| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church This is cool, but where does He send you, to do what, and for today, How does He send you? I mean are you trained up? Is there a boot camp? A-school? How do you go about getting to the place God wants you to go? Do you even care? Are you remotely curious about what the Author of the Universe has planned for you? Do you just think what will happen will happen? Here is the answer. The vehicle God has chosen to “send” you off to accomplish His work through you, is (da da da daaa) the Local Church. “BUT I DON’T LIKE THE CHURCH. IT’S FULL OF, LET ME THINK, PEOPLE.” This is the most common train of thought, and is mostly our (Christians) fault. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO BELONG TO A CHURCH TO WORSHIP GOD.” That’s true, but like it or not, our Purpose flows from seeing ourselves as members of God’s body, concentrating on His will, and having His mission to accomplish. This sounds wonderful, but how do we go about it? By making differences in other peoples lives, on an eternal scale. Jesus empowers His Church to do this. Then Jesus becomes the goal not the means; Heaven becomes a by-product rather than a destination; death becomes Graduation Day, and life here, is just a season pass to the most important game of all time, and one in which You are a vital participant. Many times the New Testament refers to those who are “in Christ” as being the body or being In the body of Christ-(1st Cor. 12:27). Romans 12:4-5 says “for as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one Members one of another.” Eph 5:30 = “For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones”. Eph 1:22-23 = “and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church, - which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all”. And my personal favorite, Col. 1:18 which says: “and He is the head of the body, the Church: who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence”. All the “saved” on the earth, (not denominational) are in the Body of Christ, and intended to function therein. There are No “lone Ranger Christians”. Hi-Ho Silver. |
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