When I read about the church in the New Testament the words that are used to describe the church are very revealing about what the nature of the church is. Italso shows who we as the church is to be.
The church is called the Body of Christ. A body is made up of many different parts with many different functions, but they all work together so that the body can fucation as it should. The church is made up of many different kinds of people and these people have many different fuctions. When we as the church in our differences come together under the Head and fuction as we should it is an awesome dispaly of who Jesus is.
The chrch is called the Family of God. A family is again made up of different people with again functions. A family works when in love the different people work together putting each others needs ahaed of their own. Family is about loving no matter what.
A third way the church is described is as the Bride of Christ. A woman who is a bride has to have a man willing to be the groom. The church as the bride has Jesus as our groom. For a marriage to work the bride most respect, love and honor the groom. The groom in turn must respect, love and honor the bride. Jesus respects us as His bride, He loves us and He honors us. We as the bride must also respect, love and honor Him. A bride and groom share an intimacy that is the deepest human intimacy that we can experience. Jesus desires intimacy with us, the church as His bride.
The thing all of these describes share is that they are all relational. The church then is God's people realting to Him in unity and love with great intimacy. The church is also to relate to each other with that same unity, love and intimacy.
The world will take notice and be blown away when the church is who God's Word says we are and acts as Christ' Body, Family, and Bride.
Joe
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