The Ekklesia Project - Episode 97

A freedman of God hosting a journey to discover the lost ekklesia of God.
As we continue this mini-series exploring how one obtains eternal life, in this episode we explore in some detail an example of how the ekklesia of God operates as a light that exposes deeds and attitudes of darkness that need to be purged from the hearts of some to achieve peace among the members as referenced by Jesus in Mark 9:49-50. This example is found in the letter by James. To better understand the approach taken by James in addressing the errors of the recipients, we examine a few passages that give us certain insights into journey taken by James in discovering the truth about his brother, Jesus. These passages also reveal James’ evolving thoughts on role of the Law of Moses under the New Covenant initiated by Jesus through his sacrifice. Having this background understanding, we can better analyze how the counsel of James in addressing the problem issues completely parallels with the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and Peter. Absent the ekklesia, it is unlikely the worldly attitudes and behaviors would be exposed in these individuals and, even if exposed, there would not exist the effective means of purging such impurities from their hearts, in the manner of confessing sins to one another, in order to achieve progress in their pursuit to obtain the righteousness of God. This is why Jesus couples together the pursuit of the kingdom of God with the pursuit of God’s righteousness in Matthew 6:33, as the ekklesia of God is the primary means provided by God under the New Covenant to effectively seek His righteousness and conform to the person of Christ.