In Matthew 16:16 Jesus says, “I will build my “church”.” The Greek word he used was “Ekklesia”. The disciples were familiar with this common word of their day to mean “democratic assembly”.
This was a form of government invented by the Greeks where people assembled to discuss issues and make decisions. All were invited and allowed to express their opinions.
For an example of how this works see the NIV (New International Version) of Acts 19:23-41. The word assembly occurs in verses 32, 39 and 41. The Greek word in those verses translated to “assembly” is Ekklesia. Try reading those verses substituting the word “church” for assembly and you will see how wrong this is.
However, if it is wrong in Acts it is wrong in every other place where it is translated as church. A consistent traslation would render the word assembly in every instance.
Why does this matter? Jesus is building his own assembly, leading through his presence in every believer, unconstrained by any human authority or location.
William Tyndale, the first to translate the bible to English, thought it was important enough to die for. He insisted on translating the Greek word Ekklesia consistently to its intended meaning, assembly. And the religious body in power at the time, under the supervision of King James had him killed and burned at the stake.
Later, the King James version of the bible was authorized, lifting 85% of material from Tyndale’s translation. But insisting the word Ekklesia be translated to church instead of assembly or congregation (except of course in the afore-mentioned Acts 19 verses).
What the Lord Jesus alone is building has nothing to do with the efforts of man or bricks and mortar. As 1 Peter 2:5,9 informs us:
“You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. You are a chosen people. You are a holy priesthood, A HOLY NATION, God’s very own posession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”