FoundationsSample

DAY 7: CHURCH

CHURCH. This word can often come with many opinions, thoughts, and feelings about what the Church truly is. Whatever you imagine it to be, the Church plays an important and vital part in God’s plan for humanity.

So, what is the Church?

The church is a community of believers who are on mission to change the world for God. In fact, the original Greek for the word church, is ‘Ekklesia’ meaning ‘the assembly’ or the ‘called out ones'. The truth is, the church was never meant to be a building, the church was always meant to be you and I – the people who have been called out to live on mission.

As we read God’s word, the purpose and the mission of the church is clear: to go and tell people about Jesus and go and make disciples. And this was part of God’s plan all along. God’s plan to save humanity was Jesus, but God’s plan to let the world know about the good news was the Church.

It’s important to establish that Christ loves the church. In Ephesians 5, the Bible likens a groom and his bride, to Christ and the Church. Despite its flaws, its imperfections and faults, Jesus loved the church so much that He gave His life for it. This is important because if Christ loves the Church, then so should we.

I personally have never had anyone come up to me and say they liked me, but they didn’t like my wife. It would be completely absurd to love someone and hate their spouse. In the same way, it’s impossible to love Jesus, and hate the church. This is why our relationship with the church matters so much to God. It’s because the church matters so much to Him.

In Acts 2, we see a blueprint as to what it means to be the Church. By this stage, Jesus has died and been resurrected. He has ascended to Heaven and left the disciples in Jerusalem to wait to receive the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit falls powerfully on them, something significantly changes in them. God is now not a distant being who lives somewhere in the sky, but God is now present, living inside each of them by His Spirit. This was the birth of the Church.

The first thing they did was GATHER. They would meet in homes, they would meet in the temple, they would eat together, and they would do life together. In fact, the book of Hebrews reminds us to never forsake the gathering of the believers. There are many things you can experience in God when you are by yourself, but there is power when we gather: something happens when we worship together, pray together, and stand together.

The second thing they did was GROW. They devoted themselves to the Word of God, they were growing in their faith, and they were helping each other along the way. Being in an environment where you can be encouraged, where you can be pushed, and where your faith can be stirred is the key to growing in God.

The third thing they did was GIVE. They gave their time, they gave their money, they gave their skills, and they gave their lives to each other. There was a deep sense of serving one another and giving selflessly to the Church. The church gives us the opportunity to serve, to love and to lead others. Often when we hear churches talk about money, or serving, we immediately think that the church is trying to take our stuff, but the truth is that giving is a response of the heart. When we realize what God has done in our lives, our only response is to GIVE to the one who GAVE everything for us.

THE CHURCH: God’s people, God’s possession, and God’s plan. A community of believers that gather, that grow and that give to one another. A home for imperfect people, who are following a perfect God. And that’s the beauty of the church: whatever your background, whatever your circumstance and whatever you’re going through, there is a place for everyone – THIS IS THE CHURCH.

PRAYER:
Dear God, thank You for the Church. Thank You for creating a community for me to be a part of. Thank You for saving my life and giving me purpose beyond myself. Help me to find the right community that I can gather with, grow in, and give to. Help me to love the church, the way You do. In Jesus' name, Amen.