MAY 27, 2025 ~ FROM A PASTOR'S HEART

MAY 27 DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READING:  1 CORINTHIANS 12

The Bible says, "Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her..." (Ephesians 5:25). There is the church universal, made up of all genuine born-again believers. There is the church local, made up of a group of genuine born-again believers who have come together in a location to worship, to serve, to grow in the Lord, to reach their community and even the world with the message of Christ's wonderful gospel of salvation. It is the Lord who builds His church, and He said the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. His verbiage makes it clear that the church is not to be an intimidated group sitting back and hiding in their church buildings, but we are to be involved in the assault on the very gates of hell! The church is not merely an organization, but it is to be a living, powerful, moving "organism," with Christ as its Head and each of us followers of Jesus actively involved in the Kingdom work. In order for that to happen we have to be in the church spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

In the 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, the Apostle Paul spoke of the church as the body of Christ. He draws a comparison to the human body and the church. He speaks of all the different parts of the body, yet the body is one, as should be the church. He speaks of the importance and necessity of every part of our human bodies to function properly and declares this should be so in the church. He speaks of how every part of the body by design works wonderfully together to accomplish all that it needs to do, just as it ought to be in the church. Paul speaks of the unity of diversity of the human body which makes it complete. It is the same in the church. All parts of the church are important; they are different by design, with Jesus as the Head. If you are not involved in the church, something is missing, and it is not just what you miss by not being there, it's what the church misses because you are not there. The church is healthy and strong when all the body is active and involved, each doing what our Head, Jesus, leads us to do.

Please share your thoughts.