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Church
What
is church?
A building where people meet on Sundays?
That is the
answer that most people would give you if you were to ask. In fact, the
first definition in a dictionary would most likely be 'a building
designed for worship'.
But if you were to ask Jesus, He would tell
you that the church is His people. It is not a building, but a body.
It
is a group of believers, not a denomination.
The Greek word for church
is "eklesia", or "called out body", those who have
been called out of the world through salvation. There may be many
churches in your community, but all born again believers are ONE in
Christ. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:22, 23 that God has ..."put
all things under (Christ's) feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things
to the church, which is His body..."
He also tells us in 1 Timothy
3:15 that the local church is the house of the Living God,
and..."the pillar and ground of the truth."
"And let
us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is: but exhorting one anther: and so much the more, as ye see the day
(of Christ's return) approaching." (Hebrews 10:24 & 25)
Your
selection of a church should be preceded by prayer and reliance upon
the leading of the Lord. Be sure to choose a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, Bible-preaching church.
You may say that you don't need
church. That you can watch church on TV, or listen to church on the
radio, or learn through Christian literature and the Bible. But to
serve the Lord, it is important to gather with a group of believers to
worship the Lord, praise Him, learn of Him and then go out and tell
others.
The ministry of a Bible-teaching pastor, the fellowship of
other Christians and the many opportunities to learn, grow and
serve, will nurture you spiritually, and help you discover
God's perfect will for your life.
Some of
the things that constitute a church are
1. Christian love is evident.
2. Bible believing
preaching, centering on the cross and the blood of Christ.
3.
A place where dreams begin. A dream with a vision for your life
and your service.
4. A place where Heaven becomes real. The
people know that there is a Heaven and that is where they
have placed their hope. Heaven is open to us.
5. A place where
sinners are welcome. God doesn't care where you've been, He's
concerned about where you are going!
6. A place where God's
voice is heard and His presence
is known. His presence is
available to us through our worship and praise.
7. A place
where major decisions are made, for your life, seeking His will
and your service.
8. A place to learn how to commit yourself to
Christ's way of life. A place to learn to live with the joy of Christ in our lives. |
When
you learn to serve, you will find that joy.
Joy for eternity that will
carry you through sin, sadness, sickness, sorrow, depression, and all
things.
One
last point to make about serving the Lord in church is the fact that we
have other Christians to support us.
In Exodus 17, when Moses held up
the rod of God, Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand,
Amalek (the enemy) prevailed. But in verse 12 it tells us how heavy
his hands became, so ..."Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on
the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were
steady until the going down of the sun."
We have our fellow
Christians in church to hold our arms up!
They will lift us up when we
need it!
As you
earnestly and prayerfully seek God's will, He will lead you to the
right church. I hope this page has helped you learn how important it is
for you to learn to serve in a good church body.
God Bless and Keep You
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