You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.

1 Peter 2:5

 When we hear the word “Church” images of steeples, bricks, and mortar immediately come to mind. We say things like “I’m going to Church.” The word church has come to mean a building, location, and institution. The original meaning of the New Testament is lost in translation for modern readers. Ekklesia is the Greek word that is translated as “Church” in our English Bibles. The Ekklesia, as it was originally composed, was primarily a fellowship founded on faith in Christ. It was the transformed community of believers held in common by God’s gracious gift of love. By its very nature it was a people formed in faith to carry out the mission of God’s love for the world. This original idea of fellowship and brotherhood has become far removed from “Church” as we know it. In many ways, a return to Ekklesia is a call to revive the Great Commission. God’s love is given in order to be shared and expanded. In Christ, God has not only forgiven our sins, but he has given us a shared responsibility in this ministry. We are called to be active participants in sharing the grace we have received. A new identity has come through faith in Christ. People from all cultures and distinctions are made one in Christ. It is a church without walls. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). This is the mission of Christ for the world. It is only in Christ that man can find this perfect fellowship. Here mankind finds his place to belong. They encounter the living God through the outpouring of His love in lives of their brothers and sisters in Christ. The goal of worship should be to inspire one another to encounter God by living out their faith daily. It is a community that is continually renewed by sharing their faith in Jesus. The Institutional Church has a history of stifling the sharing of faith. It was a task that was limited to certain leaders. However, for the Ekklesia, their faith was a part of every aspect of life. Each member had something to contribute. Once again, this is where we see the walls of separation disintegrate. Every member is equally valued and given a purpose in Christ. The church, in its true nature, is indeed a movement. This is why Christians must stop going to church and start being the church that is on the go.