We have been created to reflect the image of God. God’s clearly revealed His passions and when we know His passions then to properly reflect His image they will become our passions. Among His passion is His love for the Church. Jesus Christ gave His life to redeem mankind. Every redeemed individual becomes a part of His body, the church. We are identified in the Bible as the Bride of Christ. If Jesus Christ gave His life to redeem us and establish His Bride then shouldn’t we, those who reflect His image, love His Church as well?
As messed up and as fallible as we can be within the church, the church is still God’s plan for refining us and revealing Himself to mankind. For that reason and to reflect the image of God, I love the church. Let me just say too that the church takes many forms. Depending on culture and preference the church can look very different: i.e. house churches, cell churches, Pentecostal churches, mainline churches, underground churches, etc. All of these churches gather for specific reasons and these reasons motivate me to get to church every single week:
Worship. I’m motivated to get to church because I can’t wait to meet God in a dynamic experience of adoration and praise. I am there to declare His worth. Church is not about me, it’s about the presence of the living God among us as a church body. He is the center of attraction and the focus of our love.
Fellowship. I’m motivated to attend church because of my connection with a community of believers that I love. I love hanging out with fellow followers of Christ. There is a kinship and love that happens among believers. I need these people just as they need me; it is the place that I am loved and the place that I give love.
More to come...
No comments:
Post a Comment