Mark van Pletsen reminded us about the power of the blood of Jesus when we apply it to our lives. This new series ‘We the Church’ is an invitation to more of what God has in store for us. Mark’s encouraging word from 1 Peter 2:1-10 tells us that we are part of a Church body where Jesus is the cornerstone and God is the builder. It is Jesus as our crucial cornerstone that helps us build a straight and true Spiritual Temple, which is the Church.
It is essential to understand what God has birthed us into. We are God’s living stones, His chosen people, not destined to live life independently and alone. Our individualism of “me, myself, and I” is challenged daily to connect ourselves into a radical family that has been called to change the world. We need every generation, age, and level of experience to be in the Church, where we can all help, shape, and teach each other, so we can all grow together.
The Church is flawed because it has people in it, but it is from where God builds His Kingdom. Church is not an event, but a gathering of chosen people. Just like the purpose of getting engaged is to show commitment to getting married, becoming a part of a Church is a commitment and celebration of partnering with a community, where real relationships can flourish. It is only in the messes of our lives, when we are vulnerable and courageous enough to expose ourselves, that we can find healing and growth.
Just like in a family, navigating the highs and lows of life together can be challenging, but Church is our safe place where God knits us together, for better or worse. Church is not just an impressive building or a glass box, but a people practicing how to walk out life into their community.
We need to be doing life together for Church is NOT a membership but a partnership. We need to be contributing and not just consuming. When the Covid lockdown was happening, there was online church available, but there was no one when you needed someone. Church needs to be in a room, so we can be physically together. Sadly, because many people have been hurt in the Church, they are now rejecting all Churches, which is the biggest victory of the devil. It is the Church’s role to spread the Gospel of reconciliation to bring these people back where they belong.
Unity is not in the absence of conflict. It is normal to have differences, but only when we open up and fight together instead of against each other, can we bring healing and restoration. There is so much the Church needs to be fighting for – for marriages, for justice, etc. Let us come together to cry and rejoice, to weep and to celebrate. When we learn to do this within a Church and around a dining room table environment, we will then become the signs and wonders to a hurting world.
We see in Acts 2 in Bethany, a story of confrontations and reconciliations, where there is no divide and not just a gathering for a meeting, but a people connected in doing life together. This mustn’t be an inconvenience but a commitment. As a Church body, we need to devote ourselves to both the teaching AND the fellowship. It is our job to devote ourselves to God and be a part of His Church. This is not always comfortable or convenient, but it’s about healing and power. The fruit is devotion, when we choose to be something bigger than ourselves.
We are all just a brick in the wall (family) of God, where our cornerstone of His Church is Jesus. When our bricks are overlaid with each other, someone’s weakness is covered by someone’s strength and vice versa. There is the potential of our Church to become the solutions of our nations and people, and not give this responsibility to the Government who are failing in this area.
Church is not a Sunday event. We need to live out Acts 2 and become open and honest with each other. Church is a grace-filled community where your calling is greater than your failures. Challenging each other is both helpful and beneficial to our growth as Christians. The local Church is a beautiful joining of broken hearts, where we allow the Kingdom of God in and where His healing begins.
Let us start putting the people first and stop focusing on the politics. Let us push into people’s lives and respond to the teaching in the Church, by asking ourselves what is God saying to us. Start inviting people into your life and see what God will do.