Sep 19, 2014 Words of Grace – Loving the Church
Whenever I hear people say they love their church, I wonder if they really mean that they love something about their church. I assume that they like something about the style of music, the preaching, the building, or the demographic makeup of their church. I wonder if that something were no longer a part of their church, would they still love it?
Why should we love the church? We are human, so it is natural to prefer one church to others based on tangibles like peaching, music, and friends. But are these things the basis of our love for the church, and for the particular church to which we belong?
The book of Ephesians gives us three good reasons to love the church.
- Christ died for the church (Ephesians 5:25). As followers of Jesus, how could we not deeply love and cherish what he gave his life to redeem?
- In Christ, we belong to the church (Ephesians 2:16). Though there are problems to work through in every church, and though it is sometimes necessary to move from one church to another, we cannot stop belonging to the church anymore than we can stop belonging to Christ.
- God is glorified in Christ and in the church (Ephesians 3:21). There is simply no greater way that God has designed to display his greatness and grace on this earth than in his Son Jesus Christ and in the church he redeemed. God chose the church, loves the church, and displays his glory in the world through the church.
This Sunday at Grace, we will talk about “Loving the Church” from 1 Corinthians 13. I hope you will read this chapter and join us for worship.
– Scott