THE CHURCH (1 Pet.2:9-10)
The Spiritual Home of every true believer and the place which countless people,who adhere to the Christian Faith, attend on certain days of the week. 
It is a very misunderstood term in the minds of innumerable people.
What is the Church? A building where people go on certain days of the week and meet other people to find company or even exchange ideas and talk about religious issues? Is it a place which we can attend and be involved in certain rituals, such as baptizing babies to become Christians, conduct a funeral service, a wedding service or many other things which we consider part of our religion? None of these things.

In the two verses in 1 Peter 2, we are told that the Church is:
1. A Chosen Generation.
2. A Royal Priesthood.
3. A Holy Nation.
4. His Own Special People.

Looking at this list we may realize that it is not the usual idea of most ordinary people who follow the Christian Religion. It probably comes as a surprise to such people that this is God's idea of the Church and not the common one.
Peter, having stated in those verses what the Church is goes on to tell us what the Church of God should be doing on this earth, what her members were and what they are now. However, we must bear in mind that the Church is one of the two Institutions that God established. They are:
The Church
The Family.
Looking more carefully at the statements in verse 9 we note that the Church is:
A Chosen Generation. A Body of people specially chosen by God for a specific purpose. It is actually a race of people called by God to become His family-Gal.6:10. Is is the Family of God, spiritually and physically. Not an ordinary family but one consisting of sons and daughters by adoption, Christ being the Head of this Family and of the Church.
A Royal Priesthood. God made us Kings and Priests. Kings rule and Priests minister to people. We are co-rulers with Christ ministering the Word of our God to people. We shall reign forever, not because we are worthy but because of Christ's worthiness. We are not an ordinary Priesthood but a Royal one. We descend from God, the Great King, the Heavenly Redeemer.
A Holy Nation. There are many nations on this earth but none can claim Holiness. All have sinned and done evil in the sight of God. The Nation that God has called has been sanctified by God Himself and set apart to be Holy to God. The Church has this unique attribute; she belongs to a Holy God. It is God's holiness resting upon the Church that makes her a Nation of Holy people, sanctified by the Blood of the Lamb. It is a holy nation that came into being not by works of righteousness but by the Blood of Christ. A Holy Nation belonging to God-Ex.19:6, Deut.7:6.
His Own Special People. Special, not because of their abilities and good standing in the world but because they were purchased in a unique way, by the Blood, and set apart by God for a special purpose. To serve, worship God and be witnesses to His name. Special, because they are separated from all other nations and people on this earth-His people. This Nation and all its people
claim a personal relationship with their God and are recognized by Him as His-Matt.3:17-17.
In verse 9, Peter goes on to say what the Church should be doing, ' That you may proclaim the praises of Him....' . The Church, in these last days, shows itself as a body of people who resemble a benevolent organization or people who copy the world in entertainment and methods. One wonders what account the Church will give to her Maker on the day of reckoning Is the Church doing what God asks her to do on this earth? Somebody said, 'The Church is good at saving people but not so good at making saints' . What sort of picture does the Church present to the world? A body of people made up of countless Denominations fighting each other over their doctrines?
Verse 9 clearly tells us what the Church should be doing in this world-Showing the world who the Head is by giving glory to Him only.
Through the Church and through no other means will the world see the Glory of God and witness the mighty acts of her Redeemer. Not only that but also that the world will be reproved of its wickedness.
Finally, Peter in verse 10, tells us what kind of people make up this Church-'Who once were not a people....' . The Church of God is made up of people who once were lost in the darkness of this world, unknown, the rejects of this world but God delighted to draw them to His light and fashioned them as sons and daughters. How? Because of the Cross.
Redeemed by the Blood, bought back to God. They were people who never knew what Mercy was
because they were condemned to a lost Eternity. But God in His great love drew them to Himself and set them free from judgement. Now they are destined for the Heavenly city that He built for them.

HE IS NOT HERE HE IS RISEN

                                                               HRISTOS VASKRES         

                                        

UNITY  (PSALM 133:1-3)
Unity is a rare quality in the Church but vitally important if we are to experience God's blessing.
Unity is not something we can manufacture by human effort but something that comes from above by the agency of the Holy Spirit, when we yield to His authority.
Paul, the Apostle, exhorts the believers in his Epistles to be of one mind, a thing that shows the disunity in the early Christian Churches. No wonder most of those Churches fell apart and disappeared from the face of the earth.
Not only Paul but also the Psalmist, in the Psalm above, praises Unity among believers-'How good and how pleasant' . This does not mean we cannot have questions and differences of opinion
in the Church. We are not a robotic or mindless group of people! The Psalmist sees Unity as something very precious, saying that it is 'Good' and 'Pleasant' .
Disunity creates a bitter taste in the Church and people are not slow to see this, especially unbelievers. The example the Psalmist gives of Unity is like the Anointing Oil upon Aaron's head. How did the Psalmist know this a long time after the event? Verbal Tradition.
The Anointing Oil was very costly to prepare and of a beautiful fragrance (Exodus 30:34-38) and so is Unity in the Church. It is a pleasant quality. Not only pleasant but also costly. To have Unity we need to lay down our own will with its own petty self-important ideas, likes and preferences. Jesus said, 'whoever wants to be chief among you let him be servant of all' - a voluntary act. We need to say 'Not my will but yours be done' . Self wants to have its own way. Self demands. We need to crucify self-a painful, costly business.
The Ointment ran down to the hem of Aaron's garment. It was not a smear but a liberal application. We often worry that we shall spoil our clothes or hairdos whenever there is a need for anointing. How do we measure the cost of Unity in the Body of Christ?
The Anointing was applied at the top, not at the bottom. Unity comes from above, when we allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in the Church, first with the leadership and then with the members. The Anointing Oil ran down to the hem of Aaron's garment where the bells and pomegranates were. If we have Unity people we hear about it, we do not need to broadcast it. Unity goes together with love, something people desperately need - the product of God's Salvation.
The Psalmist not only likens Unity to the Anointing Oil but also to the dew of Hermon that descended upon the parched land of Jerusalem to refresh and moisten the earth. Unity refreshes and moistens the Church. It moistens the parched ground of discord and bitterness. It sustains the life of the Church. A disunited Church is like dry bones that have an appearance of life but no breath. It is the move of the Holy Spirit that gives vitality and warmth in a united Body.
What are the reasons for disunity in a Church?
Paul the Apostle, in 1 Cor.1:10-11, speaks about the problems in the Corinthian Church, a bed of disunity and divisions. Self was prevalent in this Church. Believers laid emphasis on their opinions of what the preachers said but did not sort it out with the preachers. It all indicated one thing-Carnality in the Church. Paul wrote to this Church repeatedly to admonish the believers and correct them. The Church finally disappeared from the face of the earth. Where Disunity prevails in any Church the same fate awaits that Church.
Christ warned the Ephesian Church about the error of their ways. If they did not Repent He would remove their Lamp-stand from their midst (Rev.2:5). The Church of Ephesus also disappeared from the face of the earth. When God removes the Lamp-stand from a Church there is no more light from His Word. Our own light of errors and disunity will eventually prevail. The Lamp-stand
disappears first and then the believers.