Speaking of definitions
I think Aussie John from “Caesura” has given us a great description of the church. He calls his post “The Congregation of God“. Here are a few of my favorite descriptions:
The Congregation of God… Is human beings, people who have been called by the Holy Spirit into a family relationship with God the Father; a relationship created by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and embraced through the unearned gift of saving faith in His finished work.
…Is a spiritual family where it is normal for conversations to center on family matters which are for the mutual building up of each other towards spiritual maturity.
…Is a family which shows the wider community that they are disciples, by their love for one another, and proves for all to witness, the Scriptural truth that because God loves them, they cannot help but love, reaching out in humility, mercy and grace, and without favor, to the non-family people around them, reflecting the Christ to whom they belong.
What a beautiful description of the church!