Emily Khouphongsy is a a mechanical engineer, a Michigander, and a current student in the propel women's cohort group at Wheaton College. Today Emily and Carrie chat on what the Bible says about the church and God's heart for the body of Christ. Listeners on the show today will be blessed as they hear Emily speak and as she shares her insight on God's intentions for the Church community!
Introduction to Emily (2:00)
Emily is originally from central Kentucky and now lives south of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She currently works in the field of Toyota research development as well as crash safety development.
Passion for the Church (5:00)
It’s so exciting to dig deep on what the church was designed to fulfill. Carrie and Emily chat on how the concept of communal support, worship, and accomplishing God’s work can be such a beautiful thing. Learning about how God intended to use the church is very intriguing to Emily and Carrie both. The Church has a purpose and we as believers should be passionate about fulfilling its mission!
The Word: Church (7:00)
Carrie chats about how she had never really studied the word “Church” before, but after her experience in learning what the biblical definition of church means, it impacted her greatly.
Ecclesia (7:45)
Ecclesia is the original Greek word used to describe the church by the new testament writers. They adopted this word from the original Greek language and culture. It was commonly used in classic Greek to refer to an assembly or gathering of people. This word is also used 114 times in the New Testament for a wide range of applications.
Dive In (11:00)
Carrie shares that it’s important to research the meaning of words found in the bible from a historical context.
We Are the Church (12:00)
The Church is not simply a building, the body of believers is what makes up the church!
Marked by Love (14:00)
Emily shares her realization that when we represent Ecclesia with English words we actually dilute and shift our view on what the origin of this word means. It is the way we look from the outside is what defines us as Christ followers.
True Identity (16:00)
Our identity is in Christ, not where we worship, where we go, not by a name of a church or a denomination. We are marked by the fruit of what we do, it’s that simple. If as believers we could see the church as people rather than buildings, we could take more ground for the kingdom!
Religion (17:00)
Religion and church are not the same thing. The church is not a group of people that follow a bunch of rules, but rather we are a people who follow Christ because of our love and devotion to Him.
A New Language (19:15)
As believers in Jesus we don’t follow religion, we follow God. Church is meant to be a community of people living out the calling of God. It seems to be that our language of what the word “Church” is known for in the western culture is inappropriate. It would be better to say we are going to worship with the church or we are going to spend time with the church rather than saying we are going to church.
Real Church Fruit (21:00)
Emily elaborates on 3 main categories of what she believes the Church should consist of:
All of this means we are pursuing to live out God’s original design for the kingdom!
The Basics (24:00)
We have a tendency to over complicate church. Breaking it down, we’re called to share and to be the good news. We’re called to usher people into the kingdom. We are also called to be known by the love we share as Christ followers, united by the Holy Spirit because of what Christ did for us.
What is the Church (25:30)
It’s extremely important for followers of Christ to think about what the Church is. We’re meant to be a people moved by the experience of Jesus. We respond with a desire to share the good news of what we’ve experienced with others, to make disciples, and to commune with God. When we do this we become an “Ecclesia”, moved by the experience of God. People are watching and listening, may we not take this reality lightly!
A Reflection on the Church (31:15)
In reality, our daily actions reflect the Church. Carrie shares that she wants to see the church for who we are and what we represent rather than what we’re against.
Encouragement from Emily (32:00)
Emily encourages listeners to ask yourself why we serve, what we serve, and what our role in the body of Christ is as God originally intended? It’s in all our best interests to take a look at the original definition of the church and allow that to motivate us in how we act and serve!
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