Sometimes it is good just to take a step back from the work of Church, and ask some questions. In this message, Pastor Richard asks the question, “What is the Church?”

In his essay on the Church, Christopher Morgan writes: “The church has its origin in the eternal purposes of God. It is the new covenant community of Jesus, rooted in Israel, constructed by Jesus, and inaugurated by the Holy Spirit. The church is the people of God, chosen by the Father, and graciously brought into a relationship with the triune God and one another. The church is the redeemed communion of saints, bought by the blood of Christ, universal and invisible, incorporating all believers throughout all ages—those on earth and those in heaven. The church is the adopted family of God, once slaves to sin but now brought into a loving relationship with God as Father and each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. The church is the body of Christ, having him as head, dependent on him, gifted by the Holy Spirit, crafted as a unity with diversity, and reliant on one another, functioning as Christ’s instruments in the world. The church is the bride of Christ, particularly loved by him, saved by his sacrificial work on the cross, exclusively devoted to him, and increasingly adorned in beauty for him, the bridegroom. The church is the temple of the Spirit, filled with the fullness of Christ, marked by God’s presence. The church is the new humanity, composed of Jewish and Gentile Christians united in Christ, and demonstrating the way life was always supposed to be. The church is the branches that abide in the true vine that is Christ, in union with him and dependent on him. The church is the gathered covenant community, regularly coming together for worship, communion, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and mission. The church is the kingdom community, existing in the already and the not yet, living out God’s eternal purpose of cosmic unity, all for God’s glory.”

From this amazing list, Pastor Richard shares about the Church as the New Covenant people of God, the gathered Covenant community, and the body of Christ.

What is the Church