My love for my church starts with their love for God. Not just any god, but for the one, true, only Savior of the world. A church family that collectively professes Jesus Christ as both man and God is unique in this day in time. Not only do they proclaim the truth that Jesus is God, they are committed to His attributes as described in scripture. He is El Elyon, sovereign ruler of the universe and therefore is all powerful and all knowing. His is sovereign over the good and the evil in this world. Nothing is out of His control and outside of His purview. He sees all, knows all, and is over all things. My church family is convinced of these truths and believes that while we serve a righteous God, as human beings we were born sinners and fall short of a perfect God. There is no good in us and our very faith to believe in God was granted to us by the grace of God. Our salvation is the result of the Lord drawing us to Himself. We were chosen before the foundation of the world to be God’s children and we are not worthy of His love. These truths are vital to the establishments of what we believe as a church body and they provide a framework for what our church stands for. Seeing God in this light propels us to love God and His Word.
A devotion to the Word of God is another reason that I adore my church family. While the Son of God, who was made flesh and dwelt among men, walked and talked with actual people, He now dwells in Heaven with His Father. In addition to leaving us with His Holy Spirit, He also left His Word that should be studied, read, pondered over, taken in, and ultimately used to transform lives for His glory. The brothers and sisters in Christ in my local church believe that God’s Word is perfect, without error, and can be confidently proclaimed. It is taught expositorily, which means the exact meaning of scripture is carefully drawn out as it is taught. Instead of random ideas, opinions, and arbitrary thoughts being used to explain and present scripture, God’s Word is taught and presented after thorough care and prudence have been applied in deep study. This cautious care of scripture results in a church body that not only understands what they believe, but they have confidence in what the Word says. We disciple each other and are even challenged to discipline each other when a sister or brother in Christ falls away from the teaching in scripture through disobedience to God’s Word. A love for the Words of scripture will impact how you love God’s people.
The final reason that I can confidently say that I love my church
family is their love for God’s people. There are a lot of churches in America.
One on every corner it seems. There is a wide range of reasons for the countless
Church buildings. There are an abundant number of explanations why people gravitate
and find comfort within a fellowship of believers. Traditions, culture and
race, a feel good message being presented each Sunday, entertaining music, engaging
programs and ministries, all contribute to why there are numerous churches
within our country. While the reasons are vast, I count it a blessing that the
common bond within my church family is simply Christ and His saving work on the
Cross to save sinners. My church family acknowledges that we’re sinners and the
tie that binds us sees beyond differences in skin color, background, culture,
or upbringing. We love one another because of our love for Christ. The work of the
cross connects God’s children in a way that runs deep when you understand the
forgiveness that has been granted by the Lord. A unique affection and devotion
is what I have in my heart for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, I’d skip
out on a bar of chocolate and a nap to spend time with my church family. It’s a
love that runs deep, all the way to the Cross.
(If you’re searching for a church home, a wonderful site and
book source to investigate is “Nine Marks of a Healthy Church” by Mark Dever;
https://9marks.org/church-search/)
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