Real Hope: Back to Basics - ChurchSample

More Than A Building

This reveals several fundamental insights into what the church was meant to be and how important it is for her to be properly nurtured and protected.

Firstly, it is God’s church. It was His idea and His original intention for her to be beautiful. Revelations 19:7b–8a says – ‘for the marriage of the Lamb (Christ) has come, and His Bride (the church) has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’.

Secondly, the church is valuable. One of the words for church in the original scriptures is ecclesia (Greek ekklēsia), which means a ‘called out’ people or a ‘summoned gathering’. In the case of the church, she was rescued or redeemed from the world and her redemption price was the blood of Christ, the Son of God.

Thirdly, those who have been called and ordained to lead the church are commanded to be on their guard for their own personal conduct and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the power of God, to protect and nurture her so she can be for God all He intended her to be.

The church is therefore meant to be more than just a building, or a denomination and/or a group of people, although all these have their place. Can I encourage you to reassess your vision of the church and ask God, directly, to give you a ‘top-down’ understanding of what He wants the church to be and your relationship with her?

Written by JOHN SCOTT