Ecclesia can be defined as “a gathering of folks for a particular purpose.”
When did the “ecclesia” have its beginning in God’s story?
A good place to start a conversation about this word is the beginning of the story in Genesis. The first couple and their visits with God in the garden is a picture of “ecclesia.” The creation of a nation from other nations was a picture of an “ecclesia.” The choosing of the 12 by Jesus is a picture of “ecclesia.” The day of Pentecost was a picture of the “ecclesia,” but surely not the beginning of the “ecclesia.” The story in Acts was the expanding of the “ecclesia” beyond the boundaries of Judaism. Much to the chagrin of some, as Luke tells the story about its expansion in the book of Acts, he does not present one model for “ecclesia,” nor does he present a specific day for “ecclesia,” to meet or the frequency of which the “ecclesia” meets.
