Hey PPN Family,

It is normal today to think of churches as buildings where people go to worship, but 2000 years ago during the time of Jesus, the word “church” did not refer to a building, but to a people. The first time that Jesus used the word “church” in the New Testament was in Matthew 16:18 when He said (NLT), “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

The word translated “church” in this verse is the Greek word “ecclesia” which means a group of people who have been called out for a special purpose.

So, picture this, Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi which was a centre of pagan worship and one of the most wicked and idolatrous cities at the time, and He declares that He was building a movement of people who would destroy Satan’s kingdom and his power. And God is still doing this today. His mission for His church, or His people, has not changed.

In a world where we see many examples of “hell” manifesting itself wherever we look, Jesus calls His people to destroy this by literally bringing “heaven to earth.” Where there is hate, God calls us to bring love; where there is sickness, God calls us to bring healing; where there is war, God calls us to bring peace; where there is hunger, God calls us to bring food; and where there is loneliness, God calls us to bring friendship. God is in the business of making the world a better place and He is doing this by bringing heaven to earth through His people.

So let us make the most of every opportunity that we have to join God in overcoming evil with good, and love, and grace, and forgiveness, and mercy, because as the saying goes, “We don’t go to church, we are the church.”

God bless,

Roland Talamaivao-Amituanai