Well, It’s another Sunday morning. “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV)
So what makes a Church? Is it just the building? If so, then any fast food restaurant could be a Church. Order up your favorite burger and fries or you could even have breakfast there, then set down and have a meal and church. There would be a number of distractions, but I am sure you can pick up a word or two during the service.
Dictionary.com says a Church is this; a building for public Christian worship. It also says that a Church is; the whole body of Christian believers; Christendom, any division of this body professing the same creed and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a Christian denomination: the whole body of Christian believers. It does refer to Church as a building, but for the most part it says it’s the people inside the building that make the Church.
To me Church is a place where like-minded people go to worship our great LORD and Savior. To pray to God, and feel the love God has so graciously given to us and also feel the love that spills over from other believers there. It is a place where you know you are not in this alone, but you have the support of the entire body of like-minded believers. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) says it like this, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
God didn’t say you had to go to the Biggest Church building or the one with the most people. Just be with “the whole body of Christian believers” whether that be 2 or 1500 like-minded people. Matthew 18: 18-20 (ESV) says this, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
I go to the Church on my choice, I love the body of Christian believers that I spend my time with. I trust them, I love them, and I stand with them against anything Satan or anyone can bring against us “the whole body of Christian believers”. I have a Church family, it feels awesome to know that they have my back. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) says this, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Here’s your question, do you have that security? I don’t mean on Easter and Christmas when so many flood the churches. I mean everyday do you have the knowledge that there is a support group for you to fall back on when your path gets so very cluttered. It is a security blanket that, in this day and age, is critical to have for your mental and physical health. No one needs to be taking this all on alone, it is pretty overwhelming to say the least.
So you say, ‘Yes I really want this, but how do I find the right church?’ That’s a good question, and I hope I can answer it for you. People say when they pull into the parking lot of the right church for them they can feel the Holy Spirit move in them. Others say it is the praise music and yet others say it is just the way the preacher delivers the word. I say the perfect church for you is the one that makes you feel like you are being spiritually fed. The church that makes you want to come back because you feel you are missing something in your life if you don’t. Acts 2:47 (ESV) says this about those feelings, “Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
What I pray for is that each one reading this today finds the same peace I have found. That peace in knowing that no matter what comes your way, you have the love of God and His church to support you through it all. When you find your special church, hold onto it tightly. Become part of the body and work for our LORD. Yes, I said work for our Great Lord and Savior. We are not here to sit around and wait on the LORD, we are to be waiters for the LORD to serve him and be part of the body that we call his Church. So if you don’t have that feeling of love and you want to be part of the, body, there is a right church for you right there in your area and they would love to show you what you might be missing out on. 1 Corinthians 14:26 (ESV) says this, “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” If you are looking for something but you are not finding it in the places you have been searching try looking in “the whole body of Christian believers.” You will find God there, and He is more than enough. Always know this, God truly loves each and every one of you and so do I.
