We Need The Church

We are not saved to sit soak and sour as an old Pastor of mine often said.  We are not saved to sit on a pew, soak up the air-conditioning and sour with old age, but for many people that describes their Christian existence.  We are to find our calling in life.  That is only done through the church.  Too often we misunderstand the gift of salvation.  It is not given to us to make our lives easier, but to fulfill God's purpose in us.

In a daily devotion found in Brother Charles Stanley's monthly periodical, I found where he wrote down a number of reasons why our Heavenly Father decided to bring salvation into our life.

1) To express His great love for us.  Romans 5:8 states, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

2) To bring glory to Himself, to be glorified thru the lives of His children.  As we become more and more like His Son, Jesus, we bring glory to Him.  Romans 8:29 states, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."

3)  To have His people - that is His chruch - obey the great commission.  Matthew 28:19 states, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

4)  To do the work he created us for.  Ephesians 2:10 states, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."  We are given spiritual gifts and talents that He, God, expects us to use for His glory.  These gifts perfectly fit us.  Our personality and our talents are so designed by our maker that those gifts and talents He has given to us fit us for His kingdom's work.  They are a perfect fit for His purpose in our lives.

Preaching, teaching, singing, laboring, building, repairing, and loving others are just some of the talents we find that the church helps us cultivate.  So we need the church to help us develop our callings.  We need to discover our talents and the work God has for us to do.  Our purpose in life is found in the church not in the world.

Are you serving Christ in a way that utilizes the gifts you have been given?

Let's be about finding and doing the calling God has for us in life.

From the Pastor's Desk

Bro. Eddie Fuller

May 1, 2009