Jesus and the Church - a sacred cooperation

The Church is meant to be a present expression of a future reality — a place where people encounter the risen Jesus. The book of Acts shows us that Jesus didn’t stop working after his resurrection. He continues his mission through the Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 9, we meet two very different people: Saul and Ananias. Saul was a violent persecutor of Christians. Yet in a flash of light and glory, he meets Jesus — and his life is forever changed. When Jesus asks, “Why are you persecuting me?”, he’s reminding us that what we do to the Church, we do to Him. There is a mystical union between Jesus and his people. We are inseparably united with Him.

Enter Ananias. He’s not a well-known apostle, just an ordinary disciple. But Jesus calls him to play a key role in Saul’s transformation. Ananias prays for him, restores his sight, calls him “brother,” and baptizes him into a new life. Through Ananias, we see a picture of the Church’s mission: to accept, heal, and disciple — in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus builds his Church through sacred cooperation with ordinary believers.

That means you. That means now.

You and I are the Ananiases of this generation. The torch has been passed to us. 

Who is Jesus calling you to accept unconditionally? To minister to faithfully? To disciple intentionally?

You were made for this. Let’s be the Church Jesus envisioned — united with Him, filled with His Spirit, and sent for His mission.