HELLO CHURCH!

What a challenge to write this week! I had several things on my heart, but every time I started to write, I felt like it wasn’t what I was supposed to share. Finally, last night, I knew. When God speaks to me, the majority of the words He gives me are for the church as a whole. I often feel the Lord’s own passion for the church burning in my heart. Last night, I was reminded of my early years of marriage. Even before my hubby and I were pastors, we were at the church whenever the doors opened. We were just two people, radically saved and transformed by the love of Christ, with a desire to worship and serve any chance we got. We never planned on being pastors. We were just serving faithfully with hearts of gratitude for all the Lord had done in our lives. We believed in the importance of the church back then, just as much as we do now. Why? Because God loves His church! I’ve heard many people say that the age of the church is over, but I say those people need to read the Bible because the most glorious age of the church has just begun!

The Bible prophesies about our world growing darker and darker but says the Light will break through the darkness so that the glory of the Lord will be seen (Isaiah 60:1-3). One day, Jesus will come back and we’ll see the glory of the Lord push out all the darkness forever! What a glorious day that will be! In the meantime, however, God is raising up His church to be the releasers of His glory right HERE and NOW! And guess what? The church isn’t the building, it’s YOU and ME! Growing up, my pastor would say, “Look at your neighbor and say, “Hello Church!” TOGETHER WE ARE THE CHURCH! So I say to you, “Hello Church!” 🙂

I’ve heard people say that being a Christian is boring and I think to myself, “Well, they must be doing it wrong!” Living for Jesus is anything but boring! When we recognize who we are in Christ, and the power we have to be a changing force in this world, we encounter endless and exciting possibilities every day to release that power! Unfortunately, the trap of the enemy is to steal our focus. When our focus is on “the affairs of this life,” busyness and distraction will pull at us constantly, causing us to lose sight of this glorious call we each have. We must remember that the Bible says we may be in this world, but we’re not of it. Church, let’s not lose focus! We’re here on a mission – called by God to seek and save the lost, to take back, to advance, and to occupy until He comes. (2 Timothy 2:4, John 17:6, Philippians 3:20)

The church was never meant to be a religious establishment or a social club. It was meant to be a society-changing force! Jesus role modeled this to us while on earth (Matthew 9:35). When Jesus came on the scene, it says He went about preaching the Kingdom everywhere He went! The word Kingdom is referred to over 100 times in the Bible. This was His message to the world. He preached what God’s Kingdom looked like, and He showed us how it operates and how to live it. The Kingdom of Heaven plain and simple is God’s government. This is so important to understand because when the church is mentioned in the bible it was originally the word “ekklesia” which is a governing assembly. The word church came when the King James version was birthed because the monarchy was threatened by the governmental force the church was created to be. So the word church was used in an effort to diminish its power and influence. We must be confident though, that as the church, the “ekklesia” – we are designed to be a church of power and governmental authority! We are establishing God’s Kingdom here on the earth.

Jesus also role modeled to us this authority by not confining it to the four walls, and bringing it into everyday life. Wherever and whenever He was, He PREACHED and LIVED the Kingdom – we see him with the woman at the well, with the nobleman, in many homes breaking bread and teaching, in the temple, in the city, on a boat, and so on… For us it can be at the gas station, in a restaurant, the PTA meeting, our job, in the voting booth, on the street, in our business, and so on… Every day we have the opportunity to PREACH and LIVE the Kingdom. In John 4:34, Jesus said to His disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Jesus was ALWAYS about the Kingdom.

Church, clearly, we’ve been placed here for a purpose. You may feel, who am I? What can I do? I’m just one person. Well, first of all, with Jesus, YOU are one powerful person! But together, united with other believers, together, as the church, God’s Word says, “The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. (Matthew 16:18).” I love how My husband always says, “None of us are as strong as all of us.” Together, unified, the church is powerful. We have the ability to unite together – as people from all walks of life, with different giftings; making up a diverse and powerful body of Christ. Together we’re unstoppable and the enemy knows this too. It’s why he constantly comes against the church, trying to separate and divide. He knows if he can divide the body of Christ, he can weaken the church. Whether through strife, offense, compromise, lack of commitment, lethargy, religiosity, or anything else, the enemy’s main goal is to divide and weaken the church. We must each do our part to fight for, protect and pursue unity at all costs.

While some may be discouraged when they see the condition of the body of Christ today, I see glimmers of hope in the natural and feel a great spark of hope in my spirit as I’m reminded that God says He’s coming back for a glorious bride, without spot or wrinkle. Woo hoo! Day by day, God is refining as we allow Him to, transforming us into that beautiful bride (Ephesians 5:26-27). Sometimes it’s very uncomfortable. The refining process usually is, but oh it’s so worth it! Each of us must do our part. We must seek FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness. We must strive for unity and oneness and not allow division in. We must remain focused and stay committed to BE the church every single day.

I’m reminded of two AMAZING promises Jesus made before He ascended to Heaven. I know they will encourage you as they do me. He promised that all men would be drawn to him and that we would do greater works than even He did. Then He gave the final mandate to GO! You and I are God’s agents on this earth to draw all men to Him, and to do those greater works. And we’ve been given the mandate to GO and to bring this forth His Kingdom,… thru our business, in our families, in our communities, in our church gathering place, everywhere we put our feet! Church, we are powerful. We are unstoppable. (John 12:32, John 14:12, Matthew 28:19-20)

Below is a little Kingdom Self-check I put together for myself and wanted to share with you. It’s not meant to make us feel bad, but to honestly evaluate our lives so we can make any necessary changes and become more effective as the Kingdom releasers here on this earth. Most importantly remember, when our love relationship with the Lord is strong, all of these things become a natural overflow in our lives. So if you desire to make some changes, increase your intimacy with God, let Him fill you with His love, and then let it flow freely as He brings the opportunities before you each day. God bless you Church!

Kingdom Self-Check:

Who am I discipling?

Is my life a living epistle?

Do I walk with integrity?

Is my speech seasoned with salt?

When was the last time I shared my testimony?

When people look at me do they see an accurate reflection of who God is?

Does my life daily reflect the fruit of the spirit?

How is my love walk?

Do I vote, make decisions, live based on the Godly convictions?

Do I forgive quickly?

Am I unoffendable?

Am I committed to a local church body?

If someone was to describe me just by my social media platform, who would I be described as?