The Church

#1 · April 15, 2012, 10:02 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on April 15, 2012, 10:02 pm
Posted by: bneumann848 <bneumann848@...>

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35 New King James Version

What ONE word comes to mind when you hear CHURCH?

The question was asked of an eclectic group of friends on Facebook. Answers varied greatly. Some said God or Jesus. Others said bells, dinners, comfort or calm. Some of the responses were negative: Ugh! Fear. Fake. Dead. Hypocrite. Inquisition. Cliques. Others took a more personal view: People. Family. My friend Laura gave a beautiful answer: Misunderstood. Perhaps the most transparent response came from a precious widow named June: me.

No doubt about it - the church is people - you and me. There is no perfect church because it is made up of imperfect people. But just like in a natural family, although the idiosyncrasies of our brothers and sisters in Christ may frustrate us from time to time, underneath it all, we love one another. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. When one is restored, we receive them with open arms. There is a standard we are called to as believers. That standard is the love Jesus showed us. We're not there yet, but we're in this journey together. Because we're a family. We have family members around the world we've never met. One day we'll stand together before the Father's throne. For the world, it will be a day of judgment; for the church, it will be a day of reward. I don't know about you, but I'm so grateful to be part of the Church!

Sending love to my brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ - those of you I know, those of you I've met on-line only, and those of you I may never meet this side of heaven. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

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Posted by: bneumann848 <bneumann848@...>

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35 New King James Version

What ONE word comes to mind when you hear CHURCH?

The question was asked of an eclectic group of friends on Facebook. Answers varied greatly. Some said God or Jesus. Others said bells, dinners, comfort or calm. Some of the responses were negative: Ugh! Fear. Fake. Dead. Hypocrite. Inquisition. Cliques. Others took a more personal view: People. Family. My friend Laura gave a beautiful answer: Misunderstood. Perhaps the most transparent response came from a precious widow named June: me.

No doubt about it - the church is people - you and me. There is no perfect church because it is made up of imperfect people. But just like in a natural family, although the idiosyncrasies of our brothers and sisters in Christ may frustrate us from time to time, underneath it all, we love one another. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. When one is restored, we receive them with open arms. There is a standard we are called to as believers. That standard is the love Jesus showed us. We're not there yet, but we're in this journey together. Because we're a family. We have family members around the world we've never met. One day we'll stand together before the Father's throne. For the world, it will be a day of judgment; for the church, it will be a day of reward. I don't know about you, but I'm so grateful to be part of the Church!

Sending love to my brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ - those of you I know, those of you I've met on-line only, and those of you I may never meet this side of heaven. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

To subscribe: <adevotionalgroup-subscribe@welovegod.org>

To unsubscribe: <adevotionalgroup-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

If you have questions: <adevotionalgroup-owner@welovegod.org>