Day 14 -- The Church, pt.1

Pray for me ... tomorrow I fly to Chicago to spend some time with our youth choir. They are serving God in wonderful ways as they tour Illinois caring and sharing as they go. It is going to be a privilege to serve along side them and all the adult sponsors who are with them. We have a strong and dedicated Church!

We have looked at the Church from several Biblical perspectives. From those viewpoints we have learned a number of things about the church. Let's begin an attempt to synthesis and summarize what we have learned. We can divide what we learn into two basic areas:

1. The Nature of the Church. In other words, what is the church made of, what does it look like, and how does it work?

2. The Work of the Church. In other words, what was the church made to do, what is its purpose, and why does it exist?

Once we answer these questions based on the sixteen principles we have gleaned from Scripture then we can begin to develop an overarching metaphor for the church.

There are a number of things we have learned about the NATURE of the church. We have learned that the church is is a living, breathing organism with a life of its own. That life is connected to God through Jesus' life. It is made up of ANYONE and EVERYONE who calls Jesus Savior, and each member is vital to the healthy functioning of the organism. As an organism, the church needs to be fed, nurtured and encouraged. It needs love. God has given the church everything it needs to survive, grow and fulfill its mission in life. Christ is both the head and heart of the church and without Him, the church dies.

O.K., I think we can see some overarching principles developing from our understanding of the nature of the church. The church is a living, breathing thing made up of many people who are mysteriously connected to each other through Christ. In this connection alone they have everything they need to live, grow, and accomplish all that God created them to do. That is a simple summary of the nature of the church. I didn't read it in a Theology book. I didn't make it up out of thin air. It's just what I think describes everything we've been learning from Scripture about the nature of the church.

IF I'VE LEFT SOMETHING OUT PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I want us to use this working definition of the nature of the church as we move forward in search of an overarching metaphor. It's not written in stone. We can tweak it later if we find we have forgotten something or left something out.

Next time we talk about the WORK of the church. Stay tuned ...

Oh, Father, let me be a vital and healthy part of your body. Help me to see your church ALIVE and WELL. Help me to be one who feeds and nurtures the Church so that we can accomplish all you want us to do!

Blessings,

Pastor Ellis