The messiah, or "anointed one" is referred to also in the book of Psalms: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows," (Psalm 45:6-7). These and many other Old Testament references illustrate the importance of the messiah for the Israelites, and the role that the messiah would play as a spiritual leader. Because of the abundance of historical and prophetic material substantiating Christ, countless Christians have spread the word of the gospel around the world. From the personal testimony passed down for two thousand years, individuals like me have been able to develop our own relationship with Christ. We draw upon the wisdom of those who have gone before us, reading scripture and participating in the Christian community. It is through the Christian community that many of us put into action the words of Jesus, who was born to...

The importance of community is best outlined in Matthew 18:20: "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Each person will experience the love of Christ slightly differently, depending on his or her life circumstances. However, the love of Christ is universal. We have seen the good works that Christians have performed throughout history and view those works as evidence of Christ's love in action.

References

"Historical Jesus: A Recent Movement to Reinterpret the New Testament Record." All About Jesus. Retrieved May 11, 2010 from http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/Historical-Jesus.htm

"History of Jesus Christ." History World. Retrieved May 11, 2010 from http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac34

"Which Old Testament prophecies did Jesus fulfill?" Retrieved May 11, 2010 from http://www.biblestudy.org/prophecy/old-testament-prophecies-jesus-fulfilled.html