WE
ARE THE CHURCH!
Eph
1:22-23
22 And hath put all things under his
[Jesus’] feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him
that filleth all in all.
Six years ago, October 15th 2012, the
demolition and rebuilding of our church sanctuary began.
Strangely enough, Ours was the fourth church in our small town to either
rebuild or experience a major remodel. As I drive by those churches I see some
things I like and some things that I don’t like. It is easy to become envious.
But none of those buildings is the church.
The church is a collection of saved sinners,
believing the same thing, and meeting together for the common purpose of
worshipping the God who saved them and growing both in knowledge and grace. The
word “church” in the New Testament is a combination of two Greek words which
can be most clearly translated as “assembly.” So, the church is wherever an
organized group of believers meet together.
I well remember our
final baptism in our old auditorium. The sight was a bit sad because large
cross buck braces held up the ceiling. The pews had been removed along with the
sound system and everything that might get in the way of the workers who would
arrive the next morning. The true church stood, as if at the side of a river,
to watch five precious ones follow their Lord in believer’s baptism. The
building is not the church!
Hanging on my office wall is a picture of a western
wagon train circled for the night. Around a central
campfire all the people stood listening to the preaching of one man in black
holding an old black book. These people were in transition. They had not yet
reached their destination and their homes were temporary. Every time I look at
this picture I am reminded that the center of worship is that book and the man
holding it.
Matt
16:18
18 …upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Dear Lord, thank you for the collection of people
that I call my church. AMEN
No comments:
Post a Comment