Inspirational: THE CHURCH, THE CALLED OUT ONES

Daily Inspirational Encouragment

THE CHURCH, THE CALLED OUT ONES

By: Linda Kirby/WGON

When we accept Jesus as our savior, we are told to attend church. That is good advice because new Christians need to learn about the word of God (the Bible) and how to live a righteous life. However, we may not be told something even more important -- that as Christians, we are the church (the body of Christ). The church is not a brick and mortar building; rather, the real church is the multitude of believers worldwide. Jesus is the head of the body and we are to learn about His word. Much of this learning comes from attending a Bible-believing congregation that is led by a godly pastor. To be the church, we must live a life that shows God’s love and mercy to an unbelieving world. After all, that’s what brought some of us to Jesus. The church may be the only Gospel many people will ever see or hear. Hebrews 12:14: "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." We are the called out ones -- 1 Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." The church is the body of Christ, and He is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:18-23; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 26-27). The way we became the church was by God calling us out of the darkness and into the light. The Lord's people are comprised of those saved by the mercy of God. All we have to do is follow Him. Just as the 12 disciples were transformed by Jesus and followed Him; so we, also, are transformed by Jesus and we follow Him, as well. This equips us to lead others to Jesus. We are the church -- not an actual building, but the body of Christ. God has issued the call. Have you answered to become one of the called out?