Our House, God’s Church
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
The church isn’t a gathering of strangers, like fans at a ball game who just happen to be sitting next to each other. The church is a community of individuals spiritually linked together with the purpose of reflecting and spreading the values of the kingdom of God.
The church is a community of individuals spiritually linked together. Click To Tweet
The church is critical in the process of growing mature disciples who imitate Jesus Christ because Jesus is relational. Jesus Himself stated the key identifier that would tell us who were His disciples and who were not, and that is our love for one another.
God’s people are so vitally connected that we’re like members of the same physical body. The parts of your body are in a relationship with the other parts. Just smash your thumb or stub your toe, and you’ll have a good biblical reminder of the interrelationship of your bodily members. Once you disconnect a body part, you cut off its ability to function because it is separated from the source of its life.
That’s why Peter and Paul both call the church the “household of God” (1 Peter 4:17; Titus 3:15). Your home is supposed to be the place where you give and receive love unconditionally. It takes more than the paid professional staff in a church to produce this kind of love. It comes from each one of us being in in dynamic relationships so we can encourage and edify each other.
Check out more from Dr. Tony Evans @Tonyevans.org