I believe the church is God's primary way to accomplish his purposes on earth today.
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
Ephesians 4:15-16
We believe in the Church. It might sound a little strange for a church to say they believe in the Church. What we mean is that we hold a deep conviction that one of God’s foundational pieces of his work and movement in the world, across all of history, is in his creation of the Church. The Lord’s Church has purpose and design, and as Christ-followers we are woven into those plans. This is especially important for us to understand today for a couple of reasons. One, the definitions and distinctions of what the Church is and is intended to be are seemingly so widely varied. For instance, should a church function solely in the virtual world? Two, our culture is increasingly seeing the Church as irrelevant to their lives. A recent Gallup poll revealed that for the first time in their 80 years of reviews, fewer than half (47%) of Americans identified with any church or house of worship of any faith. Many people today are asking what the Church is about and whether it really matters to them.
There are two strong word pictures in the Scriptures for the Church. They help us understand God’s plan for the Church and our place within it.
The Church Is a Bride
As the redeemed of Christ, we are corporately the Bride and Jesus is our Groom. Revelation 19:7 reads that “the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” This is a picture of the intimate love that is ours in Christ. Jesus is as devoted, passionate, and committed to us as his Church as a groom is to his wife. Christ has pursued, drawn, and wooed us. He will never leave us. We are forever welcomed. As the Bride, we are to be true to our love, devoted and secure. The Church as a bride is about who we are. It defines our identity. We are loved. We belong to Christ.
The Church Is a Body
We not only have an identity as the Church as a bride, but we also have a purpose as a body. “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). Every Christ-follower has a unique purpose within the Church, within God’s plans. We have each been fitted with spiritual giftings “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13). As a body, the Church finds its purpose and meaning. There is a calling on our life.
PRAYER
Father, you are the architect of the Church. You have designed it and given it meaning. The Church expresses the deep love you have for me. You have loved me as a Bride, with great faithfulness and care. May I open myself even more today to your love, and secure myself in who you say I am. You have gifted me and called me to a place within the body of the Church. You’ve given me purpose, a unique way to love and serve the world around me in your name. May I spend myself for your glory in the Church. Amen.