WHAT IS THE TRUE CHURCH?

Rev. Ngun Sui Thang
Introduction
Numbers of scholars have different concept and theology about the doctrine of the church. Many scholars said the church had been established since the creation account. We have seen that creation is the self-outpouring of being, whereby there is getting built up a commonwealth of being freely united in love. The Church is a necessary stage in this great acting of being, so that to believe in creation is already to believe in the Church, and there is a sense in which the church was there ‘in the beginning’ and is coeval with the world. On the other hand, some said the true church began form the apostolic era, especially founded by Jesus addressing Peter referring to Matt 16: 18. Robert McAfee said, “I will build up my church means faith in Christ is the foundation of the Church” Nevertheless, the doctrine of the Church is bigger than the ability of human’s thought because the Church is the body of Christ himself. On the other hand the Church is one aspect of Christian doctrine on which virtually everyone, believer and unbeliever alike, has an opinion. In this advance world, the entire churches in the world try to be the most accurate and true one. Then, what is the Church all about? As the called out people of God, the body of Christ, the Church is first and foremost a theological entity. They effort to produce good fruits and present their creativity; using world-wide high-tech to evangelize and to reach the gospel all over the world through television, radio broadcasting service, gospel music concert, promoting Christian education and so on. Those things are credibly good if they are the purpose of the glory of God. This passage will be formulated basing on the Asian context. It may be a bit different from the concept of the western ideology of the Church. But it is sure that God is the God of the wise and unwise, the God of the poor and the God of wealthy people. God want everybody to live holy as he is holy. This is what the main purpose that he founded the Church on earth.

1. The Church as the People of God
There are many churches. But there is only one true Church. According to Wesley, the Church is the whole body of true believer, and, the church of Christ is one church. The word “the church” is drive from Greek word “ek” (out or from) and “kaleo”, (to call out as by a herald) and in Hebrew (qahal) means to call out from something and both ekklesia and qahal denote an actual assembly, rather than a congregation. The term the Church denotes both the church as a whole and the local assembly of the whole church. Even since before the creation the world, God created angels to worship him and to exalt him and to glorify him. But there was a huge fault in heaven; Lucifer rebelled against God, supposing to lift his throne above God. Therefore the beloved of God, Lucifer became the enemy of God. And as he was no more the holy angel of God, his chief obligation is to cheat and to tempt God’s people. In the event of Eden, Satan tempted and achieved his mission and Adam and Eve also became one of them of the heavenly communities. But, God, the gracious and bountiful of love prepared the way at that same day. Adam and Eve begot sons and daughters. But wickedness and sinfulness increased on those days and God punished them with various ways. Still yet, they kept sinning against God and God called out Noah and his family not to compromise with them and He cleansed the whole world by flood. But the descendents of Noah continued sinning against God and God punished them with fire. God used the same criteria to deliver his people. He called out Abraham and Lot not to compromise with the heathen. Looking on the events that happened in the OT story God did not seemed to neglect sinners but he punished them according to the merits of their sins. For instance, though Israelites were the chosen people of God, because they trespassed against God, He let them to become the exile of Egyptian. But, God chose Moses and sent him to deliver them out of the bondage Egypt. Especially, the characteristics of the church were found in the way of wilderness of Sinai. God asked Moses to assemble his people and spoke to them through Moses. He had shown his power among them, still yet they tried to worship other God. Sometimes God delivered them from their enemies and another time he punished them; sometimes they were fed and other times they were thirsty and hungry. They were not prospered all the time because of they were the chosen people. God admonished them so that they may fully trust Him and serve him. One purpose of God’s election was that his chosen ones should serve him. By the time they saw the supernatural things, they praised God as in the present day. They used various kinds of musical instruments in those days as well for praising God. Though Israelite people were backsliding in the wilderness, God protected them out of their enemies. There were people, those who challenge God’s people, trying to capture them or assimilate them or destroy them, but they never quite succeed. So the Bible is a book about relationship to his people the community which becomes the Christian Church.
As God is Holy, he shaped his people to follow the holy way in the wilderness. In other word, God the faithful, gathering in congregations, forming a community of believers, growing into and in holiness. This is the church in the Old Testament. The same way in this present day, Holiness is the main characteristic of being the people of God and this is what God intending us to be. Saying Holiness, it always connecting with Agape love, which is the love that Jesus bestowed for all people. If God gives good gifts to them, then they are to share those gifts with one another and all mankind. The people of God must therefore always be a missionary people, an evangelizing people, seeking and engraft the gospel in the hearts of all men and nations that the God to whom they give allegiance may become the God to whom all men give allegiance. Nowadays, those who faithfully believe in God are his people and he is being with his people and his people also forsake worldly things and follow him. Therefore everyone who encounter with his people see the difference of life style, growing in every good things and live holy life following the holy master Jesus Christ.

2. The Church as the Body of Christ
The church is the continuator of the Messianic ministry of Jesus, called like him, by service and suffering, to spread the reign of God to the ends of the earth till all men are reconciled to him through Christ. The ultimate purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry was to establish and to spread the Gospel all over the world (Matt. 28:18-21). He called and assembled 12 persons to spread the good news and he prayed to God for them so that they may love one another. He himself is the head of the Church (Eph 5:23b). Apostle Paul describes the Church as the Body of Christ, both the individual members and the Church as a unified whole matter. There are several aspects to the Church as the body of Christ. In Col. 1:18, Paul said Christ is the head of this body and of which believers are individual members or parts of the body. Since Christ is the head of the Church and as all things are created in him, through him, and from him (Col. 1:16), Paul affirmed that the Church exists before the foundation of the world. As he is the head he ruled the Church and believers are united with him and being nourished through him and the Church itself is to be under his control, direction and activity.
The boy of Christ also speaks the connection between all the persons who make up the church as in 1Corinthians 12:27. Paul stressed the dependence of each believer upon ever other in his epistles. As the Church use to compose of congregation it is paramount important to know that every individual have to has purity of heart, humbleness and willingness to participate in the Church involvements so that the Church may be built up and increase oneness in the community then Jesus will be always the head of the community.
In order to grow faster or to maintain the true Church good fellowship among the church is very important. A good fellowship makes both interrelatedness and intimate feeling for and understanding of one another. Paul uses effective example to say the importance of interrelatedness and unity in 1Corinthian 12:26 saying that “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” But nowadays in some communities when someone receive the blessing of God, despite of rejoicing with them jealousy is being finding among our Christian communities.
As God gave his people several laws, the church today also has constitutions and By-Law. Here one thing considerable is that is it good to expel a member out of the Church using constitutions and By-Law? Perhaps it may be ok to expel if they are out of the constitutions and By-Law since every churches have our own constitutions and By-Law. But the constitutions and By-Law is not made for the purpose of expelling someone, but it is made in the purpose of establishing unity among the church members. The Church should have wider perspective on the members. For instance, the father-in-law of mine was one of the founders of Bethany Nazarene Church of Haikhawl, Upper Myanmar until he was expelled out of the church, 1986-1999. Because of various circumstances he got another wife. According to our church constitution and By-Law, he was not allowed to be the Church leader. But because he was very talented on leadership of the Church he was elected to be one of the stewards in the Church Annual meeting. But, according to By-Law he was not allowed to be the Church Leader then finally he was expelled out of the Church member so that the Church may maintain the constitution and By-Law. But it affected two third of the members of the Church and they transfer to another denomination. Looking these phenomena, it is clear that the Church should not use constitution and By-Law to kick out members but it is to be used for instruction. Actually the Law was not given to Israelite to condemn their sins, but it was given to His people to give instruction of their lives toward His purpose. Paul gives us good example using parts of bodies; as the believer, it is needed to care one another. In this visible church, even if a member feels disgrace in the church it may affect to the whole church as Jesus took the parable of the body. Therefore, ministers or the church leader have to take a good care on the Church member especially in the third world country. In fact, we need to remember the prayer of the head of the Church, Jesus, to love one another and to have unity. Besides, we have to remember that “The church is the incarnate word of God” so that we may be curious of keeping the Church as the body of Christ. In order to beware of caring the Church this is my selected prayer;
O God, our heavenly Father, who hast given us the blessed assurance that the dead as well as the living are in thy care; we give thee thanks for all dear and loved ones who have passed away from earthly fellowship. Keep us, with them, in the everlasting fellowship of thy Church, and bring us at last, cleansed and purified, to the glory and beauty of thine eternal presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord – Amen. (A prayer from the book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland).

3. The Church as the Temple of God

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
The above reference is good enough for the evidences that we are His dwelling place. It is quite easy to claim we are Christian, and we are the temple of God. But for reality, it is difficult to become Christ-like-disciple. It sounds good to say God is gracious and compassionate and full of Love. But one thing we need to remember is the word that he spoke to His Chosen people Israel, “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God (Exodus 20:5; 34:14, Deut 4:24; 5:9; 6:15, Joshua 24:19). As the one call us is holy he wants us to be holy. But no one can pleased God and that He gave His son for us as holy sacrifice and that we may be called His Children. The reason why he came on earth is not just to save sinners, but sinners to repent (Luke 5:32b) and this is one of the means of grace. The visible an social expression of the life of grace in the church does not merely signify some spiritual reality that exist prior to its expression but it sustains the reality of the spiritual activity that it express. Therefore, as Paul said in 1Thesalonian, “Despise not prophesying. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (Amen). If we try to accomplish those statements we will fail. But if we abide in Jesus and He abide in us the master of our life will surely bring us across the bridge and teach us to the maturity in the likeness of Christ. The goal of nurture of the church is to grow to maturity in the image of Christ, in whom the divine image in creation is restored. If we can escape from whatever it is not good in appearance in the sigh of man and God, it is somehow called Christ-like-character.
When we say God calls us to be holy, it is not by means of just head knowledge, nor logic or spiritual, but to practice by our body. Concerning this, the Holy Scripture said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Thus we have to be faithful to the one who call us is faithful and true. Then, what is faithfulness in his calling? Loren B, Mead said, “Faithfulness in the church has always been faithfulness in following the call.”
We are not call to live as whatever we rather to live. Knowing what he had done for us, we have to live holy in every manner, so that the purpose of His redemption works will be accomplished in our life. To those who just believe in Him with mouth, Paul said, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” If we believe God just as the devils knowing and believing there is true and living God but if no transformation it is vain and our destiny is the same with devils. As wolves have holes and birds have nest, the Holy Spirit also dwells to the place where is fit to dwell. Therefore, as we are the temple of God, we need to prepare ourselves worthy to dwell the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
The true church is not about the Church building, but it is those who set apart from the word for His name sake. As Jesus Christ is the head of the true Church, we need to follow our head, Jesus Christ. We need to love one another, work together in corporation. In other word the true church is those who have the same purpose to work for God. It is not even the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Nazarene and so on. But because of different tradition, customs, ideas it is good to organize the Church according as it will work properly for His glory. But the true churches need to bind in His love one to another. Lois Barrett said, “Whether churches consist of one house church or are a group of clusters of house churches, they need connections with other churches.” As humankinds are fallible, we need restoration, inspiration, instruction and co-operation. The true church that God had established is in us. Therefore Christians have to maintain this Church and keep holy for his name sake.

Bibliography
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Mead, Loren B. The Once and Future Church: Reinventing the Congregation for a New Mission Frontier New York: An Alban Institute Publication, 1994.
Thomas, Oden C. Systematic Theology. Vol. 3: Life in the Spirit. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1992.