Who or What is the Real Church? - Part 5

The real Church, the Body of Christ, has been Called (Chosen) and given Faith and the Holy Spirit for a Specific Purpose.
 
Firstly let's be clear about one thing.
The real Church has both a privilege and a responsibility.
Christ's Body has been chosen as a gift for the benefit of others - they are blessed so they can be a blessing in ways God has pre-ordained and calls "good works".

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
[Ephesians 2 : 10 NIV]

So what are these good works?
They can be summarised in two categories.
1. To share the good news that God loves every one of His creation and, since Jesus died for the sins of the world, God is at peace with the world.

... a new state of things has come into existence.
And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has appointed us to serve in the ministry of reconciliation.

We are to tell how God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not charging men's transgressions to their account, and that He has entrusted to us the Message of this reconciliation.
[2 Corinthians 5 :17 - 19 Weymouth]

2.  To serve our community following the example of Jesus.

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and great commandment.

A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” 
[Matthew 22 : 37 - 40 WEB]

So the message the Body of Christ has been entrusted with is to be conveyed by word and by deed - by sharing the good news of God's reconciliation with the world and by expressing God's love and kindness to our neighbour.

This is the Church's privilege and responsibility - the specific purpose it has been chosen, given faith and empowered by the Holy Spirit for.

We are indeed blessed and equipped to be a blessing to others.
Blessings, Barry