Each week, God’s people gather together bloody and bruised from the difficulties of life to refocus our hearts and minds on the good news of the gospel and the hope we have in Christ. Precious saints, the Lord has blessed us with the local church, so let us rejoice and give thanks for such a sweet gift!
It seems we only hear about the church in the news when there is a scandal or moral failing. And while these are certainly problems that need to be addressed, let us not forget there is much beauty within the body of Christ that doesn’t make headlines.
The church is a unique institution set up by God himself for his specific purposes. There is nothing else like it. Where else do members meet together weekly for singing and teaching? Where else is there a bond based not on social status, race, or poverty levels but rather on our redemption in Christ? Where else is there an expectation of love for neighbor and self-sacrifice for the sake of others? Where else do men and women consider themselves part of an eternal family?
Charles Spurgeon states:
If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.
With all we’ve seen and heard, the church doesn’t always feel like the dearest place. Like an invisible virus, our depravity infects even a God-given institution, often in hurtful ways. In spite of this epidemic, the Lord continues to sanctify his bride and wash her with the Word, “that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). Some blemishes remain for now, but I see glimpses of the great work the Lord is doing through his bride.
Stories of Transformation
God has uniquely called and equipped the church to declare his greatness and the good news of the gospel.
I see the glory of God on display through his church when a 96-year-old tells me, with tears in her eyes, how much she’s learning from Bible study each week. She never picked up a Bible until the Lord saved her as an 80-year-old, and now she hungers for the Word. I see God’s glory on display when two people who were at odds work through their differences and forgive one another so they can take the Lord’s Supper together.
