RETHINK
CHURCH
Today we live in a society that is very much about the individual without regards to the group. It’s about what do “I” want, what do “I” need, and how will it benefit “me.” The new holy trinity has become me, myself, and I. Sad to say this mindset has infiltrated the lives of believers. I find it interesting as I read scripture that there is not one single reference in the Bible to a "personal” relationship with Jesus . There is an appropriate point at which your own faith must be your own, but the community of believers in Acts points to the type of people we should expect with one another, which is one of giving, sharing and of love. It seems that Jesus didn’t come to build a “person” but rather a “people.” In Matthew 16:18 Jesus tells Peter “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we know Jesus had already began to build a people by calling out His disciples to come together and live a life under the authority of God. So Jesus declares to peter he is building a church. Out of all the things Jesus could have built, out of all the things he could of done, He built a church. The church is the “called out” people of God who emerge out of the darkness of this world and walk in light. Jesus promised the gates of Hades would have no hold on it, nor would it overcome it. Each believer is a part of a the body that we call the church. I believe more now than ever that we need to be the church and that will require understanding of what the church is, what is its purpose, and what part does a believer need to play in it. This month we will be engaging in a new series entitled “The church.” I encourage you to come out as we take a look at the church from a biblical perspective and translate those truths into the culture we live in today!
In Christ,
Barry
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