The Church

 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."  Ephesians 2:10....."The church is God's evidence before the universe of His very high character."  Ray Ortlund..."To live above with saints we love, O Lord, that will be the glory. To live below with saints we know - well that's another story!" Unknown

I love the old hymn's lyrics, "It's a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, washed in the blood of the Lamb." It's true as to who and what the church of Christ is in Him. When the Father looks upon His church, that is what He sees, because He sees a Body that is under and washed in the blood of Christ the Savior. 

Christians, the people of God, are a flawed people. We have imperfections, sometimes glaring imperfections. We make mistakes, we react when we should respond. We don't always do the right thing. Sometimes we sin. In all of this, He looks at our heart. At the heart of His church and at the hearts of His people. What He looks for is a deep love for Him and desire to live for Him. A deep desire to love His people and the souls of those who don't know Him. That we sometimes do this imperfectly is covered by both the blood of Jesus and that He does see our hearts and our perfect desires that we seek to live out through imperfect lives. But we need to understand a very sobering truth. We, His church, are to represent the very perfect character of God even through our imperfect lives. We are to be His portrait to a creation, a human race, that He desperately loves and desperately needs Him. As we allow Him to examine us, how are we doing at that? How does the fellowship we belong to "look" to the surrounding culture? What do they say about us? Do they even know we're here? What does it say about us, you and me as individual parts of the whole? Do they know whose we are? Do they see Him in us? Do they even know we're here? Sobering questions indeed.

The politcal and religious systems of the day in the early church were aligned against them. Persecution was increasing all the while. Yet Scripture says that even the unbelieving pagans around them spoke highly of the integrity and character of the followers of Christ, and they were amazed by their love for one another. The world system and the enemy that empowers it will always be aligned against the church. Against His people. But that cannot, will never stop the witness that we are to give it in the midst of all of its darkness. Are we doing that? Or, does the world know more about our scandals, our fallen celebrity preachers and the luxury lifestyles some of them live? Do they know more about how we criticize one another, focusing on minor differences of doctrine and theology than upon the calling and mission of our Lord and Savior. When they see us, when they see our churches, what is it that they see? Are we verifying for them what the enemy would have them see?

As I said, we're human, and on this side of eternity we will never live out our witness perfectly. But we can have a perfect motivation and desire to do so. We may have and live out a burning desire to bring Him glory. We can confess and repent of what have been our failings, and we can invite the power, healing, and wholeness into our fellowship and lives anew. We can be, to the fullest extent possible, His glorious church without spot or wrinkle. God is moving, even as I write this, doing that very work among His people. May we, you and I, and the body of Christ be swept up in it all. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus.

Blessings,
Pastor O