Have you ever given much thought to the church? I remember when I was maybe four or five years old and wondered why we went to church all the time. It would seem that it was all we did. My parents were deeply involved in leading the youth group, my mother in the “WSCS,” my father fed the coal to the furnace, and we kids mowed the grass. What was God thinking that we needed to be there for everything? And then there was the “old pastor.” He seemed to talk way too long about stuff I didn’t understand.

So now I am the pastor of THE CHURCH. Back then, I did know about Jesus and he did say "I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18). Of course Jesus himself is the One whom the church is built on and He was speaking to Peter, the Rock, and the first great leader in the church. Later in 1 Peter 2:5, Peter portrays the church as a living spiritual house with Christ as the foundation and all of us as stones in a royal priesthood.

This establishes that we are all serving in the church together. One stone does not build a church or even a wall; just as our bodies are incomplete and do not function well without all the parts. In the past, I have often thought I can’t do something that I feel God might be leading me to do, and that is correct. I cannot do what God is asking without Him, and without others alongside. Following are some thoughts about the church that we are all part of:

The church is at its best when the actions of those in its pews mirror the love of Christ rather than the self-centeredness of the world.

The church through its true nature becomes a force for righteousness in the world when it shares its message of hope and cultivates the personal faith of its people.

The church is unified because she loves her Founder. She matures into a mighty force because of a basic belief system based on God's Word.

The church has the potential to solve our problems in its desire to put differences aside and become more generous with one another. Solving our challenges by praying together and forgiving one another is essential to her success.

The church is often connected to the word "revival." Whatever form revival might take, there is a need for the Body of Christ to rekindle a spark in the life of every believer, and recognize that our potential is not based on the material elements, like numbers and dollars, but the powerful Spirit of God that lives in each one of us.

"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 1:10).

Be blessed, and be a blessing to others,

Pastor Greg