The Church

Matthew 16:15-18, “He (Jesus) said to them (the disciples), “But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The rock that Jesus refers to is the foundation of Christianity, that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. That there is a living and active God who is involved in our lives and that we have a relationship with and have placed our trust and belief in. Without this, we cannot be saved (John 3:18- Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God). If you believe in Him, you are a Christian, a follower of God. You are part of a much larger group as a Christian. As a true follower of God you are a part of the Church. The body of believers that have been saved by faith and belief in God through His grace. You serve a purpose in this body of believers. What it is, I don’t know. But, God does. His plan for you includes your role in this group. Without you, the body is not as strong as it could be. You have been given specific gifts (discussed in I Corinthians 12) that contribute to the body of the Church. The Bible talks about this body as God’s bride that He will marry (ex: Jeremiah 3:14, Revelation 19:7-9, and 2 Corinthians 11:2). We eagerly wait for His return so that we may be with Him forevermore. Though the Church is usually thought to refer to a group of Christians gathering for an organized service in a specific location, it refers to the universal group of believers of all times. The church (lowercase “c”) typically refers to the local group of believers. This is not the building. We, the people of God, are the Church and anytime we are together, we are the church. God created this group to give His people a community. A sense of family. A group of people that would experience life together, that would learn to be godly people together, exhorting one another in love to strive towards the goal that he has set before us. Paul, in I Corinthians, discusses division in the Church. We are not to be divided with any hostility, though we will have differing views, and problems will arise between people, we are to realize that we are people under God, saved by His grace that now have been transformed through Him and will all spend eternity together. We are to demonstrate the love of God to them regardless of their beliefs or our disagreements. It almost seems that we can be more open to hearing people of a different belief speak rather than people of a different denomination or a differing perspective on non-salvational topics (such as the time of a rapture, whether we are predestined to salvation or have total free will, and many other topics). The church has been given a specific mission by Christ to do until the time of our physical death or until He returns. This is known as the Great Commission. It states, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV).” This is our mission, our hope (our future) is that we will spend eternity with the King.

May we grow as a body with one mind, spirit, joy,  and goal to serve the one God and King. Let’s experience life as one. You are not alone in this walk. Family is always there.

Blessings family