I’ve been thinking a lot recently about a word that we often use. It comes up in many conversations. It’s on the notice-board outside the place where we meet. We use it in our prayers. It’s there in many of our hymns. And you’ll find it in more than a hundred places in the New Testament. It’s the word church.
The only problem is that when we use the word, we may not always be thinking clearly about what it means. Let me give you some typical sentences that you might hear on the lips of Christians: ‘I’ll see you at church on Sunday.’ ‘I joined the church in 2015.’ ‘The church has a high pulpit and a gallery.’ ‘The UK church appears to be in decline.’ ‘The history of the Christian church includes many tragic episodes.’ ‘The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord.’
Could you explain clearly what the word ‘church’ means in each of those sentences? Is the word being used in a proper, thought-out way in each of them? And does it matter, providing that when the word is used you understand what the person who’s speaking is trying to say? I think it does. And I hope that by the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll understand why.
