The church has been established and exists for Jesus Christ

In 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Paul reminds the church of her identity. There are many today debating what the church is or what the church should be. Yet the Bible is clear that first and foremost the church is God's possession above everything else. In verse 2, Paul addresses this letter to the church of God that is in Corinth. Paul charged the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:20 to shepherd the church of God that He obtained with the blood of His own Son. He told the Corinthians in his first letter that we are not our own but have been bought with a price therefore we are to live our lives from henceforth to the glory of God. For many, the church is about self and promoting selfish agendas but in the Bible, the church has been established and exists for Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus said as He was instructing His followers in Matthew 16 that "I will build MY church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it." (emphasis mine) So the church's identity is wrapped up completely in Jesus Christ. Everything we do as a church should be for Him and everything we are must be to represent and resemble Jesus Christ. Once our identity has been established, then we will discover the resources we have in Christ.