Why do so highly esteem the Church? Because it is Christ’s.
The Church looks small, unimpressive, outdated and boring to
the world but, God has chosen it to be the ultimate conduit through which He
displays His Grace, Justice and power to the world. (All the His other infinite
stuff as well.)
The Church heralds the truths contained in scripture, the
Holy Spirit uses that truths and changes lives. God has always used the things
the world regards as week as His ultimate tool and the Church is one shinning
example of that.
The church is Christ special possession which He bought at
the highest price. His affection for her has never lagged. He cares for her, He
sustains her, He feeds her and clothes her.
The church is the one thing on this earth He loves the most.
We are loved because we are part of the church, the church is loved because we
are the church. The tension between the individual’s importance and the importance
of the congregation is only in the mind of man. What God wants from and for the
church He also wants from and for the individual. There is no tension.Christ will build His Church, He is the one who builds it, He owns it. We are His body, He will look after it He will build it. The existence of the Church is because of Christ and His work.
Christ prays in John 17 for His Church, not for the world but, for those that the Father has given to Him. No one will rip even one of us out of His hand. He protects His bride, He looks after her. The individual within the whole. Us being part of the body in itself is Him protecting us.
We being part of the body is, us being obedient to Him, honouring Him as our head. We do not exists without the body.
In John 10 we read that Jesus know all His sheep by name so, He cares for the individual within the group as swell. Our names are written in the book of life before time. Revelation 13.
If we want to know the value of anything we simply read the price tag. If you want to know what value the Church has, read the price label. It cost Jesus, the very God, the only Son of God His life. Ephesians 5.
If Christ values the Church so much, how dare we value her any less.
Jesus says he will build His church. So it takes us off the hook sort-of. It give us hope and builds our faith. Christ the almighty saviour who created this very earth we live on, who flung it into space and sustains it will grow His church.
It also must be said here that he is not talking about the
local church here but the global church, those who are part of the true church,
those He will build. He calls the individual out of the world into His church.Where there is a local church today there might be an empty building attesting to its existence in the past. Christ can and will take away the lamp of the local church who abandon their first love. So be careful how you live in and love this fleeting world.
We must always remember we are still on this earth and every Christian reborn of Christ is still here, on earth. The Church is made up of half completed building projects. Yes, some has even stopped all work and is waiting for the second coming. The minister in the pulpit has also got a “God at work” sign around his neck.
We are called to be part of the church, because we are already part of it. We are commanded to use our gifts, to be formed by and helped by our fellow members of the body.
It is nothing more than clear fleshly arrogance to think
that we can live without being and doing our part in church.
Christ has seen it fit to call some to apply themselves full
time to the studying and teaching of His word. He has chosen to make prayer the
means by which our faith can grow and by which we will receive His gifts.We are weaved into the carpet that is the church of God, be the strand God commands you to be in His Church.
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