The New Testament ChurchIs a Local Visible Assembly of Believers

By Dan Nelson, Pastor,
First Baptist Church,
Camarillo, CA

The Bible is clear that the church is a local assembly on earth and not an invisible glob of people that say they are believers but never assemble here on earth. The latter is the “Kingdom of God” we all enter into by spiritual birth (John 3:3). It is not synonymous with what God’s Word calls the church here on earth.

Consider what Paul writes to the church at Corinth, the church at Ephesus, the church at Philippi. The Antioch church sent Paul and Barnabas out on their missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3). It says he and Barnabas confirmed souls and ordained elders in every church (Acts 14:23). Christians were added to the church at Pentecost (Acts 2:41). When you add to a family that is visible you know that by their participation in that family. The food bill goes up. The sleeping quarters have to be rearranged and people schedules and needs increase.

The dangerous trend of “I don’t need organized Christianity or the local church” has no biblical foundation. It was to visible, assembled people who Christ gave the commission, who went out and won others forming other groups of visible assembled people.

Many still insist however that I’m in “the invisible church” if I’m saved and it really doesn’t matter what a local group does who calls itself a church. Just being in the “invisible body of Christ” is good enough for me! Oh Really? The last time I looked my body was visible.

On a bike ride the other day I hit a lot of fog. I was wet by going through it. It was cold. My fingers lost their feeling. I became congested in the dampness. Now if I had an invisible body, I would have noticed none of these sensations. But I did because I have a visible body.

But if you think that is not enough logic, let me compare other illustrations to prove how ridiculous the claim is that the invisible, generic, universal church is good enough for me.

(1) You say, “I’m going to the office to do my job.” “But it really doesn’t matter which one because I’m a part of all offices that have a job like mine.”

(2) You say, “I’m going home to my family.” So you say, “I don’t have to go home or to my specific family.” Any old family will do since I’m a part of all families. Careful whose house you walk into. They may call the police.

(3) You say, “I’m going to list my school education” on your resume. “It really doesn’t matter which school I attended since I attended school.” But there is a big difference between Pre-School and Graduate School!

(4) You say, “I’m going to get in my car and go home” at the grocery store. Let’s say all cars are unlocked and your key will crank any car. Someone says, “Which car is yours?” You say, “It doesn’t matter any will do since I believe in the ‘concept of the car.’ I’ll pick anyone.” If you don’t pick the one you drove up in someone will call the police, again.

(5) You are sick in the hospital needing an operation. You need your gall bladder taken out the old fashion way. A dermatologist just happens to be in and says. “I’m filling in for the resident surgeon who does gall bladder surgery. I’ve never done it before but I think I can take your gall bladder out.” You say. “Oh, go ahead. I subscribe to the concept that ‘doctors are here to help heal the sick.’” No, you wouldn’t let a doctor within a mile of you like that.

it matters what you believe. A pig is not a cow and a rabbit is not a squirrel. Let’s stop attaching meanings to something that is not there. The church is defined 110 times as a local assembly in the New Testament. The other four times describe it as an institution only visualized locally.

The invisible church concept is one perpetuated by Catholicism and bought into by many Protestants because it is a way to distance themselves from any specific group. It matters what you believe and it matters what you believe about the church. You are accountable to Christ but through a body of believers. If you don’t believe that, you need to go back and read the book of Acts. God uses visible believers to do his work through visible congregations. We dare not diminish the biblical concept that is vital to what type of believer we will be. 

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