The Heart of the Christian Community
At the core of the Christian faith lies a vibrant community that shares a life in common. This community is characterized by devotion to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. The early church was marked by voluntary generosity, where believers shared their possessions and distributed the proceeds to those in need. This spirit of sharing and caring for one another continues to define the Christian community today.
The Church as God’s Household
The apostle Paul reminds us that the church is God’s household, where believers are members of the same body and individually members one of another. This unity is rooted in Christ, who is the head of the body and the cornerstone of the temple. As living stones, believers are being built up into a holy temple, where God dwells among his people.
Christ, the Sustainer of All Things
In Colossians, we read that Christ is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church, and has accomplished reconciliation at the cross. Through his blood, Christ has made peace, reconciling all things to himself.
The Temple of God
As believers, we are no longer strangers and aliens but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. We are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. This new temple is not limited to a physical structure but is a spiritual house, where God meets with his people in joyful worship and fellowship.
Worship and Community
When the early church gathered, they came together to worship, share hymns, lessons, revelations, tongues, and interpretations. Their goal was to build each other up, encouraging one another to love and good works. As we gather today, let us remember to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together but encouraging one another all the more as we see the Day drawing near.
The Unity of the Body
In 1 Corinthians, Paul reminds us that just as the body is one and has many members, so it is with Christ. We were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and all were made to drink of one Spirit. Let us recognize that every member is indispensable, and God has composed the body to give greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body.
The Future of the Church
In Revelation, we catch a glimpse of the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The greatest blessing of heaven will be unhindered fellowship with God himself. The goal of God’s covenant, “God with us,” will be achieved, and his people will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
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