I LOVE THE CHURCH
I love the church! The church is the body of Christ, made up of those who have obeyed the gospel and been added to it (Eph. 1:22-23; Acts 2:47). The church is not a man made organization or a social entity. It is not to be taken lightly because in the end it will be delivered up to the Father (1 Cor. 15:24). There are many reasons to love the church. Here are three. I love the church because of the purchase price. The church was not an after-thought in the mind of God or a stop gate organization until the Lord could come back to this earth. It was bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Eph. 2:25). To the Ephesians elders he said, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Would something your son died for be important to you? So is the church to God.
I love the church because of its purpose, Paul instructs us by writing, “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God” (Eph. 3:10). The purpose is to make known to the world that Christ died for the church, and to be saved, one must be a member of it. The church is to edify its members and also to help the poor. One of the most telling and powerful verses in Holy Writ is found in this verse, “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Eph. 3:21). God is glorified in the church! Righteous lives glorify God.
I love the church because of its performance. Christ gave The Great Commission. He said, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15). Matthew recorded like this, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations…” (Mt. 28:19). Marching orders! Performance! When we perform in preaching the gospel, when we perform in helping the poor and the needy, when we perform in edifying our members we are glorifying God. We see the performance of the early church when the scriptures say, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (Acts 2:46).
There are many reasons to love the church. Being a member of the church means being a part of a blood bought, God ordained, Christ ruled kingdom that will be saved at the end of time (1 Cor. 15:24).
Larry