Difference between the Church and the Kingdom and their relationship to the individual believer

The local church of today is an assembly of believers who meet for a specific purpose. This is different from the kingdom of God, which is His reign and rule and the dominion and people of His rule. In relation to the individual believer the church is a place of worship, fellowship and communion with God. It is important that the believer is involved in a church to be equipped and edified but the church is not the kingdom. Being in the kingdom means submitting to the rule and the reign of the Father. It also allows the believer to have victory over sin through Christ and permits them entry into the Kingdom of Heaven that is to come.

In the New Testament, the Greek word that is used to describe “church” is ekklesia. Ekklesia is used many times in the NT, especially in Matthew’s gospel in reference to the church but in secular Greek and the Septuagint it also carried the meaning of a public assembly of people. It comes from the verb ekkaleo (“call out from") and refers ...