For all its warts and challenges, the church is still the body of Christ—the means that God has established for His kingdom to grow on earth. Renowned pastor and theologian John Stott wrote: “The church lies at the center of the purpose of God. God’s purpose, conceived in a past eternity, being worked out in history, to be perfected in a future eternity, is not just to save isolated individuals and so perpetuate our loneliness, but rather to call out a people for himself to build his church.”
In Acts 11 we see the beauty of the church on full display. Having faced persecution for their faith in Jesus, some believers from Jerusalem left the city. Traveling far and wide, they proclaimed the good news to the Jews (Acts 11:19). Some, however, began to preach about Jesus to those who weren’t Jewish—they “began preaching to the Gentiles” and “a large number of [them] believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:20-21).
People of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds were united in faith in Christ as they became part of the growing church at Antioch. Scripture reveals that “it was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). The church was so healthy there that when Barnabas was sent to Antioch from Jerusalem to check on the fledging family of believers, he “was filled with joy” at what he witnessed (Acts 11:23).
Reading this account, we can’t miss the importance of the church. As the believers were taught together, shared fellowship together, and gave together (Acts 11:29), the “power of the Lord was with them” (Acts 11:21).
Yes, the church makes for spiritually healthy and ministry-motivated believers in Jesus. It’s at the center of God’s great plan for all people!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 13:44-52
More:
Read Hebrews 10:23-25 and consider the importance of regularly meeting together with other believers in Jesus.
Next:
How can the church bring God honor even though it’s filled with imperfect people? What can happen when believers in Jesus pull away from their local church?
Gary Shultz on July 11, 2015 at 7:42 am
You got’a love the song “Even So Come”. A song of the collective church preparing of our Lords return. On a local scale it was no mistake that God put imperfect people together. We usually find we are just, if not more, lumpy than our church family and God has chosen this family to show His love and grace. It needs to start with us, me. Probably as you, I have seen many who have pulled away from the church. Feeling they can live better without the rest of those imperfect people, they isolate themselves and the process of that begins to work a shriveling, self-centered work…………… Made for God, meant to be family. Thanks
Tom Felten on July 11, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Such a good way to state these truths, “Made for God, meant to be family.” Thanks for sharing, Gary. As we each use our spiritual gifting, the sum total glorifies God and reveals Him to those who haven’t believed in Him.