and called to the Kingdom of God. There is much Greek history behind the usage of this word that anyone in the early days of Christianity would have understood. Unfortunately, much of that meaning has been lost over the past two-thousand years and replaced by an institution predominantly shaped by worldly empires and politics.

Join us this summer as we set out to rediscover Christ’s Beloved Bride, His Body, His Temple, His gathering host of Kingdom agents. Christ’s precious Church has been in the wilderness, for a special season of preparation. Her Lover is cleansing, dressing, and cultivating her as her debut is approaching; and she will shine in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27).