What is the church?
Jerry Cook says that,"The church is people, equipped to serve, meeting needs everywhere in Jesus' name." Now I'm not disagreeing this his statement. I just want to carry the thought a little farther.
When I woke up this morning the first thought in my mind was, "What is the church?" In my morning haze (I'm not a morning person) I tried to comes to grips with a decent answer - but in the end it didn't make any sense. Then an answer came to me, I believe by the Holy Spirit (he is a morning person).
The church is a living, breathing entity. Like all living and breathing things they need a purpose, a plan to fulfill that purpose and the right attitude about the purpose.
The churches purpose is to do the will of God in this world. Simply, let others know the Good News about Jesus, show them His love in real and practical ways and influence their lives to accept Him into their lives. To worship and love Him the way He wants to be worshipped and loved - with all of our life and resources. To help others grow up in their relationship with Him.
A plan can vary from church to church. Ours is a Spirit filled plan that believes God will do the impossible, if necessary, and often times it is. That means the the plan is empowered to be successful. God intended for us to be successful at loving others, releasing them from the bondage's of this world and giving them a hope and a future. He does not intend for the plan to be a frustrating opportunity to fail, but to be a success.
Where we as a church can succeed or fail is in our attitude, our heart or frame of mind towards people and God. If either, or both, is skewed away from His purpose and His plan then frustration and failure can only follow. Even our best efforts will be unproductive if we don't factor God in. Submitting our will to Gods will with a heart that is more like His than ours is tough. Releasing control of our ability to be in control is a struggle. Trusting God, for whatever reason, doesn't come naturally to us.
In recent weeks, I believe that these three keys to FFWC have been coming together as never before. Even in the face of economic hardships and issues, Gods presence is being experienced like never before. We can know the blessing of the struggle and the reward of His love in our lives. I encourage you to continue letting God speak into your life and may you have the courage to listen and follow His will. It will bring your purpose and plan together.
When I woke up this morning the first thought in my mind was, "What is the church?" In my morning haze (I'm not a morning person) I tried to comes to grips with a decent answer - but in the end it didn't make any sense. Then an answer came to me, I believe by the Holy Spirit (he is a morning person).
The church is a living, breathing entity. Like all living and breathing things they need a purpose, a plan to fulfill that purpose and the right attitude about the purpose.
The churches purpose is to do the will of God in this world. Simply, let others know the Good News about Jesus, show them His love in real and practical ways and influence their lives to accept Him into their lives. To worship and love Him the way He wants to be worshipped and loved - with all of our life and resources. To help others grow up in their relationship with Him.
A plan can vary from church to church. Ours is a Spirit filled plan that believes God will do the impossible, if necessary, and often times it is. That means the the plan is empowered to be successful. God intended for us to be successful at loving others, releasing them from the bondage's of this world and giving them a hope and a future. He does not intend for the plan to be a frustrating opportunity to fail, but to be a success.
Where we as a church can succeed or fail is in our attitude, our heart or frame of mind towards people and God. If either, or both, is skewed away from His purpose and His plan then frustration and failure can only follow. Even our best efforts will be unproductive if we don't factor God in. Submitting our will to Gods will with a heart that is more like His than ours is tough. Releasing control of our ability to be in control is a struggle. Trusting God, for whatever reason, doesn't come naturally to us.
In recent weeks, I believe that these three keys to FFWC have been coming together as never before. Even in the face of economic hardships and issues, Gods presence is being experienced like never before. We can know the blessing of the struggle and the reward of His love in our lives. I encourage you to continue letting God speak into your life and may you have the courage to listen and follow His will. It will bring your purpose and plan together.
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