We Are the ChurchExemplo

We Are the Church, and We Exist for the World

Let’s imagine it’s day one of the Church. Jesus has called you and His other followers to meet Him on a mountain. You’ve seen Jesus teach passionately, perform miracles, and care for all kinds of people. You’ve also seen Him speak on behalf of people who were often left out or forgotten.

Following Jesus has changed your life, and you’ve done your best to imitate His way of life over the past several years. Then you witnessed His arrest, execution, and resurrection, and everything changed. Now you know that Jesus is who He said He is, the Son of God who is saving the world.

Before Jesus returns to heaven, He tells you His vision for the Church: “Go into all the world and show up at church buildings for one hour a week. Sing a few songs, preach a message, and send everyone home. Bonus points if you provide coffee and snacks.”

That doesn’t sound very inspiring, does it? Fortunately, that’s not what Jesus actually said.

Instead, Jesus told His followers to welcome people from all over the world into God’s family, teaching them to follow Him wholeheartedly and obey Him every day. They would do this by imitating Jesus’ way of life and telling people about God’s forgiveness through Him.

When Jesus spoke of the Church, He didn’t mention buildings or plans for Sunday services. Instead, He talked about people making daily decisions to care for others and share God’s story.

So why do so many of us tend to think of buildings when we hear the word “church”? It may have to do with where we were raised or what we were taught. But to Jesus, the Church isn’t a building. It’s people following Him together.

We are the Church—all of us together. And we have a mission: to show the world what Jesus is like and welcome others into God’s family. This is why one early Jesus follower called the Church “the body of Christ.” In other words, when people see the Church support vital community services, create connections between diverse groups, and provide for people in crisis, they see what Jesus is like.

The Church is more than just some buildings where people meet. The Church is the hands, feet, eyes, and ears of Jesus, living, loving, and serving in our world today. And as the Church expands, the world becomes more like heaven. Do you find that more inspiring? These next few days will help you discover practical ways to be the Church every day of the week.

Challenge: Be the Church today by looking for someone to show God’s love to.