“Window On The Word”: Read Hebrews 2:12. These days it seems the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is criticized and demeaned from every segment of society. Some people have become so anti-church that they have abandoned it, and have become vocal opponents of it. To a large extent, the church world-wide as well as local congregations have shot its own self in the feet and given its detractors ammunition to continue the assault. A good question is, with all that is wrong in the church, why should anyone care for, much less love the church? No matter how negative society becomes toward the church, and no matter how imperfect the church is, we should not forget the church is still Christs bride, and when He returns, He will come for His Bride. Why should we love the church?? Because Jesus loves the church..thats why! (1) We show we love Christs Bride by our faithful attendance. Some people think church-going individuals spend too much time in church worship and activities. Secular minded people, even those with their names on the roll, seem totally unaware of the great blessing dedicated Christians receive in worshiping God and fellowshipping with believers. The person who ignores the church is like a man who builds a house without windows and then blames God for having to live in the dark! (2) We show we love Christs Bride by our faithful service. Part of the function of the church in the world is to continue the work of Christ that He did while here in the flesh. He understood His mission here in terms of Isaiah 61:1-4. Through the various agencies of the church we serve to lift up the fallen, bind up the broken heated, to proclaim liberty to the captive and other ministries as our Lord has commissioned us. The church is an assembly where we join with other believers in service, rather than serving alone. The person who has a what has the church done for me lately attitude, has completely missed why the church exists in this world. (3) We show we love Christs Bride by our giving. Often unchurched people make sarcastic comments about the amount of money Gods people give to His work. There are even those who have stopped attending church because they charge, All they talk about is money! These same people do not raise a whisper about the price of a concert ticket, or the vast sums of money the star whisks from the community when the concert is over. Call an appliance repairman to come to your home and you can count on paying as much as $90 for the van to drive in your driveway. Parts and labor cost are on top of that. When a pastor come to call on your home to minister to you, the charge is 0. Gas costs the same per gallon for the pastor as there repairman, so what makes the difference? The difference is that the pastor is an extension of the local Bride of Christ consisting of faithful people who love you, and in Jesus Name give financially. Furthermore, they expect all serious Christians to illustrate their faith and participation on the ministry of Christ by giving as well. Think about it. Have a Great Day, and spread the Word!
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 12:55:24 +0000