The church is the embassy of heaven. The Lord’s sovereign rule and reign over the world are put on display through the church. It is the embassy of heaven on earth. The love, holiness, and glory of God should be declared to the world through the church. God wills that “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10). 

I love the church! This is not the party line I am paid to repeat because I’m a pastor. With deep conviction and unwavering confidence, I believe the church is the hope of the world! And I am not merely talking about the idealized universal church, made up of all true believers in all places at all times. I am talking about the local church, warts and all.

The church matters to me. And the church should matter to you! Why does the church matter?

Jesus builds the church. The first statement about the church in the Bible is from the lips of Jesus: “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus did not say, “I will build your church.” Or “You will build my church.” The church belongs to Jesus, and he is personally building it. The church is the only thing on earth Jesus builds – not family, business, or government. He builds the church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

The church is precious. Paul admonished the Ephesian elders to care for the church of God, “which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). If the value of a thing is determined by what it costs or what one pays for it, how valuable is the church? God has purchased the church by the blood of Jesus. It costs the Father the life of his Son to make the church his own. The church is the most precious thing in the whole world!

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