Theological Essay
The Lost Church
Philip L. Nash
THEO 202 D14
05/13/16
1
The Lost Church
Statement of Topic
When one hears the word church, many things comes to mind. One could picture
the church building. Another may picture a denomination. Others may say the body of
Christ or the local church. No matter what one may think about when referring to the
church, one must look closely at the body of Christ and the local church. Some may hear
the word church and immediately have a negative memory because of a negative
experience. Another may instantly have a big smile on their face because it brings back
fond memories. The other person may not even have a clue as to what one is talking
about when the word church comes into the conversation. Whether good, bad or
indifferent, the Christian must be able to articulate the true meaning of the church based
off the revelation of Christ to him or her. There are many factors which need to be
examined to discover the true meaning of the church and it is found in the theological
method.1 It consists of one dealing with philosophical evaluations or presuppositions,
biblical evaluation, historical development, theological construction, and practical
application.”2 An understanding of each of these areas will give a deeper insight into
church.
Philosophical Foundations or Presuppositions
This is the place where many churches get a bad reputation. There are Christian
and non-Christians who deal in a great amount of fallacies when it comes to church.
Some would believe that the church is here to get all of my money so that the pastor can
1 (Ashford et.al 2014)
2 Small, Dr. R. N., Presentation: Introduction to the Theological Method, Video. Blackboard, Liberty
University.
2
get rich. Others may argue that the church has strange rituals that they follow. They seem
on the spooky side over there. The church has been tainted by the levels of hypocrisy of
the lives lived by those who proclaim that they are Christians. The leaders of the church
are untouchable as they cannot be reached for a conversation with a member of the
congregation. One might feel that going to church will alleviate negativity in their lives.
Some of these problems are financial, relational, marital, spiritual, emotional, etc. Many
feels that if there is nothing in it for me, then there is no need to attend church or follow
any of its practicums. Many have bias against the church and do not see the need of the
church based solely upon his or her worldview. These “preconceived notices” are just
some of the road block which will be covered in order to combat the doubts of those who
see no need for the church.3
Biblical Evaluation
The church has to be looked at from the Old Testament and New Testament
perspectives in order to fully understand the origin. The Hebrew word is qahal and the
Greek word is ekklesia. Qahal means assembly and ekklesia means “the church.”4 God
desires to meet with his creation. This is seen in the Garden of Eden as God would
commune with Adam. The scriptures says “…In the cool of the day God was walking in
the garden…”5 Some would argue that God was all about the nation of Israel and there is
no place for them but after the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ; God has an
3 Small, Dr. R. N., Presentation: Introduction to the Doctrine of the Church, Video. Blackboard, Liberty
University.
4 (Dever 2014) pg. 605
5 (Bible Gateway 1995) Gen. 3:8 NIV
3
affection for all. This is evident in the commission which was given to Paul, as God told
Ananias that he would bear witness of God to the Gentiles.6
The church is one because God is one, holy because God is holy, universal
because God is the Lord of all earth and King of all ages, and apostolic
because it is ground on God’s Word and the teaching of the apostles.7
These attributes are now the marks of the local which consists of the preached Word of
God and the conducting of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.8 When one
looks deeper into the church, the Bible talks about membership and its responsibility/role.
One must continue your journey to the leadership of the church as well, the pastor, elder,
bishop, and deacon; as they all have a job to do. Dever further argues biblically about the
mission and purpose of the church is center around worship, discipleship, stewardship,
fellowship.9 The Bible has much to say about the church but another way to discover the
church is the examine it as it has developed or underdeveloped over time.
Historical Development
The church has gone through a great deal of change throughout its history. Frank
Senn talks about the liturgy and polity of the church during the reign of the Romans.
Senn argues that according to Graeco-Roman law, the bishop is the leading authority but
as such the Christians would still remain true to choosing their own leaders and not those
of the Catholic bishop. Senn further argues that the Jerusalem Church exalted in “the
6 Ibid., Acts 9
7 (Dever 2014) pg. 610-611
8 Ibid., pg. 612-621
9 Ibid., pg. 623-627
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Holy Land” and Constantine after 325.10 As a result of this many would come from near
and far just to see all of the places and to learn about the Christian faith. The would see
the festivals, prayer offerings, and scriptural reading and desired to share this once in
their perspective homelands. Senn argues that because of the multitude and magnitude of
the services, that many of elders shared the same roles of the bishop as someone had to
carry the load of the ministry.11 As the church transitions into the medieval age, there was
another shift in the church as the presbytery were still need to keep up with traditional
liturgical ordinances and polity. The need for ordinations was given to them as the need
for deacons and laity to support the church was on the rise.12 The visible and invisible
church was being argued more by the theologians during this time. Members the baptized
were considered members of the visible church but all those of the faith were of the
invisible church or the body of Christ. The Roman Catholic way was dominant so the
Pope was the highest level hierarchy and it dwindled down from there as argued by
Fausto Salvoni.13 This was different than the previous period of time and the church was
still evolving. During the time of Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the theologians
of the day of the Roman Catholic faith begin to rely on the truth being present by the
Fathers.14 The sacraments were believed by both the Catholics and Reformers to be of
great priority. Luther began to argue against the previous meanings of ekklesia and turned
translated more to congregation which leads him to call it communion and fellowship as
10 (Senn 1995) pg.221-222
11 Ibid., pg.224
12 Ibid.
13 (Salvoni 1958)
14 (Manning 1548-1722)
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argued by David Bobo.15 The stances of the day went between Lutheran or Calvinist
staying with the traditions of intermingling of church and state. The Baptists were of the
mind that infants should not be baptized. 16 As one moves to the modern church, there is
another shift as the church begins to look at polity and the ordinances. Congregationalism
began to become more of the preferred form of polity in many of the Christians in the
American colonies. Most of the churches were either Presbyterian, Congregational,
Baptist or Methodist but the Baptist argued that there is a great need for church
discipline. Some will say that because of the immorality of society today, there is an even
greater need for “corrective church discipline.”17 The church is still in many instances in
need of a makeover.
Theological Formulation
The church has many different things that need to be worked on. The mission of
the church should be centered around the gathering of those who are believers and desire
to love all who enter the doors. The Bible tells us not to forsake the gathering of
ourselves.18 We should always be looking to grow the membership through witnessing.
This is seen as Jesus closes by giving the disciples what many call the Great
Commission19 and he further leaves us the ability to do this because of the Holy Spirit
which is the power given to the believer so he or she can be a witness20 through the
15 (Bobo 1958)
16 (Dever 2014) pg. 648
17 Ibid., 654
18 (Bible Gateway) Heb. 10:25 KJV
19 Ibid., Matt. 28:16-20 KJV
20 Ibid., Acts 1:8 KJV
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visible church. The Lord Supper and Baptism are still need to be done by the church as it
was exemplified by Christ. He was baptized by John the Baptist21 and so should all who
believe in him to show as an outward demonstration of an inward transformation.22 Jesus
demonstrates what we call Holy Communion today with his disciples before he was
crucified, so again if Christ did it so should the church.23 Then Paul comes back and
reiterates the need to conduct communion in a more sacred way.24 He talks about the need
for one to look within himself to ensure that one is worth of partaking of such a sacred
moment. The preaching and teaching of God’s word to be done by those who are
equipped to do so. This is done by either the pastor or someone who is gifted spiritually
as one of the ministry gifts given to mature the body.25 The church is both visible and
invisible because all who believe are of the body of Christ,26 which is the invisible
church. The world needs to see the visible church, the believer who exemplifies the
church outwardly by the life that he or she lives.27 Church leadership is still needed and
biblically Congregationalism with a hint of Presbyterian28 is needed for the body to
function as it did in Paul’s day. Church discipline is of high importance in the church
because there needs to be consequences for the action of those who go against God’s
21 Ibid., Matt. 3:13-17 KJV
22 Ibid., Acts 8
23 Ibid., Matt. 26:17-30 KJV
24 Ibid., 1 Cor. 11:17-34 KJV
25 Ibid., Eph. 4:11-13 KJV
26 Ibid., Rom. 12:5 KJV
27 Ibid., Gal 5:16 KJV
28 Ibid., Titus 1:5 KJV
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Word. This is something that is not talked about much in today’s church but we need to
get back to this standard. Worship of God is part of the church’s responsibility as well.
This should be done as the Bible declares in Spirit and in truth.29
Practical Application
The church has a vital role in our society today. The church should be as the Lord
Jesus says, “a city that sits upon a hill cannot be hid.”30 The church is needed to draw the
world in by opening its doors to call. Jesus said “whosoever will let him come.”31 The
church is here and exist for this world to make change but change has to come to the
church. This starts with the church getting back to the basics and those basics are found in
the Word of God. The church has to get back to fasting and prayer32 as our Lord and
Savior Jesus did while he was here on this earth. We have to be those sheep that know the
shepherd’s voice33 so that we can be moved when He tells us to through the Holy Spirit.
The members need to live a life that is worthy of the vocation where we are all called to
not just the leaders of the church.34 The standard is across the board because Christ will
return and he is coming back with His reward for the church without any blemishes.35
Stand as the church and say, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”36
29 Ibid., John 4:24 KJV
30 Ibid., Matt. 5:14 KJV
31 Ibid., Mark 8:34 KJV
32 Ibid. Matt.17:21 KJV & Mark 9:29 KJV
33 Ibid., John 10:27 KJV
34 Ibid., Eph. 4:1 KJV
35 Ibid., Eph. 5:27 KJV
36 Ibid., Jos. 24:15 KJV
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Word total excluding Title page, citations, and Bibliography: 1950
Bibliography
Ashford, Bruce Riley, and Keith Whitfield. "Theological Method: An Introduction to the
Task of Theology." In A Theology for the Church, by Daniel L Akin, 3-66.
Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2014.
Bible Gateway. About Bible Gateway. 1995. Accessed on May 13, 2016.
https://www.biblegateway.com.
Bobo, David H. “The concept of the church in the Reformation movement.” Restoration
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EBSCOhost (Accessed May 13, 2016).
Dever, Mark E. "The Church." In A Theology for the Church, by Daniel L Akin, 603-668.
Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2014.
Manning, David Stephen. ''That is best, which was first': Christian primitivism and the
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EBSCOhost, viewed 13 May 2016.
9
Salvoni, Fausto. “The church in medieval thought.” Restoration Quarterly 2, no. 4 (1958
1958): 205-219. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost
(Accessed May 13, 2016).
Senn, Frank C. “Liturgy and polity in the ancient and medieval church: lessons from
history for a church renewed.” Currents in Theology And Mission 12, no. 4:
(August 1985): 220-231. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost
(Accessed May 13, 2016).
Small, Dr. R. N., Presentation: Introduction to the Doctrine of the Church, Video.
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