Creator, Father, King #255

God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

CHURCH.

What comes to mind when you hear that word? Perhaps you think of a small house of worship on a country lane with a weathered steeple and clapboard siding. Maybe you picture a historic downtown building with a large bell tower and adjacent cemetery, or a multisite megachurch, or a “church-in-a-box” that rents space weekly at a local high school.

When you think of church, perhaps your mind wanders to a particular denomination, such as Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc. Maybe you think of famous pastors that you see on TV or hear on the radio.

Church can mean many different things to many different people. But biblically defined, the church is not any of these things. It’s the worldwide community of true believers in Jesus Christ.

What’s It Mean?

All Christians are part of this beautiful global fellowship that encompasses every nation, tribe, and language (Revelation 7:9). In today’s Scripture passage, the apostle Paul uses the human body metaphorically to describe the church. Just like the human head acts as the body’s nerve center, Christ is the head of his spiritual “body,” the church, exercising divine authority over all believers. We must submit our daily lives—not just on Sundays—to our spiritual Head: the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father gave this authority to the Son, based on Christ’s finished work of atonement, which glorified God and secured eternal redemption for his chosen people.

As Christ’s church, we are to

• gather together regularly to worship God and encourage each other in the faith (Hebrews 10:24-25).
• live in obedience to our Savior (John 14:15), being doers of God’s Word, not just hearers (James 1:22-25).
• equip God’s people (and be equipped) for gospel ministry (Ephesians 4:12).
• use our God-given spiritual gifts to edify the body (1 Corinthians 12).
• make disciples of the nations (Matthew 28:19-20).
• show compassion to the needy, both inside and outside the church (1 John 3:17; Luke 6:35-36).

The church is way more than a building or a denomination. It’s a living, breathing spiritual body of believers—with Christ as the Head, and God receiving all glory. How are you benefitting the body of Christ?

Now What?

Study the biblical passages listed above to see how you can grow in the body of Christ.

Did You Know?

The first Christians began worshiping on Sunday in honor of “the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10)—the day of Christ’s resurrection.