The Church of Christ

The evening breeze carried the salt of the Mediterranean as Paul and Luke walked along the shoreline of Miletus. Their sandaled feet left temporary impressions in the damp sand, soon erased by the gentle waves. The sun was setting, painting the sky in hues of amber and purple, a daily reminder of the Creator’s artistry that never failed to move Luke’s heart.

Paul had just finished his emotional farewell to the Ephesian elders, and Luke could see the weight of responsibility still etched on his mentor’s weathered face. The physician in Luke noticed how Paul’s shoulders seemed to carry an invisible burden, though his eyes burned with the same unwavering determination he’d come to know so well during their travels together.

“You spoke with such urgency to them,” Luke began, breaking their contemplative silence. “I’ve never seen the elders so moved, especially when you said they would never see your face again.”

Paul nodded slowly, his beard catching the last rays of the setting sun. “The Holy Spirit compels me to Jerusalem, Luke. And with each city, it testifies that bonds and afflictions await me there.” He paused, picking up a smooth stone from the beach and turning it over in his calloused hands. “But I wanted to ensure they understood the gravity of their responsibility.”

Luke recalled Paul’s words to the elders: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of Christ which He purchased with His own blood.”

“Tell me more about what you meant by ’the church of Christ,’” Luke pressed, knowing that as a careful chronicler of events, every detail mattered. “You’ve spoken of it before, but I want to understand it fully.”

Paul’s eyes took on that familiar intensity that appeared whenever he discussed matters of faith. “Consider this, my dear physician,” he began, gesturing with the stone still in his hand. “Just as a builder carefully selects each stone for a foundation, Christ has built His church with His own blood as the price. It’s not just any assembly or congregation – it’s His own possession, purchased at an unimaginable cost.”

They walked a few more steps in silence, their shadows lengthening on the sand. The sound of waves provided a rhythmic backdrop to their conversation, like the steady heartbeat of creation itself.

“Think of it, Luke,” Paul continued, his voice taking on the teacher’s tone Luke had heard him use in countless cities. “When I spoke to those elders, I wasn’t just giving instructions for managing a local assembly. I was entrusting them with the care of something precious beyond measure – the very church that Christ claimed as His own through His sacrifice.”

Luke pulled out his writing materials, his practiced hands ready to record these crucial insights. “And the overseers? Their role in this church of Christ?”

Paul’s expression grew more serious. “They’re not merely administrators, Luke. They’re shepherds appointed by the Holy Spirit Himself. Just as a shepherd risks his life for his flock, they must be willing to protect the church from the wolves I warned them about – those who would distort the truth and lead believers astray.”

The sun had nearly disappeared now, leaving behind a deep blue canvas studded with emerging stars. Paul stopped walking and turned to face his companion fully.

“You know, Luke, in all our travels together, in all the cities where we’ve established communities of believers, I’ve seen how crucial it is that they understand whose church they belong to. It’s not mine, it’s not Peter’s, it’s not Apollo’s – it’s Christ’s church, bought with His blood.”

Luke nodded thoughtfully, his stylus moving across the parchment. “I’ve noticed how carefully you always emphasize this point in your teachings.”

“Because it matters, my friend. It matters more than many realize.” Paul’s voice took on a prophetic tone. “The day will come when men will try to claim ownership of what belongs to Christ alone. They’ll attach their own names, their own traditions, their own requirements to His church. That’s why I wanted those elders – and now you – to understand the significance of this truth.”

The darkness was settling in around them, but neither man moved to return to their lodgings. This was too important a conversation to rush.

“Tell me about the purchase price again,” Luke prompted, knowing that Paul’s perspective on Christ’s sacrifice was unique among the apostles, having come to faith after the resurrection.

Paul’s voice softened with reverence. “His own blood, Luke. Think about what that means. As a physician, you understand the significance of blood better than most. It’s life itself. When I say He purchased the church with His own blood, I’m speaking of the most costly transaction in all of history. The Son of God, giving His life to claim His people as His own.”

Luke’s mind went to the medical implications of crucifixion, something he had studied extensively since becoming a follower of The Way. “The physical suffering alone…”

“Goes beyond what we can comprehend,” Paul completed the thought. “But it wasn’t just the physical agony. He took upon Himself the full weight of humanity’s sin. That’s the true price He paid to establish His church.”

They began walking again, now by the light of the rising moon. The silver light transformed the beach into an otherworldly landscape, fitting for such a profound discussion.

“The elders seemed particularly moved when you spoke of never seeing them again,” Luke observed, remembering the tears and embraces that had followed Paul’s farewell address.

“Yes,” Paul acknowledged, his voice heavy with emotion. “But more important than their sorrow at my departure is their understanding of their responsibility to the church of Christ. They must remember that they’re caring for His possession, His people, His bride.”

Luke’s stylus paused above the parchment. “His bride?”

Paul’s face lit up with that familiar excitement he showed whenever he could expand on a spiritual truth. “Yes, Luke! The church isn’t just an organization or an assembly – it’s the bride of Christ. Think of the intimacy that implies, the level of care and devotion He has for His church. When I tell the overseers to shepherd the church of Christ, I’m reminding them that they’re caring for His beloved bride.”

The waves continued their endless conversation with the shore as Paul elaborated. “This is why the overseers must be men of unimpeachable character, why they must guard against false teachers, why they must be willing to sacrifice for the flock. They’re stewarding something precious beyond measure – the very bride Christ died to redeem.”

Luke was struck by the poetry of it all – the divine romance between Christ and His church, purchased with His blood, tended by shepherds appointed by the Spirit. His medical mind appreciated the practical implications while his writer’s heart was moved by the beautiful imagery.

“Paul,” he ventured, “when you speak of the church of Christ, you seem to be referring to something larger than just the congregation in Ephesus.”

“Indeed,” Paul confirmed, his voice carrying over the sound of the waves. “While each local congregation is part of it, the church of Christ encompasses all believers everywhere who have been purchased by His blood. It transcends cities, provinces, and even time itself. It includes those who have gone before us in faith and those who will come after.”

The moon had risen higher now, casting their shadows behind them as they walked. The Mediterranean stretched out to their right, vast and mysterious in the darkness, like the depths of the truth they were discussing.

“That’s why I’m so urgent in my warnings,” Paul continued. “The enemy will try to divide what Christ has united. He’ll attempt to convince believers to rally around human leaders rather than Christ alone. He’ll introduce teachings that distract from the simple truth of the gospel. The overseers must be vigilant against these threats.”

Luke remembered the tears in the eyes of the Ephesian elders as they listened to Paul’s warnings. “You told them grievous wolves would come in.”

“Yes, and not just from outside. Even from among their own number, men will arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves.” Paul’s voice carried a note of sorrow. “This is why I emphasized that it’s the church of Christ – to remind them that no human leader, no matter how gifted or sincere, can claim ownership of what He purchased with His blood.”

They had walked quite a distance now, and by mutual agreement turned to head back toward the city. The lights of Miletus twinkled in the distance like earthbound stars.

“Luke, my friend,” Paul said after a while, “as you record these events and teachings for future generations, make sure this point is clear: the church belongs to Christ. He bought it with His blood, He leads it by His Spirit, and He will preserve it until He returns.”

Luke nodded solemnly, understanding the weight of his responsibility as a chronicler. “Is that why you specifically used the phrase ‘church of Christ’ when addressing the elders?”

“Exactly,” Paul confirmed. “Words matter, Luke. Every word in our teaching should point to Him, and should remind believers that they belong to Christ alone. The church is His body, His bride, His building – and He paid for it with His own blood.”

As they neared the city, their conversation turned to the practical implications of this truth. Paul spoke of how understanding the church’s true identity in Christ should shape everything from worship to fellowship to mission.

“When believers gather,” he explained, “they should do so with the awareness that they’re not just another religious assembly, but the blood-bought people of Christ. Their unity should reflect His ownership, their love for one another should demonstrate His transforming power, and their mission should align with His purpose.”

Luke was particularly interested in how this understanding would shape the future of the church. “What do you see in the years to come?”

Paul’s response was both hopeful and realistic. “I see the church of Christ enduring despite persecution, growing despite opposition, and maintaining its distinctive character despite the pressures to conform to the world. But this will only happen if each generation remembers whose church it is and at what price they were purchased.”

The streets of Miletus were quiet now, most residents having retired for the night. Their footsteps echoed off the buildings as they made their way back to their lodgings.

“One more thing, Luke,” Paul said as they prepared to part for the night. “When you write about this, remember that the church of Christ isn’t just a theological concept – it’s a living reality. Every believer who has been purchased by His blood is part of this precious possession. Every local congregation that stays true to His teaching is a manifestation of His church. And every overseer who faithfully shepherds the flock is caring for His bride.”

Luke promised to convey these truths faithfully in his writing. As he prepared his sleeping area that night, he could still hear Paul praying in the next room, interceding for the church of Christ with the passion of one who understood its true value.

The next morning, as they prepared to continue their journey toward Jerusalem, Luke reviewed his notes from their conversation. He was struck by how their discussion had illuminated the profound significance of Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders. The church of Christ – purchased with His blood, led by His Spirit, shepherded by His appointed overseers, and destined for eternal union with Him.

As they boarded the ship that would carry them closer to Jerusalem, Luke couldn’t help but reflect on the privilege of recording these truths for future generations. He understood that long after both he and Paul had departed, the church of Christ would continue its journey through history, always belonging to its divine Purchaser, always guided by His Spirit, always moving toward its ultimate destiny.

The sea breeze caught Paul’s cloak as they set sail, and Luke could see in his friend’s eyes that same unwavering commitment to the church that Christ had purchased with His own blood. Whatever awaited them in Jerusalem, whatever trials lay ahead, this truth would remain constant: the church belonged to Christ, and no power in heaven or earth could change that reality.

As the coastline of Miletus faded into the distance, Luke carefully stored his writing materials, knowing that their conversation about the church of Christ would be preserved not just in ink and parchment, but in the living testimony of countless believers who would come to understand and embrace this precious truth.

The story of Paul’s dialogue with Luke about the church of Christ serves as a timeless reminder of the profound significance of Christ’s purchase of His church with His own blood. It challenges every generation of believers to remember whose church they are and to live worthy of such a precious identity.

In the years that followed, as Luke completed his careful account of these events, the truth they discussed that night in Miletus would echo through the centuries, reminding believers in every age that they belong to Christ alone, purchased at an incalculable price, and entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the purity and unity of His church until He returns.

The waves that witnessed their conversation have long since returned to the sea, but the truth they discussed continues to shape and guide the church of Christ, purchased with His blood, preserved by His power, and destined for eternal glory with Him.