OK, here's the point. The reason I've been writing so peculiarly with regard to the term "church" (e.g. "what I'm looking for as church", "the experience of church", "church is about relationships") is because I'm grappling with a concept and an experience.
Let me point out three verses as a starting point (Ha, ha. Life is ironic and the Lord has a sense of humor. I'm using verses after just mentioning that "with time I would consider verses" but for now "I will continue to let my consciousness stream forth."):
Ephesians 1:22 and he (God) put all things in subjection under his (Christ) feet, and gave him (Christ) to be head over all things to the church
Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
Matthew 18:17 And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.
In all three verses the definite article can be found in the Greek text (the original language the New Testament was written in). The first two verses refer to something very spiritual and abstract. The third refers to the actual experience of interacting with a group of believers as the church.
But the reason for my purposeful non-use of either "the" or "a" when talking about church is to grapple with the thought of church being something spiritual. Church is a spiritual fact. It is a spiritual reality. It is not institutional that can be carried out by some constitution outlining church practices. It is not organizational with various job descriptions. But it is something very experiential.
The starting point for my experience of church is the presence and freedom of the Holy Spirit among a group of people and the primary regard given to Jesus Christ in their lives.
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