The church is the hope of the world. The saving message and transformational power of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can change a human heart, and the local church is God's primary carrier of that message.

One of the many pictures God uses in the Bible to teach us about the Church is the Church as the body of Christ. God is doing His work through millions of hands and feet and mouths and ears and hearts in a million different places all at once.

He is doing the same thing through His body (that’s you and me as the Church) that He did in His earthly body over 2000 years ago. He is healing hearts and leading people to be reconciled to their Father. He is caring for the poor, the sick and the widowed. Jesus usually does these things through us as His people.

What a privilege.

Bill Hybels says, ‘There's nothing like the local church when the local church is working right’. Over the next few months we will be looking at what God intends for the Church and also some of the things that can hurt it or prevent it from functioning as it should.

We have a hope and His name is Jesus and through us, His body, He can change the world...one life and one story at a time.

Blessings

Stuart