Sunday we continued our series called #gravity at The Community Fellowship. This series is discussing the truths of our faith that keep us close to God.
It is kind of like gravity. The larger the object, the greater the force keeping it close to earth. The big things of our faith will continue to strengthen us as we keep God central. We have talked about salvation, the Gospel, grace, and yesterday about the church.
This is not about the local church where we go on Sundays, but it is the big “C” church of all those who have chosen to follow Jesus. Together we are representing Jesus to the world, carrying His light and spreading His message. It is important that we work hard together.
Matthew 16:18-19 NLT
Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
Jesus said He would build His church. We simply are part of it. In fact most of the time we humans mess it up. Church can be one of the toughest places to be. See the devotion I shared one day last week. Church can be a hard place, but we can help others be strong in their faith the more we focus on God and do what He does!
One of my favorite writers is a priest named Henri Nouwen. In a recent devotion the following was shared:
When we have been wounded by the Church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the Church it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the living Christ. When we say, "I love Jesus, but I hate the Church," we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. But the Church as an often fallible human organization needs our forgiveness, while the Church as the living Christ among us continues to offer us forgiveness.
It is important to think about the Church not as "over there" but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer.
How true that is. It is powerful too. To be part of the church means we need to do what the leader of the church did and leads us to do. That is built on love and courage and forgiveness and looking out for others.
Ephesians 4:32 NASB
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
I want to be part of a church like that! I want to be part a church that makes sure people are accepted, loved and not beaten down even more like the world does.
Let me add another piece to this devotion. On Saturday there was a shooting at a Jewish Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pray for all those touched by this horrible happening. We live in a day where the people of the church and our gathers ought to be safe places. Make that so by loving, sharing, protecting and being the embodiment of Christ.
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