The Unique Group Called the Church

PART ONE:   Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that “I will build My Church.” So the Church is not an Old Testament thing of the past. Notice He said “My Church.”  In John 17 Jesus says the disciples belonged to God, but God gave them to Him under the New Covenant. The Greek word for the Church is the ekklesia, the called out ones. We are called out as His.
 
This unique group never existed before. Whereas God’s people, the Israelites, met God at the base of Mt. Sinai, Hebrews 12:22-24 explains that the Church has “come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.”
 
Just as the Great Commission defines our role as the Church on the earth in this time, the Hebrews passage defines our role as the Bride. Gathered together with Jesus our Bridegroom at the rapture, we take our place as part of the immortal heavenly government as joint-heirs with Christ.
 
This unique group does not include the Old Testament saints. They are part of the redeemed, but they do not reign with Christ as we do. This is a limited time offer that extends between Christ’s first and second coming. It is built and established during the unique time period that Jesus called Today and Tomorrow. We’re marked as His when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
 
We are marked for a Third Day completion “date” with Him. For our Beloved has promised: “to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”  This overcoming power over death comes only by the blood of the Lamb and our confession of faith and testimony (Rev. 12:11). This is our resurrection and perfection.
 
This is our destiny as believers. For now, we “taste” the powers we shall have when we are fully completed in Christ (Hebrews 6:5). Then we shall operate by the Spirit without limits. Then we shall crush the enemy forces coming against Israel through our heavenly declarations. Then we shall execute justice against all that is evil, and bring down Satan’s spiritual hierarchy influencing the earth (Ephesians 6:12).
 
So take heart, my brothers and sisters. You may not feel as if you’ve been able to do much for Christ. You may feel as if you have let Him down or that you don’t have much to offer Him. But if you’ve given Him your heart, betrothed to Him by the Spirit, this is just a part of what you have in store for you. Together we shall reign with Him as the eternal heavenly government. We shall live with Him through all eternity. It doesn’t get any better than that!