Scriptural Names for the church

Is there one name for the church? No, but there are different scriptural names for the church. Does that make a difference? I think it should. Can you find the Baptist Church in the Bible. No you can't. Or, can you find the Methodist Church, or the Lutheran Church, or the King of Glory Church in the Bible. No you can not. How about all of the other many different names that are used today? Is it scriptural to do this, or should you use a scriptural name for the church?

Many different scriptural names were used by Paul such as the church of God, the household of Faith, the church of Christ and so on. Now understand that the word church is not...Capitalized...not Church...but...church, or lower case. The body is not equal to the Head. The Head is always capitalized as you will see in the following examples.

Matthew 16:18 says upon this rock I will build my church....not my Church. Romans 16:16 says salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you....Not the Churches of Christ salute you. So one church would be called the .... church of Christ...Not Church of Christ. 1Corinthians 1:2 says to the church of God which is in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 6:15 says you know that your bodies are parts of the body of Christ.

You know there is nothing wrong with churches meeting in homes either. They don't have to seat thousands of people. Jesus said where two or three are gathered together there I am in the mist of them. Listen to this verse....1 Corinthians 16:19 talks about greetings from the churches in Asia being sent to the church that meets in the house of Aquilla and Priscilla.

Other places of scriptural names....2 Corinthians 1:1 says from Paul to the church of God in Corinth. Another name is just....church....look at 2 Corinthians 8:1 says we want to know, brothers, what God's grace has done in the churches of Macedonia.

Is there really one church even though there are different names for the church? ....Yes....I think we can say yes. Why? Ephesians 4:4 says there is one body(church?), and one Spirit. There is one Lord, one faith (church?), one baptism. There is one church with one doctrine and therefore we should use a scriptural name for it.

Other examples of churches meeting in houses in the First Century when Christianity started...Colossians 4:15 says give our best wishes to the brothers in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. Also, in Philemon 1:1,2 says to our friend and fellow worker Philemon, and the church that meets in your house.

Let us all use scriptural names for the church if we are going to name it.

Let us all search for the early church.

In His Name,

Brother Paul