Ekklesia: The Governmental Function of the Church
by Dr. Patti Amsden
by Dr. Patti Amsden
Jesus not only possessed full understanding of all the truth contained in the writings of the Old Testament, He was the Truth. He was the Word. From His perfect comprehension of the Logos, He would often bring realignment to the preaching of the religious leaders of His day. Jesus would begin his instruction with, “You have heard it said.” Then he would continue by declaring, “But I say unto you.” Whether examining religious practices, interpreting the Law of Moses or explaining Biblical prophecy, Jesus had impeccable clarity of the ways, work, and will of the Father.
When Jesus announced to His disciples that He would establish His church or His called out kingdom ambassadors, He was standing at a point in redemptive history where He was embodying all that God had done in days gone by and launching all that God was planning in days that would follow. The truth of the Old, the promises of the Past, the foundations of the Previous: these were still in play. The agreement with Abraham, the faithful to the covenant, the fulfillment of pledges: these were as vital as the day they were activated. Jesus was bridging the Old and New seamlessly as the one perfect plan from eternity past into eternity future.
God always intended to have a people who managed the earth by the patterns of the eternal Kingdom of God. God always intended for the earth to reflect heaven. From the beginning when God created Adam in His own image and gave man dominion over the earth, God had demonstrated His will to co-labor with His sons. Jesus declared the continuation of that perpetual plan. Jesus was stating that the newest facet was being added to the ongoing design.
The idea of management was as old as time itself. The managers – those people of faith – were being more completely identified when Jesus called out His church; but the job was that same assignment given to Adam, to the seed of Abraham, to the household of faith. Take dominion. Rule. Legislate. Govern. And, as you preside over creation, keep it holy, subjugate evil, and honor God.
The role of the God’s people, the ekklesia, is and always has been ambassadorial and governmental. The ekklesia is the body of Kingdom citizens managing the earth. First and foremost, before defining religious practices, God’s ‘called out’ serve the Lord through management of the earth. Of course, without defined religious practices, the earth managers would not be successful; but purpose comes before methods. In His announcement that He would build his church, Jesus was connecting His purpose to God’s ongoing purpose, which was the identification of the earth’s managing sons and their work of oversight of heaven’s government in the earth.
Even Adam did not govern the earth alone. God gave him Eve. Together they decided what would be best, allowed what they had determined to be beneficial, and executed their judgments. One could say they formulated the principal by which they would live and then voted. Their new law of “eating from the tree of knowledge” was introduced to the floor of their legislative body and passed by a unanimous vote. So authoritative was their legal act that they and all of creation came under the control of the official action they had taken.
The idea of a legislative body or collective assembly making laws that regulate culture is a rudimentary concept to civilization in every age and in every nation. That body might be composed of elders sitting at the gate of a city, such as was common in rural Israel, or it might be multifaceted, such as was found with King Solomon and his domain that astonished all the nations that surrounded urban Israel. Most modern-day Christians have no problem embracing the concept of the civil realm functioning in governance, but the idea of Jesus’ church operating as a legislative body over the earth is less understood. When Jesus declared, “I will build my church,” Jesus looked back to Adam, throughout history of the nation of Israel, and unto the those who would believe in His name as He called forth His Kingdom governors. Jesus was assembling His governing body. More clarity on the governmental function of the church will follow next week.
When Jesus announced to His disciples that He would establish His church or His called out kingdom ambassadors, He was standing at a point in redemptive history where He was embodying all that God had done in days gone by and launching all that God was planning in days that would follow. The truth of the Old, the promises of the Past, the foundations of the Previous: these were still in play. The agreement with Abraham, the faithful to the covenant, the fulfillment of pledges: these were as vital as the day they were activated. Jesus was bridging the Old and New seamlessly as the one perfect plan from eternity past into eternity future.
God always intended to have a people who managed the earth by the patterns of the eternal Kingdom of God. God always intended for the earth to reflect heaven. From the beginning when God created Adam in His own image and gave man dominion over the earth, God had demonstrated His will to co-labor with His sons. Jesus declared the continuation of that perpetual plan. Jesus was stating that the newest facet was being added to the ongoing design.
The idea of management was as old as time itself. The managers – those people of faith – were being more completely identified when Jesus called out His church; but the job was that same assignment given to Adam, to the seed of Abraham, to the household of faith. Take dominion. Rule. Legislate. Govern. And, as you preside over creation, keep it holy, subjugate evil, and honor God.
The role of the God’s people, the ekklesia, is and always has been ambassadorial and governmental. The ekklesia is the body of Kingdom citizens managing the earth. First and foremost, before defining religious practices, God’s ‘called out’ serve the Lord through management of the earth. Of course, without defined religious practices, the earth managers would not be successful; but purpose comes before methods. In His announcement that He would build his church, Jesus was connecting His purpose to God’s ongoing purpose, which was the identification of the earth’s managing sons and their work of oversight of heaven’s government in the earth.
Even Adam did not govern the earth alone. God gave him Eve. Together they decided what would be best, allowed what they had determined to be beneficial, and executed their judgments. One could say they formulated the principal by which they would live and then voted. Their new law of “eating from the tree of knowledge” was introduced to the floor of their legislative body and passed by a unanimous vote. So authoritative was their legal act that they and all of creation came under the control of the official action they had taken.
The idea of a legislative body or collective assembly making laws that regulate culture is a rudimentary concept to civilization in every age and in every nation. That body might be composed of elders sitting at the gate of a city, such as was common in rural Israel, or it might be multifaceted, such as was found with King Solomon and his domain that astonished all the nations that surrounded urban Israel. Most modern-day Christians have no problem embracing the concept of the civil realm functioning in governance, but the idea of Jesus’ church operating as a legislative body over the earth is less understood. When Jesus declared, “I will build my church,” Jesus looked back to Adam, throughout history of the nation of Israel, and unto the those who would believe in His name as He called forth His Kingdom governors. Jesus was assembling His governing body. More clarity on the governmental function of the church will follow next week.
