What is the Church?

The church is not a place but an living organism:  it is the Body of Christ of which He is the head.  Even as a body is diverse, made of many members united as a whole, so the church is comprised of different races, cultures, and people with a single point of unity:  faith in Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour.  When I write "the church" I am not speaking of membership or attendance, but those who are born again Christians who have been bought with the blood of Jesus.  Going to a church does not make a man a Christian, but only Christians are part of Christ's Body.  Being a Christian is not a claim of perfection.  Actually, it is the exact opposite.  A Christian is someone who is acutely aware of his sin, is aware of the eternal punishment he justly deserves, and the desperate need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

The church isn't perfect.  We serve a perfect God, but everyone in the church are marked with flaws.  If we were perfect in ourselves we wouldn't need redemption or salvation.  We wouldn't need deliverance or accountability.  Jesus came not for the righteous but to call sinners to repentance.  If God only used perfect people, not a single person on earth would measure up.  It is the imperfection, weakness, and foolishness of the vessels which best display God's redemptive and transforming love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and power.  1 Corinthians 1:26-31 reads, "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- ³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."

Do you really want to know who makes up the church?  Here is the stark reality:  we are addicts, drug dealers, proud, lying, thieving adulterers and adulteresses, deceivers and deceived.  We are fornicators, alcoholics, suicidal, porn junkies, fools, rapists and murderers.  We are foul-mouthed haters, perverts, homosexuals, self-injurers, gang members, and back-stabbers.  We are self-righteous bigots, ignorant, gluttons, prostitutes, johns, and pimps.  We are traitors, selfish, blind, violent, judgmental, and hypocritical.  The list goes on and on.  We were lost in the dark, confused, helpless, and hopeless.  But every one of us has been washed totally clean in the blood of Jesus Christ.  We have all been forgiven by His grace and mercy.  The long record of our sins has been purged through Christ's sacrifice.  The church is made of people who have taken God at His Word as it is written in 1 John 1:9:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  We have come from darkness into the light.  We are clean, pure, free, and holy.  Instead of regrets and shame the joy of the LORD is our strength.  Instead of being condemned to hell for eternity we have been promised eternal life with Jesus Christ in heaven as an adopted child of God!  Every one of us has an incorruptible inheritance reserved for us in heaven which cannot be stolen or lost.

Once we are born again we are called and enabled to live according to Christ's righteous standard.  We must make a clean break with our old sinful lifestyle and follow Christ, honouring Him with our lives.  When we fall into sin we are called to admit it and repent.  Every day we are to feed on the good Word of God, making disciples of all nations.  We are called to join in fellowship with other believers, holding each other accountable with love and grace.  Instead of being defined by our faults we are to live as the express image of Christ on this earth, being ambassadors for His Kingdom.  We are to boldly proclaim the Gospel to those who remain in bondage, praying for all people.  We are to exercise the spiritual gifts granted us through the Holy Spirit who indwells us, glorifying God and edifying the Body of Christ.  Praise the LORD He has given us all things which pertain to life and holiness.

Do you want to be set free from sin and become part of God's family?  It doesn't happen by going to church on Sunday, listening to Bible studies, or becoming a member of a local church fellowship:  it happens when you acknowledge your sins and repent, trusting only in the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you.  When you repent, trusting in Christ alone for salvation, the Holy Spirit will take up residence within your heart and make you a new creation as a living child of God.  God transforms people from within!  Praise God for His love and forgiveness!  What does the church look like?  See for yourself!

A Useful Tool

Tools are designed for specific purposes.  Pliers, for instance, are excellent for tying wire or holding a bolt steady.  A wrench or spanner is great for busting bolts, but useless for tying wire.  I have seen many good tools used and abused by improper use.  I have a nice 10" Crescent spanner (not as nice as it could be!) that will not open fully because of when I used it as a hammer!

Christians can be compared to tools in the hands of the Master Craftsman.  God could have designed things that at the moment of conversion people would be immediately whisked away into eternity.  But God has manifold purposes for allowing us to remain upon the earth:  to share the Gospel with others, to glorify God through good works, to disciple others, to further sanctify us in preparation for future service, and to encourage, strengthen, and edify the Body of Christ.  It is important for us in the Church to have the singular focus we see demonstrated in Jesus Christ and His followers.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost, having been sent to the "lost sheep" of Israel.  Paul recognised God had called him to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles that they too might come to faith in Christ and be saved.

Jesus always operated in the will of the Father, faithfully walking in obedience and submission to Him.  Sometimes I feel like a spanner that chucks itself into running machinery rather than tightening bolts!  I can forget God's purpose of why He has graciously left me here on earth.  I pray that my lapses of looking away from Christ grow less and less frequent!  Last night before bed, it was as if the LORD pulled back the veil from my eyes to see myself in light of His glory and it was disgusting what I saw.  But thanks be to God who can fashion these flawed vessels into instruments for His glory and use!  It is not amazing that God is able to use weak vessels, but that He chooses to.

So what's your purpose for living?  Are you working to fulfill God's call upon your life?  Everybody may be working for the weekend, but we ought to say in truth with Paul:  for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  1 Corinthians 15:57-58 reads, "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."  May it ever be so!

Certain Life in Christ

Life on earth is uncertain.  Few people who walk out their front door in the morning think they may have a heart attack, be in a fatal car accident, or be punched unprovoked in the face and never make it home.  Last night a few of us at church were discussing the recent tragic loss of an 18 year old in King's Cross.  It was reported that as he talked on his mobile phone, he was "king hit" (sucker punched) in the face.  When he fell backwards his head hit the footpath and he never regained consciousness.  It's a nightmare no one should have to experience.  Unfortunately, because of this world soaked with sin, these kind of stories seem to occur with increasing frequency.  Our prayers go up for this young man, his family, and those who knew and loved him.

Due to the incident, the security of King's Cross has been much discussed in the media and government.  Steps are being taken to increase the number of cameras and late-night patrols.  There has been talk of reducing trading hours, increasing the public transport, and reducing the amount of liquor licenses.  Whatever we can do to keep people safe is good.  But even if all the talk produces real improvements in the safety of King's Cross, life still remains an uncertainly.  Quoting from the preacher in "Pollyanna," "Death comes unexpectedly!"  The only certainty we have in life is that it IS coming for us all.  Death does not discriminate between young or old, during night or day.  Death is a certainty of life.

It is only through Christ people can have a certainty of eternal life!  The old saying goes, "No one lives forever."  This is a false statement.  Jesus overcame death at the cross, rising from the dead after three days.  Death could not keep Jesus in its grip because Christ was without sin.  The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our LORD.  For all people who die in their sins, they face eternal separation from God in unspeakable torment in hell as their wages for sins committed.  Yet for those who will repent of their sins, trusting in Christ alone as Saviour, we receive the promise of eternal life.  The death of the body does not mark the end:  it is the beginning of life in the presence of God free from sin as He intended.  Jesus says in John 11:25-26:  "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

So many people who go through life today have no idea of what awaits them after their body ceases to function.  Do you know what awaits you?  Should you die in your sins without atonement, the Bible spells it out clearly:  no second chances, no hope, no life.  God is a Good Judge, and He cannot allow lawbreakers to go free.  For those who believe the testimony of scripture, we have the sober responsibility to warn people of the eternity that awaits them in Hell due to their sins and share the promise of forgiveness and eternal life to all who repent and trust in Christ.  I'm certainly glad someone dared tell me the truth concerning my sinful condition.  Let's take the time and make the effort to tell others about the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Tomorrow might be too late.

Examine the Bible Yourself

It is lamentable that most people find the evening news more credible than the Bible.  The stories we read in the newspaper, magazines, or rumours passed along through email on the internet are more quickly believed than spiritual truth from God!  I am amazed with some of the nonsense that is believed and passed on before it has been looked into.  An earnest Facebook message turns out to be the third cycle of an internet rumour which started in 2003!  People read the claims, assume it must be true, and perpetuate a lie.  I don't know who said it first, but it bears repeating:  truth can stand examination.  Snopes is not faultless, but the Bible is!

What I find more remarkable than frail arguments against the Bible, is that many who perpetuate them don't care for them to be answered.  I doubt that in the last thousand years there have been any new assaults upon the veracity of scripture.  The arguments have hardly changed.  In the words of C.H. Spurgeon, "Unbelievers only 'glean their blunted shafts, and shoot them at the shield of truth again.'" (Lectures to My Students, pg. 270)  As useless as their blunted shafts may be, unbelievers are happy to gather them back up even after they have been blocked harmlessly to the ground.  Blunted arrows may look intimidating in the quiver of an adversary, but they do nothing to stop the advance of truth.  There is such a thing as a sincere skeptic, but they are a rare breed which must be moved into the "wilfully ignorant" category when they refuse to acknowledge God's truth.

It is not that people have examined the Bible and found it lacking:  they have likely not even examined it themselves.  Many justify their own unbelief by parroting the baseless critiques of others!  When a man reads God's Word, it immediately goes to work upon His mind and soul.  It is not like other books written by men, where one paragraph can be highlighted and another page crossed out.  It is to be believed completely or not at all; it is either truth emanating from the Most High God, or it is a deception without any merit.  God does not force a man to believe Him, but the Holy Spirit compels the conscience to decide.  The whole of scripture exists to reveal to man the Gospel truth:  God has created all things; God made man; man rebelled from God and is separated from God by sin; God sent His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for sin to reconcile man to Himself; Jesus was buried and rose from the dead; He ascended to the Father and bids all to join Him.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

No one can make another person believe.  This is part of God's divine order to the end that people would freely believe, trust, and love Him.  No man can "make" a woman fall in love with him.  But his tireless pursuit, constant affirmation, notes, gifts, and genuine love go far in winning the heart of his beloved.  God has shown a love of a far greater depth and breadth in giving us His Word and His Son.  The Bible proclaims that every person has a Divine Admirer they would not have known without God's revelation.  Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  It is a demonstration of great folly to burn a winning Lotto ticket because you had never won previously.  It is far more ridiculous to discredit and throw out the Bible as irrelevant when you have not first examined it yourself.  How much more valuable is eternal life and love over money!