The Beauty of Fellowship

Psalm 133 - <<A Song of degrees of David>>

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
that ran down upon the beard,
even Aaron's beard: that went down
to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew
that descended upon the mountains of Zion:
for there the LORD commanded the blessing,
even life for evermore.”

“Church”… When you hear that word what do you think of? Stained glass. Arches. Pews.
Mourner’s benches. Pulpits. Picnics. Potlucks. Cantatas. Sunday school.

Maybe all of these things cross your mind. We are conditioned over time and through
exposure to regard church as a place. We think of buildings, furniture, objects, and events.

But when I choose to meditate on the word “church” in light of the Bible I get an entirely
different picture in my mind. I see this…
The word, “Church”, appearing 79 times in the New Testament is the English translation
of the Greek word, “ekklesia”, (Pronounced ek-klay-see'-ah). It means, “a calling out, i.e.
(concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or
Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):--assembly,
church.”

Church isn’t a location, it’s a people. The church that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 16:18,
when He said, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”, was not an ornate
cathedral named St. Peter’s Basilica in Europe.

The church is a living, breathing entity that has existed since the day of Pentecost, when
the Holy Ghost came down upon a group of 120 believers gathered in an upper room in
Jerusalem.

The church, with its ever-changing faces, remains the same in its calling, purpose, and
destiny to be the Bride of Christ. The church is comprised of you and me, the believers
down the road, and believers in others lands throughout the world; and the church is also a
historical entity, in that every believer throughout the last 2,000 years are members of the
church.