Correspondence with John Edmiston of UCM

Hi Tom,

Just got your articles and have saved them to read on Sunday afternoon when I have some more time. Meanwhile you may be interested in two of my ebooks: beyond Denominations, and The Market,the Terrorists and the Kingdom - both can be found at http://www.aibi.ph/ebooks/

By the way I agree that the Kingdom was interpreted politically in the first century.

Subject: READINGS ON EKKLESIA, GOOD WORKS & LOVE

Dear John,

Again, thanks for handling the class on Sermon Discussion and Application (sorry if I got the title wrong, I just paraphrased it). Anyway, attached are reading materials I'd like to share with you, as you also requested for them.

1. The first I have entitled "Upon this rock I will build my ekklesia". It's rather a long one but I think it's worth the time it takes to read. I believe it shows conclusively that the word "ekklesia" as understood during the time of our Lord's earthly ministry was definitely a POLITICAL word more than a RELIGIOUS one. It had very little to do with the meaning it is given today, to the extent that the word "ekklesia" is today rendered as "church". My thesis is, as we undertand the word "church" today, we are largely missing Jesus' meaning for His ekklesia. Consequently, the real work of the Ekklesia is suffering and God is not getting the glory due to Him. (Ephesians 3:21)

   I take it in the context of the gospel account (originally written in ancient Greek) where Jesus is quoted as using the word "ekklesia", in Matthew 16:18. Prior to this episode, He is presented as mainly publicly proclaiming that "the kingdom of God is at hand". Suddenly, in Matthew 16, Jesus mentions ekklesia (translated in English as "church") for the first time.

   What was He saying? How was he understood by his disciples?

   First, note the place where it occured: near the town of Caesarea Philippi. This place itself is very symbolic. It was as if Jesus chose this very place when he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" The names "Caesarea" and "Philippi" connoted the two world empires of recent memory at that time: ascendant Rome (represented by Caesarea) and declining Greece (Philippi after Philip of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great).

   Jesus receives various answers all of which fell short. Then he asked, "What about you? Who do you say I am?" Simon answered, "You are the Messiah, the son of the living God." Jesus affirms Peter and said, "Blessed are you, Simon son of John, for this truth did not come to you from any human being but it was given to you directly by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Ekklesia, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

   In other words, Jesus was saying:

   There are these worldly kingdoms of Rome and Greece seemingly invincible and holding sway over nations and peoples, one ascendant and the other declining. But a new and everlasting Kingdom is breaking in, is "at hand", the very Kingdom of God, and indeed, I am its Messiah - Anointed One - the Christ - of that Kingdom. And it is for that very reason I have called you, the apostles, that you may "fish men" to populate my Kingdom. For as Daniel the prophet said, my Kingdom will grow until it embraces the whole earth!

   While the kingdoms and great cities of this world have their popular, self-governing assemblies - their ekklesiai - that promote the interest and welfare of the state and nations they represent, my Kingdom too will have its ekklesia, MY Ekklesia, and it will extend the sway of my Kingdom until it covers the whole earth. Then, as the waters cover the sea, the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the LORD.

   As the earthly ekklesia is a democratic assembly where all enfranchised members have equal rights to speak, so shall it be in My Ekklesia. As a well functioning ekklesia on earth is made up of mature and informed members, so must the members of My Ekklesia be taught the values of my Kingdom. But while the earthly ekklesia use cultural, economic, political, and military means to promote the interest of their state, My Ekklesia will use the weapons of TRUTH and LOVE, HUMBLE SERVICE and MERCY to extend my Kingdom. My Ekklesia will be made of people who will WORK TOGETHER as they actively engage the world, working without let up until the end of the age, bringing every thought and institution of man under my Lordship until all things have been placed under my feet.

   He would later tell them (in Matthew 20:24) that they will have a different LEADERSHIP STYLE. "You know that the rulers of the Gentles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

   (Much more needs to be said, John, but I hope you get my drift).
   
   

2. The second article is simply a collection of New Testament passages showing that GOOD WORKS are a natural product of our life of faith. The problem with modern evangelical thinking is that good works have been largely deemphasized in the work of the Ekklesia. It's even been given a bad name, being associated with "working for one's salvation", versus the truth that the Ekklesia (church), being God's workmanship, has to cooperate lovingly with God to do the GOOD WORKS that God has prepared for the Ekklesia to do. But I propose that more than INDIVIDUAL good works, what God wants is COOPERATIVE GOOD WORKS - i.e., believers WORKING TOGETHER rather than singly and separately. That's why the Ekklesia is called a BODY with many parts. As a living body, the parts have to be working together to become effective. We only have to look at our FINGERS to see how much more effective coordinated group work or team-work is, versus individual work. Because of the de-emphasis in GOOD WORKS and a mistaken view of the real function of the Ekklesia, we see so many gifted people - highly accomplished in their professions, some of them even captains of industry and commanding large organizations, coming to the weekly assemblies but being contented with just sitting in the pew, joining in the songs of worship, giving their offering, spending a little time in the fellowship hall, and then going home - Sunday after Sunday! Versus that, look at the description of the earthly Ekklesia in the previous article!
   
   
3. The third article shows that the Ekklesia largely understood the command of our Lord as interpreted by the apostles so that in the first 300 years of its existence, the church enjoyed dramatic GROWTH. It literally turned the world upside down for the pagan Roman empire!

   Somewhere along the way, John, in the activities of the Ekklesia, the part of WORKING TOGETHER IN LOVING SERVICE of the Ekklesia got pushed into the background while the WORSHIP SERVICE came to dominate the scene. In the process, in the pastoral leadership of the Ekklesia, greater and greater value has been placed on GOOD SPEAKERS versus being GOOD SERVANTS, versus people who LEAD IN SERVICE BY EXAMPLE. This is a very complicated, long-drawn historical process but we can see the effects - how modern paganism has practically swallowed back Europe and is in the process of doing the same to America. Something UNIMAGINABLE less than 200 years ago is happening in Christian America - the courts of justice have ruled that a monument proclaiming God's Ten Commandments should be removed and a lone judge who objects to it is now under suspension.

   The conclusion? Should the Ekklesia of Jesus do the admonition in Revelation to the church in Ephesus: "... You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and DO THE THINGS YOU DID AT FIRST ..." (Rev. 2:4b-5a)

   John, I don't mean any offense to anyone in the church of Jesus Christ. This is just my humble opinion.

   Glory to God, and God bless!

   TOM MATIC