The Church God Planned

We are living in a time of political, economic, social, and spiritual turmoil. We shouldn't be surprised, if we interpret the events of the world in terms of what Jesus said would happen in the days prior to His coming (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21).  As these events unfold, we need to provide the culture with a life-giving mechanism Jesus intended. We cannot fall short in demonstrating His lifestyle that validates the godly values foundational to a way of life that provides discovery for people searching for reality.

As a way of countering the downward spiral of humanity, Jesus instituted the Church (Matthew 16:13-19) for the purpose of changing their direction to upward outcomes.  The gift of the Church was for God to provide a way to reach mankind and provide a means through which people could experience a lifestyle similar to the one Jesus lived. The Church then, is God's tool to confront the world system, not simply make an impression upon it.  Lasting impressions are more than verbal stimuli. The kind of impressions I believe Jesus intended was to demonstrate values that would penetrate the value structures of people to the heart level and produce lifestyle changes that would be a reflection of new life unfolding at the core of the human heart.

What I see in today's Church is people pursuing knowledge about God and knowledge about the Word. That can lead to proclaiming personal rights rather than personal responsibilities.  I believe we should be a people seeking to know Jesus personally and involved in a pursuit of ways in which we can assume divinely appointed responsibilities. We need to be asking God to help us discover ways to reach those we live around.  We need to keep in mind, "A good, moral, and socially acceptable person without Jesus as Savior, when they die, will be separated eternally from God....as a good, moral, and socially acceptable person."

We need to ask ourselves the question, "Do we see ourselves functioning as the Church in the way God planned?"  Or, have we prescribed another way of addressing the human condition apart from what God intended for us in the Scriptures?"

He intended for us to be...light that dispels darkness...salt that purifies, gives flavor, and offers preservation...an example of conduct that loves...forgives...accepts...a message that reveals a loving God...healers of brokenness...presenters of a way to live motivated by giving rather than seeking possessions...the list could go on and on.  Perhaps rethinking our Scriptural purpose will produce a different perspective on what we are supposed to be to this world we live in and rethinking more effective ways of reaching people God dearly loves.

With Great Love
Al