The Word on the Street - Be The Church
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. The strength and growth that we acquire from Christian fellowship is unmatched in anything or anywhere else. To meet with other like-minded people and discuss the Living Word of God and how it is applied to our life is a unique thing God has given us. That kind of fellowship is The Church. The Real Church! Matthew 18:20. For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.
We have churches all over the world that were established and put together by God through the Holy Spirit and these fellowships were birthed with a desire to "be the church" and share the gospel of Jesus Christ through that fellowship. The source of that fellowship is Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. Scripture calls that fellowship gathering the Bride of Christ. The bride must be treated wisely so the message of Christ can be sent to a lost and dying world. The church that meets will have the opportunity to grow in their fellowship as God so desires and make more disciples who follow Jesus.
When Isaiah prophesied the words in Isaiah I God spoke clearly about what needed to happen and that He wasn't impressed with their annual festivals and meetings. God wanted to deal with the sin of His chosen people and bring them back to Him. Why? Because they always had a tendency to drift away. Another strength of the fellowship of The Church is accountability and the ongoing growth we have together. We use the term "church" when trying to make a point about a place of worship. In reality, a church can be a fellowship where two or more are gathered in His name wherever. When I saw a group of believers in Ukraine in a basement reading scripture, singing praises, and praying together as bombs were exploding outside and all around I realized "that is a Church!"
Realize that a true Christian fellowship called the church is a group of like-minded people who gather around the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul's mission was to establish these "churches" because God had led him to believe they were the best avenue for the gospel to be shared. The Christian fellowship in those churches was something you could rely on because they were one in purpose and one in passion. When Paul came into an area he would go first to the synagogue and preach the gospel and if they rejected his teachings he would go to someone's home and establish a fellowship. Paul believed in the "gathering" truth of two or more in fellowship with God and each other.
When writing to Timothy, his son in the faith, Paul reminded Timothy of his past teachings and association with other believers and the strength of that fellowship. In 2 Timothy 3:10 Paul reminds Timothy of his teachings and his purpose in life when he says 10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. Paul apparently knew that Timothy could rely on those teachings and also that down the road Timothy would need those teachings. In verse 14 Paul says 14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.
If we don't teach the Word of God the church will not have a foundation to stand on, so Be The Church, establish your life in fellowship with others who believe in the Word of God, and get together and reason together to grow in God's grace. Because You Are The Church!!
The Pilgrimage Continues..
David Warrehn