What Is Church?
Posted by Michael La Framboise on Sunday, August 24, 2014
As
the DEAD DAYS roll by, we may in our self-examination consider "Church."
What is it for? What is my relationship to it? How should I approach
it? First of all, the Lord has unquestionably called us to engage in
Church, for the word of God asserts, "Let us consider one another in
order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together..."
Herein we discover two obvious implications: 1) We are called by God to church; 2) We are expected to be considerate of the body, manifest in a stirring of love and Christian action. Church attendance was never meant to become a passive experience; rather it is our Father's rightful and reasonable expectation that His people would gather together to worship and praise the Son, as well as an opportunity for believers to exercise their spiritual gifts that the body might be built up and strengthened.
We are called to live by faith; but one day the time of faith shall cease, for we shall see Jesus as He is, in all of His Glory and splendor. When we stand in His presence we will no longer have an opportunity to live by faith, pray by faith, worship by faith. All that will be passed; but here and now we have the privilege of pleasing Him with our faith, to diligently seek Him by faith, to honor Him by faith- and so it follows that we are to gather with His Church by faith.
Today we may answer His command to enter His presence and worship Him in His House by faith. Today we can make a joyful noise before the Lord and praise Him by faith. Today we can anticipate the Spirit's voice as we hear His Word together by faith. When the pastor gives the invitation to meet the Lord at His altar, we may heed His work in our hearts by faith. Today we may intercede and pray for one another by faith. Today we may share what the Lord has given us through the week by faith. Today we have another opportunity to please our Savior by faith.
And so we plainly see that Church, when actively engaged in, draws us closer to the Lord, and closer to one another. It is to be a place where we sincerely worship God in Spirit and in truth; and where spiritual work and renewal flow freely among God's people.
How do you "Church"?
Herein we discover two obvious implications: 1) We are called by God to church; 2) We are expected to be considerate of the body, manifest in a stirring of love and Christian action. Church attendance was never meant to become a passive experience; rather it is our Father's rightful and reasonable expectation that His people would gather together to worship and praise the Son, as well as an opportunity for believers to exercise their spiritual gifts that the body might be built up and strengthened.
We are called to live by faith; but one day the time of faith shall cease, for we shall see Jesus as He is, in all of His Glory and splendor. When we stand in His presence we will no longer have an opportunity to live by faith, pray by faith, worship by faith. All that will be passed; but here and now we have the privilege of pleasing Him with our faith, to diligently seek Him by faith, to honor Him by faith- and so it follows that we are to gather with His Church by faith.
Today we may answer His command to enter His presence and worship Him in His House by faith. Today we can make a joyful noise before the Lord and praise Him by faith. Today we can anticipate the Spirit's voice as we hear His Word together by faith. When the pastor gives the invitation to meet the Lord at His altar, we may heed His work in our hearts by faith. Today we may intercede and pray for one another by faith. Today we may share what the Lord has given us through the week by faith. Today we have another opportunity to please our Savior by faith.
And so we plainly see that Church, when actively engaged in, draws us closer to the Lord, and closer to one another. It is to be a place where we sincerely worship God in Spirit and in truth; and where spiritual work and renewal flow freely among God's people.
How do you "Church"?
