May 01, 2022
Greetings and blessings to all of you. When the Church “goes to Church” things take place. The Body of Christ is bigger than the local church/us. Meaning… the gospel is spread through the strength and wisdom of Jesus Christ. He has chosen to use the Body of Believers united by the Holy Spirt “to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” The Word of God goes on to say, “then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head that is Christ. From him the {whole body} joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Eph 4:11-16) The church acts as Jesus’ feet to carry the gospel message, His hands to care for those in need of love and His arms to uphold the weak. We are God’s outlet for outreach and evangelism. We live in a day and time when we must question our dedication and faithfulness to the Body of Christ or our local church? What is our attitude and motivation? Maybe we are Lone Ranger Christians? Maybe we want to build our own little Kingdom? Maybe we want to satisfy the lust of the flesh (there are a list of those). Maybe you believe that being a part of the Body should not be a priority in your Christian life. You may say, yes, it is important but not a priority? Or maybe you have a personality that is resistant to the divine call of humility and submission? Maybe your favorite song is from Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way” being naturally headstrong, self-reliant and proud hating to admit a need for anyone. I cannot answer these questions for you. Christ tells you and I to “examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith; test yourselves.” He also asks the question, “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless of course you fail the test?”2 Cor. 13:5 Being the church is all about serving, encouraging, instructing, loving, one another. We should have a desire to worship God, receive His Word and spread His Word and fellowship with other believers…then things will take place.
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC