Why I Love The Church: Part Two

           Sitting on the porch a cool breeze rustled the leaves in the trees, the birds chirped, the squirrels scampered, and the words I had just read seemed to come alive.  It is my intention to spend time every morning reading the Word and praying.  My front porch is one of the most serene places for communing with the Father.   As a Pastor I have encouraged congregants to take time during the day to cultivate this relationship because in the depth of God’s Word and in prayer we come face to face with the God who has saved us.

            Jesus was the example of this devotion.  He withdrew to the mountains, spent hours in prayer, took his disciples away on retreats, and refreshed himself in the midst of a demanding ministry.  His declaration as being one with the Father was lived out in his constant commitment to living in union with Him.  However, what we see as a singular relationship between the father and son was actually a triune experience between father, son, and spirit.  It is this triune relationship that makes sense of Jesus’ statement to his disciples, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Matt 18:20). 

            Too often I have heard the statement, “I don’t need the church to be a Christian.”  However, the Church is Christians, not individually but collectively, and the expression of Christ’s presence is when two or more of us are gathered together.  Yes, we are individually responsible to live out our walk with Christ, but we cannot live out its reality without other people.  We can’t love one another, encourage one another, bear with one another, forgive one another, or pray for one another unless we are gathered together.   The minimum is two and when they meet, Christ is in their midst and the triune nature of the relationship is complete, and when others are added to the mix the depth and complexity of the community grows.

            I have been to churches where the pastor prays and invites the Holy Spirit to meet them, but the reality is that the Spirit is already there because they had gathered in His name.  When we gather to worship He is there, when we gather to serve He is there, when we gather to reach the lost He is there!  I might not feel or sense him, but that is an issue of my faith, not the reality of His presence.

            The Church is called to be the expression of Christ’s presence, not individually but corporately, when two or three are gathered in His name.  “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.” 1Cor. 1:2   

            Living in community is never easy, in fact is down right hard.  But what do Christians of different ethic, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds have in common?  They have the spirit of Christ in their midst.  It takes some adjustment to worship with person who are not like me, whose music is different, whose language is strange, whose customs are foreign, but all that disappears when the reality of God’s presence is understood.  I Love The Church because in its midst the presence of Christ dwells when it is gathered in His name.  I’m just saying… (Continued).