[Koinonia]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

When you say "it is all believers in that city", that also includes us. So how can you say we cannot claim to be "the local church in the city"?

Do you not understand the difference? On the one hand, you acknowledge that "the church in London" is all the believers in London. On the other hand, you say: "our group is the church in London" (and our group is registered with the government as "the church in London;" the leaders of our group are the legitimate elders for the city of London; the meeting hall of our group is the meeting hall for the church in London, etc., etc.). How absurd.

The word "the" is not to the exclusion of everyone else in the city. When we say that, we refer to something larger than ourselves, that includes all believers in the city. It includes "us" who are meeting as the local church in the city, and it includes "everyone else", who are not meeting as the local church in the city, but as a denomination. On this point, the difference of "us" and "them" is on the basis of who meets as the local church practically, and who doesn't. It does not mean, that every believer in the city is not part of the local church in reality. But in practicality, they are not.

Can you define this what this practicality entails? Is it possible to be a part of the practicality of the local church without being associated with Living Stream Ministry and Witness Lee?

Let's take this to an extreme example because it emphasizes the point. Suppose every believer in a city never went to church on Sunday but stayed at home. It is true they are all part of the one local church in the city. But practically and physically they are not unless they are meeting together.
Note that church means assembly. We cannot be the church practically unless we are assembling together. Hebrews 10:25 says "not giving up assembling together". No assembly = no church.

So, according to your definition here, the existence of the "practicality of the local church" is dependent on having meetings? In other words, the most proper expression of the practicality of the church would be everyone being in a enormous meeting together?

Obviously not every believer in the city is experiencing the genuine church life. A genuine believer in the JW church for example, would they be experiencing the genuine church life while they remain there? I don't think so.

Even though all believers in the city are part of the local church and the body of Christ, not all believers are experiencing the genuine church life in their denominations. It is in this sense that there is an "us" and a "them".

How do you define what is the "genuine church life"?