The church, the body of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, is a dynamic group of people united in God. Contrary to how many people perceive it, the church isn't just a group of people singing "hallelujah" in a service or responding with "amen" or "praise the Lord" with every preaching a preacher does. No, the church is so much more than that.
The Church Is the Body
The church isn't a religion, but a body – the body of Christ. If it's not very clear yet, Colossians 1:18 tells us that Christ "is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."
We as a church have a very important role to play.
The Bible tells us that we are Christ's body. This simply means that He is the head, and we as a body are to follow His lead, obey His commands, reflect His thoughts, and point people to Him. And since Christ is already in the heavenly realm and has sent us the Holy Spirit, we are actually empowered and expected to be His ambassadors.
The Bible tells us, "All of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him ... So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!'" (2 Corinthians 5:18,20)
The church then, as a whole, is not called to stay in church buildings and "enjoy the presence of God."
In a world that is slowly moving towards destruction, the time to rise up as both Christ's body and bride is now.
Here are some things the whole church is called for:
1. To Preach the Gospel to All Creation
Jesus commanded all believers to preach the gospel. Thus, the first task of the church to the world is to bring the Gospel of Christ to it. Not to simply inspire, motivate, or impact people's lives. Our first goal is to bring them to Christ, and to bring Christ to them.
2. Be the Salt and Light of the Earth
The members of the church, as salt and light, are not merely called to become morally upright people. The church is called to bring God's Kingdom to earth. How?
We, as a people who have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, are a people who are called to shine that light on earth. Christ lives in us, the Holy Spirit dwells in us: We better get moving to spread God's light and love, what we have received, because that's what God wants us to do.
We must stand up for what's right, for what is true, what is just, what is godly. We're His hands and feet.
3. To Be the Bride Christ Will Be Excited to Come for
Christ will soon return, and once He does He will expect to find a people totally set apart for Him, living a holy life that's also full of selfless compassion: the same kind that Christ had.
The church must realise, then, that growing in number isn't its main goal. No, it's about obeying what Christ said in the Word of God, and being the Bride that He will be excited to come away with.
