No. 37. >> Good day, Professor Schulz. My name is David. I have a question I've long wanted to ask. We always use the term church. But I don't even know where the term comes from and what it actually means. Can you help me out here, please? >>DR. KLAUS DETLEV SCHULZ: David, that's a good question. And it is true that this term church is used so often without people actually knowing where it comes from. If we look at the word church, we might associate with it a term that is found in the Bible. And that is true. But it has been transposed into the Bible into a word that's generally used for the church now in Greek that is called ekklesia. We know in Matthew 16 Verse 18 Jesus says that: I will build my church on this confession. So there is a particular word in the New Testament in Greek that is called ekklesia. However, the term church as we know it today goes back to an old term that is found in German called ***keerhar and also an old Saxon term that sounds similar, which goes back to the Greek word kyriakos. Kyriakos means those belonging to the Lord. Or kyriaki, which also means the house of the Lord. In other words, this word kyriaki is a Greek word. But cannot be found in the New Testament. So generally what you would say then is this: That the term church, or ***keerhar in German, is one that we have put onto the New Testament and associate it today with the word ekklesia. That word in term I will fully explain later on. It is also crucial that we understand what we mean by church. Church is a gathering of people who believe in Jesus Christ. They come together usually to worship or to meet for other occasions so that they may worship to the Lord Jesus Christ. This church gathering that we have usually on Sundays goes back to the understanding that they have to be people that are called out from the society to meet and come together for the special service to the Lord Jesus Christ. We know of many other gatherings that take place in this world. We know of political gatherings. Parties meet. We know of clubs also meeting. But Martin Luther in the Large Catechism you might recall in the third chief part of the -- no. In the second chief part, the Third Article, mentioned therein that the church is not to be associated with a building. Or with just any gathering in this world that takes place. He uses the term Gemeinschaft. And he rejects that word. In other words, he does not want the church to be associated with a club mentality that says on the basis of race or of color or of language people are not allowed to come to church. In fact, in Galatians 3 Verse 28 we read there is no difference between the Jews or the Greeks for they are all together one in faith in Jesus Christ. And that's the important point here. That we don't look at the church as a gathering that meets and thereby excludes others from its fellowship. Everyone is allowed to come as long as there is this faith in Jesus Christ that brings that person together into this gathering. Luther also rejects the understanding that people commonly have are. Namely, that the church is a building. A consecrated building. So that irrespective as to whether people are gathered there or not, that we consider this a church. Yes, we do know that there are beautiful churches in Europe and also in the United States. The architecture varies a lot. But people have chosen sites where they will gather. However, it is not the building itself that matters. What matters is that the presence of Christ is there where the Word is being preached. And where the people are gathered. That is what Luther identifies as church. Not the building as such. There's another term in the New Testament that is often used to identify a gathering. It's the term synagogue. As you know, the apostle Paul in the Book of Acts frequently visited in his mission the Jewish people as they gathered in the synagogue. This may be identified as church, also. However, in our Christian Church, we have generally used the term church or ekklesia and not synagogue. Synagogue might be understood as a term in the New Testament that picks up the Old Testament Hebrew word for cahal, the holy ones. And it is in the Septuagint or is placed for the word cahal that gathering that the Jews used to have in the Old Testament, as well. The apostle Paul always makes the point that it is crucial in his mission first to visit the synagogue. That is the gathering of the Jews. And to indicate thereby that he has not forsaken them. However, soon in his mission, we also realize how crucial it was for him to continue the mission to the Gentiles. This shows that the church for the apostle Paul is one that incorporates all nations. Not just one, the Jews themselves. But also those that live in Samaria, Judea and beyond that in Rome. And as he indicates in his letter to the Romans, the first and last chapters, that he also wants to visit Spain. So Paul is utterly convinced that the Christian nation of the future that he wants to bring to Jesus Christ needs to consist of all nations in this world. I think therein already lies the mission impetus. That is the understanding that we are motivated to do mission for the sake of bringing all nations into the church. And it already lies in the roots of the mission of the apostle Paul.