Church is… people
To most people ‘church’ means a offering forgiveness and eternal
building – whether a great cathe- life, and his compassionate heart
dral or a little chapel. For some, showing mercy to the oppressed
the church means the Church of and needy. As someone once put it,
England, or the Roman Catholic we may be the only Jesus that our
Church, or the Methodists, Bap- friends will ever see.
tists or Salvation Army. In fact,
none of these is the Church! For Denominations or distinctive groups
the first 200 years Christians had of Christians have emerged over
no special buildings and no de- the centuries, with slightly different
nominational groups. beliefs and practices. The Elim Pen-
tecostal Church holds all the great
The Church is simply this – a group beliefs of Christianity in common with
of people who have chosen to make other Christians, but arose to restore
Jesus the Lord of their lives. In the a special emphasis on the Holy Spir-
act of baptism they symbolise their it, at a time when a full appreciation
entry into the Church (Romans of the Holy Spirit’s work was lacking
6:3-4). As God’s children (Romans in most other churches. In the last
8:14-17) they are related to each 30 years, many other churches have
other as spiritual brothers and made similar journeys in their under-
sisters. With this new-found standing of the Holy Spirit.
relationship with Christ and
new connection with one People matter to God and they mat-
another they join together ter to us. Jesus calls ordinary people
regularly to worship their and enables them, in partnership
Lord, to learn from the Bible with his Holy Spirit and with other
and to help and encourage each believers, to do extraordinary things.
other (1 Corinthians 14:26).
This is the true Church – people in
whom Christ lives by his Spirit (Eph-
esians 2:21-22), giving us spiritual
life and vitality to represent Christ to
the world in every generation (Acts
1:8). In fact, the Bible describes the
Church as like Christ’s body. We are
to be his hands bringing healing, his
feet bringing good news, his voice
www.elim.org.uk 3
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