The church?

Congregation, worship, building, denomination–they can all correctly be called church. But as significant as all of these are, we know that in its fullest sense, the church is bigger than any of them.

So what is the church? Who is the church? Here is a simple definition: The church is the assembly of all those who call Jesus Lord. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’” St. Paul says, “except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

In the Apostles’ Creed, we confess that we believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, and the communion of saints. Creating and nurturing the church is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit starts by calling individuals to faith in Christ.

So what is the church? YOU are – everywhere you go.

This message is adapted from “God’s Grand Experiment” written by Karen Melang in the July/August 2007 issue of Lutheran Women Today (now Gather magazine). Today we remember Onesimos Nesib, translator, evangelist, who died 1931.