HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div

Third  I love the Church as the heart and plan of Christ

The Church is the bride of Christ, it is the body of Christ–we are the sheep and He is the shepherd.  And even though Christ loves His children individually and personally, every one of His true children belongs to something bigger and grander.  We are a part of His body–we together make up His bride, His flock.

Speaking of the Church, Paul says in Ephesians 4:16, “From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supply, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”  We function like gears in a machine.  We function like organs in the body.  We all are a part of something that can glorify God together, that we personally could never accomplish on our own individually.

We together can represent Christ to others far more effectively than we can individually.  The Church is so important, you can’t parent Biblically without the Church, and you can’t fight spiritual warfare without the local church corporately.  Develop a conviction to love the local church.  What’s that look like?  You faithfully serve in the local church, you sacrificially give to the local church, you are relationally knit to the local church.  You say, “No,” to everything possible that keeps you from attending weekly worship, you refuse to tear her members down with your tongue or malign her purity with your gossip or criticism or impure actions, you honour Christ’s appointed under-shepherds, you pray for her efforts to make Christ known locally and worldwide, and you love her people with sacrificial agape love–we gather to love.  What about having a meal with another family you don’t know once per month?

Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us we are a community who faithfully gather, “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the Day drawing near.”  Is there any club, any organization, or any business that has your heart more than the local church?  How can you say you love Christ, and not passionately be committed to His bride?  Do you have a conviction about the local church?  If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.