Today is Monday, November 12th, 2007; Karen's Korner #1186

A couple more highlights from the book:

 

“STOP DATING THE CHURCH: fall in love with the family of God”

By Joshua Harris

 

If we can see the church as God does, we learn the church matters to Him more than we realize and He calls and expects us to be a part of it. If Jesus loves the church, we should love it also. We might become disillusioned by the church, but Jesus will not and will never give up on it.

 

Each of us in a brick, needed together, to build the building. One brick by itself is just that a brick, not much good to anyone or anything. But when we build together as the church....a church....our church. We become everything God wants us to be.

 

The local congregation does best at showing non-Christian neighbors that the new life made available through Jesus’ death on the cross is also the foundation of society. Together we can trust in, worship, and live for Jesus Christ. Here people care for one another, forgive one another, serve one another. We need to live differently than non-Christians. We need to do everything possible to keep our lights shining in a dark world.

 

The longer we are Christians we know that we can’t live the Christian life on our own! God has ordained that much of His grace flows through others. Hebrews 10:25 (in part):  "Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now...."  We need others; pastors need to encourage us, help us apply God’s Word to our lives, and to help us see our sins.

We need to worship together. It strengthens us and glorifies God in ways nothing else can. Many of us claim to be Christians but aren’t living a new life.

 

We need to know that we now walk in the light, not darkness. I John 1:7 (in part): "...if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other....."

 

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