A lone Christian is an oxymoron. There must be a gathering, a congregation, an assembly. This ekklesia, this church, the body of Christ, is meant to image God on this earth. We are his physical body on the earth. We collectively are his ambassadors on this planet.

There are small pieces of the United States scattered all over the globe. Every US Embassy is considered part of the United States. In much the same way, the congregation of believers gathered together are a Kingdom outpost. Heaven on earth. We are city on a hill. We are a light to the world.

That one point of light shines in the darkness around us. Darkness can never put out the light. Other gatherings of His people in other locations shine the light in the darkness around them. These light may be close together or far apart. The more of these embassies full of Christ’s ambassadors the more light that shines in the darkness. As time goes on, there will be more and more lights and the darkness will decrease. This will go on until one day darkness is defeated and light will cover the entire earth. Christ will return and defeat his last enemy, death. He will be Lord of Heaven and Earth for all eternity. Heaven will come down as the New Jerusalem and God will be with humans in perfect harmony as He always intended.