I’ve been thinking about what it means to BE the church. Church, to me, in the simplest definition is “the body of Christ.” And if you think of the magnitude of that statement, it goes far beyond a building, an idea, or even a group of people. My thoughts are not just about our local church body called New Covenant Fellowship Church but the universal body of Christ which we also happen to call the Church. Often times when we refer to the word “church” our thoughts and sentiments are programmed to think of your “home” church (the church you grew up in), the most church that you’ve visited (if you’ve been searching or “church hopping”), or the church that you have heard of whether word of mouth or in the news (if you are not a regular church go-er). But let’s talk about the universal Church, the Church that is called to emulate JESUS, not a group of people or a person. Here are a few thoughts:
WE are a NEW CREATION, not just YOU (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul, in His letter to the church in Corinth, conveys to the church their identity as believers. The theme of “new” is prevalent in this letter; new covenant, new body, new creation, etc. He emphasizes the ultimate atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross drives a “new-ness” factor in all our lives. Specifically to 5:17, we are a NEW creation, literally re-born, re-created, re-made, whatever word that helps you to understand the transition from nothing to something. However, the danger here is to selfishly rear this idea and claim this truth for yourself but Paul’s placement of this truth in his letter is very intentional. He places this comment right before he writes about the ministry of reconciliation, the ministry of bridging the world to Christ as ambassadors of God (v.20). Reconciliation involves others. It involves YOU the ambassador, the ones needing reconciliation, and God, the one we are reconciled to. Ministry of reconciliation is an integral part of being a new creation. How are WE, as the church, being a NEW CREATION collectively? WE are it, not just YOU.
Christ is the HEAD of the church (Colossians 1:18). In the bible and as I mentioned above, the church is compared to a body of a human being. The science of the body is fascinating. Think for one moment the functions of each part of the body. They are incredibly unique but at the same time intricately related to one another! When Paul speaks of Christ being the head of the church, he is referring to the Lordship (head being at the top), the function (the purpose, reason, livelihood, importance), but also the face or the recognizing factor of the rest of the body. As the body of Christ, made up of unique individuals but so intricately tied together, do we represent the Head? Do our actions and our words point to the head of the Church, who is Jesus? If you are part of the local body of believers, like NCFC, how have we represented to the world around us that Christ is our face, our recognizing factor?
Friends, this is just a few on-going thoughts but let me end with this. The Church is called to be ALIVE or A LIFE! It is a moving, breathing, LIVING organism, whose parts work together, like the human body, to point the world (and one another) back to Jesus, our head! Let’s not confine our relationship to God by going to church but commit to being the church wherever we go. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
From Pastor Keeyoung’s Heart
February 8, 2015