Church /NKJV 365

 

Church

(Gk. ekklēsia) (vv. 6, 9, 10; Matt. 16:18; Acts 8:1; Rom. 16:1; Rev. 1:4) Strong’s #1577

The Greek term simply means “an assembly.” It was used in secular Greek to speak of any gathering of people to a political or festive assembly. It was used by the NT writers to mean a local assembly of believers or the whole body of believers. In John’s third epistle we see an example of both uses: “the church” in v. 6 connotes a large, unspecified group of believers, whereas “the church” in vv. 9, 10 has to be a specific local church. According to the overall pattern of the NT, it appears that the Christians of each city were unified under one group of elders (see Acts 14:23; 15:2, 4; 20:17, 18; Titus 1:5). Within the local church in the city, there were probably several “assemblies” or “meetings” of believers, held in various homes.

Taken from NKJV Study Bible

“and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.”

‭‭3 John‬ ‭1:6-10