Church In These Times

Christ’s church is a congregation of believers.  Is that really what churches are in these times?  Has Satan perverted something pure and holy?  A church is for community, for missionary work, for organized worship and praise (as distinct from moment-by-moment worship and praise for coming face to face with God), and evangelizing.  

A church must understand its congregation in order to direct its own mission.  If a church understands that perhaps only 10% of its congregation are true committed believers, who trust, obey, and worship God the other 98% of the week, then its mission should clearly be on evangelism, and perhaps praise and worship, but never at the expense of speaking directly about the realities of God’s truth.  There is no point in building a better sense of community within the church, or even in missionary work, if the people in that community or doing the work are not there in the name of the true and living God.

Additionally, the community would be most pure when the ratio of true believers is higher.  And, the missionary work would flourish as a higher ratio of the congregation develops a personal relationship with God that, in and of itself, motivates them to do His work.

SeaCoast Grace

• Faith is like a growing grassfire (creeping), with the edge being the front of obedience
• Before church this morning, I fought the impression I should bring my journal in to service.  One of the greatest lessons today was that I should never miss an opportunity to record how the spirit is leading / teaching me.