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Church

‘…And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’  (Matthew 16:18)

This much-misunderstood verse follows Simon Peter’s profession of faith in Jesus as God the Son; the rock, the foundation of the church, is faith not Peter, even if Jesus blesses him for his profession.  Church then is simply the earthly host of like-minded believers. The Greek word translated ‘church’ is ἐκκλησίᾳ, ekklēsia from the prefix, ek ‘out, from and to’ and kaleo ‘to call’.  This was a common, secular word meaning an assembly, specifically that of a political party literally called out of their homes to assemble in the forum or agora, the market square.

Peter describes the church in this way:

(Those of Christ are…) a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  (1 Peter 2:9) Read more

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TOLERANCE

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Today tolerance is seen as a virtue.  That it is so, is simply a product of a world view that excludes absolutes.  Where truth can be individual, there is no Truth, therefore all is tolerable because all is fabricated and therefore of no value.  It is the lot of humankind to  be prone to deception.  It was no different in the early church.

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TARES

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So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.  (Matthew 13:27-30 KJV)

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