The church is God’s greatest gift to this earth. He loves us enough to plant us into a family, and if we hold to the standard of God, He also grants us a place that strives to please Him wholeheartedly.
The church is known as the bride, the body, the building and the family of God. As Christ’s bride, we are to become holy as He makes us holy. As His body, we are extending the person and presence of God into all the world, blessing and bringing hope. As the building, we are knit together as the strong Son of God. Every person is essential.
And, as His family, we are to carry His image and authority everywhere we go. As fellow heirs to His throne, we must treat one another with honor as royalty, always building up His Kingdom.
If the church is all that glorious, why does it “need” me? I have asked this question a thousand times. The church doesn’t need you as if it is incapable of working without you. Jesus gives all we need.
The church needs you because you have a unique expression of who God is, and when we don’t see it on display, we are all weaker because of it. Your contribution, no matter how small it may seem, is necessary. So, we need you to shine brightly.
The church exists to make Jesus known. As the body of Christ grows and matures, the lost are found. Jesus said, “If I am lifted up, I’ll draw all men unto me.”
He was referring to the cross, but the picture is still valid for those of us who are in the church. When we lift the name of Jesus, sinners are convicted and brought near to the one who can change everything. That’s why we need you. Without your expression, we are that quieter.
We also need you to be whole — complete, healthy, mature. We want you to live better than you are today. I’ll tell you that you will never find satisfaction in this life, like obedience to what God has called you to do.
Joy comes from fellowship with the Holy Spirit that is seen and lived out by following His commands. We want you to have peace and self-control. These things come from the Spirit of God, which was given to the church to reach the lost.
God gave the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the graces of the Spirit and the gifts of Jesus which provide direction to the church to produce unity. The gifts of Jesus are found in Ephesians 4 and are called apostles, prophets, shepherds, teachers and evangelists. What blessings God bestows upon His church.
We want you to be whole, and we need you to be whole. What do you need to do to shine bright for the Lord?
One of the things I think is killing fervor for God is comparison. We mistakenly compare our spiritual walk with that of others. We contrast our family, upbringing, churches, pastors and social media to describe effectiveness; yet we all know God will not judge based on one another. Jesus is the cornerstone and, therefore, the only one we must pay attention to when seeing worth or judging if we are on mission.
I pray today you will seek the living God for wisdom in where to serve and, then, give it all you have. Live out your faith wholeheartedly and inspire others to do the same. We need you to be whole.
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