CHURCH MEMBERSHIP (8)

In summary, the church is God’s own people living in a family relationship with each other and him, who exist to make a big deal of God’s glory revealed to the world in Christ. And we do that by explaining, living out and holding high the truth as God has revealed it. We do it by defeating the enemy and rescuing people into God’s family. Our lives are important! It takes words AND lives to maximise the glory of Christ in the world.

Don’t be deceived into thinking that the church is ineffective or too small to count. A little bit of yeast causes the entire lump of dough to bubble and rise into a loaf. A tiny mustard seed when planted in the earth becomes a very large garden bush. A tiny spark of faith in Christ’s mighty word can cause a mountain to tremble and landslide into the sea. One Christian in a family can shake it to its core and lead many to safety. One local church in a community can restrain evil and bring strong light into a dark place, converting many to come over to Jesus’ side.

This very exalted definition of the Church suddenly makes a preoccupation with programmes, cups of tea, collecting money, buildings and religious routines seem far short of the mark; and so it should.
That is far too small an idea of what Christ has in mind for his church.