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What you see pictured here is a building. That’s all it is.
It’s not the Church. You can call it a church building, if you want, but it’s not the Church.
The Church is you and me. The Church is the family of God, his children, all of us who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
We all have a job to do, a role to play. We all have gifts, we are all important. God has set this family up as a big, supportive group made to build each other up, encourage each other and help each other in our ministries.
Romans 14:19 says: “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.”
We can all pursue things which make for peace and we can all edify one another.
I would love to see the Church encouraging and edifying each other a lot more than we do now.
All too often I see us tearing each other down, attacking each others theology, words and actions when we should be finding positives to focus on.
I started a new hash tag (#bethechurch) on Twitter last week. It’s easy to be the church on twitter, via email, on facebook, on the phone, face to face or in hundreds of other ways. You don’t have to have the gift of encouragement to say something encouraging. You don’t have to have the ‘gift’ of kindness to share a kind word.
It would be great if we could modify our speech and our attitudes in such a way that we start pursuing things which make for peace and edifying one another in everything we do and say, every day… but let’s start small.
My challenge to you is to pick two people every day and do or say something to them that will encourage them and build them up.
If we start it, it can spread and grow and before you know it, we will start seeing real change within the Church – and people outside the Church will see that we are different from them and may just want to have what we have!
Be The Church Today!
Good idea. Start small and grow from there.
You’re a great encouragement, Peter. These are things we have to keep always on the front burner.
All I want is commune with my Abba and to enjoy His company.
Thanks for stopping by, Rick.
Are you saying you don’t want to use the gifts that your Abba gives you, instead you just want to commune with him?
That is a great challenge Peter!
I just want to say right on. I love the new hash and it is something I have been preaching for the past year. Some of my youth are starting to get it and a couple of adults might even be grasping the concept. In fact I might even be comprehending what God is using me to tell others.
We are the body, we are Christ’s ambassadors and that is a powerful statement.
We are Christ’s ambassadors!
If only we could remember that in our every day lives!
Well said…what a different place this world could be 🙂
Thanks Bridget.
Be the church today!
I have seen too many times God’s people tearing down and hurting one another rather than reaching out in love and showing the grace and mercy He shows us everyday. Well said.
Good challenge… Unfortunately it is true that the church tears each other down, especially if they don’t understand each other’s gifts that Abba gave each one individually. But know: with Christ all things are possible
Amen.
1 John 3:10-11 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
I’m new to Rediscovering Church and I’m so glad I came across your blog.
This post really resonates with how I’m trying to live, as I am. I’ve spent years trying to figure out what God’s “calling” is in my life. And it’s just been in the past few years, that I’m really wrapping my head,heart, and life around believing this in everyday living.
I have to honestly say the “institutionalized church” has given me a wrong impression growing up, by seeming to place “full-time missionaries” above us ‘regular’ folks. But, that is another story for another time ;).
I’m very glad you found us too!
It’s always wonderful to meet brothers and sisters I didn’t know I had and hear what God is doing in their lives.
Thanks for coming by!