1 Let brotherly love continue. Hebrews 13:1 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)
As we mature in Christ it is imperative that we practice our Christian liberty completely within the discernment and wisdom given to us by God. As we do this we must not abandon our common fellowship and that we not be part of some perceived legalistic religiosity. We cannot read the New Testament without seeing that believers are the ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), “the called-out ones of God.” In the New Testament, the noun ekklēsia is found only in the Gospels in Matthew 16:18 and 18:17….
Luke uses it in Acts several times, but Paul uses it throughout his epistles. More than half of its usage in the New Testament is in Paul’s epistles. In them, we see that he never thinks of the ekklēsia as a physical structure or man-made organization but as a dedicated group of disciples of Jesus Christ whom he has purchased with his blood. In light of these truths, we must seek to line ourselves up with God’s will in our obedience under the spiritual authority He has set over us.