"A
Washington Pastor whose church was attended now and again by the
President of the United States received a phone call asking, `Can you tell
me if the President is expected to attend church next Sunday?’ That,' the
pastor patiently replied, `I cannot promise, but we do expect God to be
present, and we fancy that will be sufficient incentive for a reasonably large
attendance.'"
As we
have been meditating on being thankful…that would easily move our thoughts to
Christmas this time of year. I would like to begin with a not so usual thought
about Christmas. There are endless reasons to be thankful for Christmas, but
one not so obvious to most is the Church. In fact, many dislike the “Body” they are in…the question that
begs to be asked is…whose fault is that? Christ’s incarnation began the move by
God from the nation Israel, God's people…which they still are and will rise
again as the champions of the gospel…to what our Lord called His Church.
Too
many have a bad taste in their mouth because they have confused the perverted,
man centered, religiosity of an institution that we call church. It is inward
focused, self absorbed, centered around material things and worships the “trinity” of “Me, Myself and I!”
That is
not what God created! Let’s consider why we should be thankful for the Body of
Christ…the Church!
Our
word “Church” comes from the Greek: ἐκκλησία ekklēsía; which
basically means “called
out.”
Here is
how it is used: 1) an
assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the
purpose of deliberating 2) the assembly of the Israelites 3) any gathering or
throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously 4) in a Christian sense; an
assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting; a company
of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus
Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings,
and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body
for order's sake; those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a
company and are united into one body; the whole body of Christians scattered
throughout the earth; including the assembly of faithful Christians already
dead and received into heaven.
One reason to thank God for the Church is:
Jesus
said:
Matthew
16:18 I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Where
else in this world can you become involved in something that will last forever?
So many are obsessed with making investments that will help them live
comfortably until their body dies, which at best is 100 years. Planning for our
future is wise, but many miss the point that during that 100 years they can be
making investments that will be paying dividends Billions of years from now!
Another
reason we should thank the Lord for His Church is the environment it produces
if we allow it. God does His part; if we do ours the “ekklēsía” will be a very special
place!
a. A
Place to find Nourishment
Hebrews
10:24–25 Let us
think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our
meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now
that the day of his return is drawing near.
Ephesians
5:18–19 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be
filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among
yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
Acts
2:46–47 They
worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper,
and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and
enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their
fellowship those who were being saved.
Interestingly,
so many in the Body of Christ have decided to switch responsibilities with the
Lord. They take it on themselves to focus on numbers and funds…and think that
God will just make everyone Christ-like without their participation! God is the
One that grows the size and the budget of the Body, our responsibility is to be
open to what the Holy Spirit and the Word of God will do to us!
Galatians
5:22–23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
There is no law against these things!
2
Timothy 3:16–17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what
is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when
we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and
equip his people to do every good work.
Individuals
that look like Jesus are very attractive to those seeking God! I know we do not
like to hear this, but it is something the Scriptures and all history attests
to -
Galatians
6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he
will also reap.
Matthew
7:17–18 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce
bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.
There
are many more reasons, we will look at them next time, but let’s meditate on
some important questions first.
Meditation:
Are you involved in a community of believers? Why or Why not? Do you feel
spiritually lonely? Why? What are you doing to change that?
What is your life
producing in others and how long will that last?
