THE CHURCH?

Sunday’s Monday 

This title could go in a thousand different directions and believe me Satan has tried to take me to many of them. The old art of confusion and frustration, he knows that if he can confuse me enough, I will become frustrated and quit writing for a while and possibly lose my thoughts. It has happened before! God gave me this thought during a lunch meeting with a group of men fired up for Jesus. We were on a different subject at the time, but it did involve the church and how watered down everything had become. This got me thinking about the church as we speak of it today, we (a great many of us) have the mental vision of a man-made structure that has the power to do nothing on its own. We read that the church was built on the confession of Peter in Matthew 16:16 (NLT), Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” It is the people in the church that have and cause the problems. I talk with people leaving churches frequently in my day-to-day doings and many reasons that they give point to a grave misunderstanding of the church that Jesus created. Excuses such as we just weren’t getting fed, or they just don’t have that much to offer, or the people weren’t friendly, or the pastor wasn’t very personable just to name a few from a very long list. I called them excuses because many people just wanted to leave that church.  

They have forgotten or never got Matthew 16:18 (NLT), Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. Jesus built His church on the foundation of who He is and through the confession of His followers. If the foundation is truth, the structure is faith and the love of Jesus abides inside, you’re in His church. Look at the statement in Matthew 18:20 (NLT), For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Jesus is always inside His church! However, the more that are gathered the greater the experience as each person brings their God-given gifts to join the body of Christ. All too often we enter the church carrying too much flesh and our selfish expectations can’t be met as we desire. We enter in search of everything that we can find wrong or dis-tasteful to complain about. We soon become a storehouse of resentment desperately trying to get others to look at what we’ve stored. Eventually, we leave the church only to find another to start the madness over again. 

The simple truth is we failed to prepare for a spiritual awakening before we left our home. We should have worked with Jesus to remove as much of the fleshly power as possible and then cleansed our minds, refresh our hearts, and most of all adjust our attitudes. Here is a thought, the next time you pass through the doors entering the church, let your actions be as you expect them to be when you enter the gates of heaven. As you walk through those pearly gates will you be inspecting the building, people, and pastor for their flaws. Honestly, what do you think you’ll be feeling, thinking, and doing as you enter? Now, I’m not a prophet but I promise you if your actions are the same as you expect for entering heaven, your church experience will never be the same and neither will your church!  

I read a quote this week that applies perfectly, “I'm not going to church today looking for God. I'm going to worship the God who came looking for me!" – #InstaEncouragements We’re supposedly in the church house gathered to worship the God of miracles and I know this because I am one of His miracles in many ways. When I look at where I was compared to where I am today, I can’t believe any differently. God is a faithful God in bringing His promises to fruition. My new favorite is Romans 8:18 (NLT), Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. If we “will” truly believe this, we will start to live differently! 

I pray that you are one of God’s miracles and have been greatly blessed by His remarkable love. I pray that we all awaken in the mornings thanking Jesus for the miracle of life and that we live like we’re thankful to Him. I ask that we find that new relationship He has waiting for us as we become more encouraging and desirable to be around. Help us Lord to become, Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT), 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. Dad, we love you and I pray we become more committed and forthcoming with our thankfulness through worship, praise, and attentiveness. May we each become a living billboard for your glory through our love and concern for your people. May we continually please you with our uttermost adoration. Amen 

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS! 

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