Week 5 (26 Jan - 1 Feb): The Church, The Divine Community

This week’s message, The Church - The Divine Community, was really a reminder of who we are before it was about what we do.

It brought us back to the foundation of the church. The church is not built on leaders, personalities, or even good intentions. It is built on Christ alone. Jesus Himself said, “I will build My church.” That means He owns it, He sustains it, and He decides what it becomes. When anything else takes that place, no matter how impressive it looks, the structure becomes unstable.

We were also reminded that the church is not a building. It is a divine community called together by God. Locations may change. Setups may improve or decline. But the church remains because the church is people formed by the Spirit. We are baptised by one Spirit into one body. That is what holds us together, not convenience or comfort.

The church is the body of Christ. That means every part matters. Some serve visibly, others quietly, but no role is unimportant. When each person brings what they have, the body becomes strong. Unity does not mean sameness. It means interdependence.

The church is also the bride of Christ. That speaks of love, commitment, and faithfulness. Our deepest devotion is not to a ministry or a leader, but to Christ Himself, who loved the church and gave Himself for her.

Alongside this is the Great Commitment. Following Christ was never meant to be casual or optional. The early believers devoted themselves to the life of the body, even when it was costly or inconvenient. Commitment is what sustains unity over time. It keeps the church together when feelings change and circumstances become difficult.

And finally, the church exists to bless others. We are not gathered only for ourselves, but sent for the sake of the world. As Christ’s body on earth, the church carries His presence, His compassion, and His good news to those who have yet to encounter Him.

As I was preparing and reflecting on this, I could not help but think about something I had written about in my studies. One of the dangers the church has always faced is the pull toward personalities. This is not a modern problem. It was already present in the early church. In Corinth, believers began identifying themselves by the leaders they followed. Some said, “I follow Paul.” Others said, “I follow Apollos.” What they thought was loyalty, Paul called immaturity.

That spoke to me deeply, because it reminds us how easy it is to drift. Even with good intentions, we can begin to attach our faith to people rather than to Christ. When that happens, unity becomes fragile, disappointment becomes personal, and the church slowly shifts from being Christ-centred to personality-dependent.

Paul’s response was not to tear leaders down, but to point everyone back to the cross. He reminded the church that only Christ is the foundation. Leaders serve, but Christ remains the Head.

My prayer is that we would be a church that remembers this. A church where Christ is central, the Spirit unites us, commitment runs deep, leaders serve humbly, and every member knows they belong and matter. When we live this way, we become the kind of divine community that truly reflects Jesus to the world.

Love,

Ps D, RT2 Home Fellowship.