04/26/2019
WE ARE THE CHURCH…
As a member of “The Church,” it is impossible to criticize or complain about its’ deficiencies without pointing a finger at yourself. God works through His sons and His power and presence is made manifest only by those who know who He is and who they are “in Christ.” We cannot complain about what the church is not doing without exposing ourselves and our refusal to do what we have been called to do as part of the body of Christ.
The following is a quote from Norman Grubb’s book, THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD. “The one-man ministry, which is almost universal today, results in the Lord’s people meeting to be ministered unto, rather than to minister to the Lord and each other. It appears that the pattern of the early church was the Spirit manifesting the gifts through the members as He pleased. Those who had gifts suitable for responsibility in the church were then set apart as elders and deacons, and used their gifts under the control of the Spirit, leaving room at the same time for free expression by all the members. What we wrongly speak of as “coming to church” (for the church in the New Testament was always people, not a building), was referred to by the apostle as being for the purpose of “exhorting one another” (Heb.10:25). One church—yes. Local church fellowships, yet part of the one church—yes. But the church does not exist for itself but for those outside of it. A church which is not a propagating church is a swamp, not a river. It must witness or die.”
As new creations in Christ, we are a royal priesthood and a holy nation. We are ambassadors of Christ pointing the world to Christ. We are the church.
ALEX