The People of God: The Story of the ChurchSample

It is good practice to read chunks of the Bible in one go. It helps us get a picture of the bigger story that is unfolding. Today we are going to read three short chapters in a row. In them, Paul incredibly sums up what it means to be the Church.

He begins by talking about the new covenant that we have received. This new covenant means that we have been given a ministry of reconciliation. We, the church, are to reconcile the world back to communion with God. We don’t have to feel special in order to do this. Paul describes it as treasure in a jar of clay. As we face trials, we keep going because if we are in Jesus, a new creation was already begun in us. We are to ‘carry’ the death of Jesus in our body at all times through Communion, reminding us that this sacrificial death will lead to resurrection life. This resurrection body is what we long for, and the Holy Spirit is the deposit given to us that guarantees it is coming. Until then, we are to be ‘Christ’s ambassadors,’ his representatives in the world.

This is who we are as the church. We have the privilege of being agents in God’s new creation plan. We have been accepted into the people of God. Just like Abraham all those years ago, we have received a call to the greatest adventure of all!