I am teaching 1 Timothy and we are about to study 1 Timothy 3:¹⁴ I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; ¹⁵ but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” Of particular note, he calls the church, which is made up of saved believers in Jesus, the “household of God” and the “pillar and ground of the truth“. So what are the terms used in the NT to describe the church? I found this on AI:

• City. The city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Heb 12:22 The New Jerusalem Rev 21:2 This is a spiritual city. Many look for Jesus to come back and establish a new physical city of Jerusalem, but that is not the case.
• Body of Christ:
  This metaphor highlights the unity and interconnectedness of believers, with Christ as the head. Each member plays a vital role, contributing to overall health and function of the body. Col 1
• Temple of God:
  Just as the temple was a dwelling place for God in the Old Testament, the church is seen as a place where God’s Spirit dwells (naos: Temple, sanctuary:denotes the sanctuary proper—the dwelling place of God—rather than the wider temple precincts.. Rev 21:3 the “tabernacle of God” (skénoó: To dwell, to tabernacle, to pitch a tent to live in). God dwells in believers. 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19
• Bride of Christ:
  This metaphor emphasizes the intimate and loving relationship between Christ and the church. Christ is the bridegroom, and the church is his beloved bride. Eph 5
• Flock of God:
  This imagery emphasizes the care and guidance that Christ provides for his followers, likening them to sheep under the care of a shepherd. Acts 20
• Family of God:
  This term (oikos: House, household, home, family) highlights the close-knit relationships among believers, who are considered brothers and sisters in God’s family. 1 Peter 2:6 spiritual house (oikos) made up of “living stones”.
• Kingdom of God:
  This emphasizes the reign and authority of God over the church, and the church’s role in extending God’s kingdom on earth. Col 1:13 This is a spiritual kingdom. Jesus said in John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world”. He also said in Matthew 16:27,28 Mark 9:1 that some would still be alive to see Him coming in his new kingdom, which is the church that was established in Acts 2.
• Pillar and Ground of the Truth:
  This metaphor (stulos: evokes the architectural pillar—load-bearing, upright, immovable) emphasizes the church’s role in upholding and proclaiming the truth of the gospel. 1 Tim 3
• Ekklesia:.The Greek word ekklesia, translated as “church” in English, literally means “an assembly” or “those called out,” highlighting the idea of believers being called out from the world to form a community. 

I knew all this but it just reminded me of all the different perspectives the church represents. A complete list of what the church should mean to us as members of that church. Both doctrinally, in our relationships with Jesus and the Father, and in our relationships with one another. We tend to think of the church as a building or a 503c3 organization, but the early church did not own buildings and there was no such thing as a 503c3 with trustees to allow members to write off their donations to the church on their tax returns. The church was simply the believers meeting in house churches, and all the descriptive terms for the church above would have meant a lot to help them understand the role of the church. The Jews were coming out of Judaism with its impersonal rituals and rules. The Gentiles were coming our of worshipping idols with impersonal worship of idols. The idea of “the church” was foreign to them.

So I know that thinking about this helped me to realize what the church should be to me. It helps me to think of being a part of a spiritual family, the dwelling place of God, the flock of sheep with Jesus as the shepherd, etc. It is easy just to “go to church”, sit through a sermon/worship service and let that be “church” to a person. The church should mean so much more to a believer, a member of the church.

I hope this artlce helps us all.