I love the church! This is not the party line I am paid to repeat because I’m a pastor. With deep conviction and unwavering confidence, I believe the church is the hope of the world! And I am not merely talking about the idealized universal church, made up of all true believers in all places at all times. I am talking about the local church, warts and all.
The church matters to me. And the church should matter to you! Why does the church matter?
Jesus builds the church. The first statement about the church in the Bible is from the lips of Jesus: “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus did not say, “I will build your church.” Or “You will build my church.” The church belongs to Jesus, and he is personally building it. The church is the only thing on earth Jesus builds – not family, business, or government. He builds the church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
The church is precious. Paul admonished the Ephesian elders to care for the church of God, “which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). If the value of a thing is determined by what it costs or what one pays for it, how valuable is the church? God has purchased the church by the blood of Jesus. It costs the Father the life of his Son to make the church his own. The church is the most precious thing in the whole world!
Jesus loves the church. To be a disciple of Jesus is to love what Christ loves and hate what Christ hates. The church is the bride of Christ, which he deeply loves. How much does the Christ love the church? Paul answers, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Christ laid down his life for the church to sanctify her and present her to himself as a spotless bride. To love the Groom is to love his bride.
The church upholds the truth. 1 Timothy 3:15 describes the church as “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” If a building’s pillars collapse and its buttress caves in, the structure will come crashing down. This is the role the church plays in the life of the believer, and the unbelieving world. The truth of the gospel cannot be sustained in our lives without the church. The gospel doesn’t make sense without the church.
The church is God’s family. A child needs both a family and a household. The child is born into a family and taken home to be a part of a household. 1 Timothy 3:15 calls the church “the household of God.” Galatians 6:10 calls it “the household of faith.” Sanctification is a group project. You cannot grow in Christlikeness alone. You need the accountability and responsibility of a household of God to mature in your faith in Christ.
The church is on mission. Jesus Christ came to earth to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Our risen and glorified Savior has entrusted his ongoing mission in the world to the church – to us. The church exists to make disciples of Jesus locally and globally (Matthew 28:18-20). We are to win the lost and build up believers through life-one-life discipleship that practices the “one another” commands of the New Testament.
The church is the embassy of heaven. The Lord’s sovereign rule and reign over the world are put on display through the church. It is the embassy of heaven on earth. The love, holiness, and glory of God should be declared to the world through the church. God wills that “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10).
If you need to become a member of the church, today’s a great day to take that step of faith. If you are a church member, make your participation count for the good of others and the glory of God.