"Every Christian would have his church enclosed within his heart, and be affected with its maladies, as it they were his own, -sympathize with its sorrows, and bewail its sins.
-John Calvin
Do we really feel that way about our church? Do we hurt when other members of your church body hurt? Do we grieve over the sin in others lives? Good questions to ponder this week. I would love some feed back!
A women's ministry is important because its displays God's glory in the local church.
Our ultimate motivation behind any service to God must be to glory if Him in the grace that He provides because "the very people we are called to serve will break our hearts." We must soley serve in ministry because of Christ's love and not rely on our love for people or we will burn out.
Christ gives us the ability to love others, we cannot muster this up ourselves.
The letter to Timothy from Paul is used to explain how we should serve in the local church.
1 Timothy 3:14-16
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God; a pillar and buttress of truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness; he was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Three truths from the passage:
1. The Bible-
a. it is have a controlling influence in our lives and our ministry in the local church
b. we should encourage our ministers to be true to Scripture, even to the hard areas
c. we should use it as our guide for ministry
2. The Church-
a. "the household of God"- glorious people that God has offered His grace
b. "church of the living God"- He is present with us when we meet together
c. "a pillar and buttress of truth" - we, as the local church, must influence culture, we do not need to become like the culture to reach others for Christ
3. Christ-
a. we are to be gracious, truth-loving, Christ-loving, distinct disciples growing in God's grace
b. we are to share the gospel with the lost and disciple and grow the saved
"Falling in love with Christ means falling in love with His church."
This last quote really hits the mark. If we are not in love with the local church, then maybe we really aren't in love with Christ! Ponder that for awhile and tell me what you think.
2 comments:
That is a good post. I was thinking about your last quote. I think that if we do not have a love for our brothers and sisters in Christ then we do need to check ourselves. That is a mark of a true believer.
John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
1 John 4:7-12 is really good too.
I am so thankful to be a part of a local body that truly loves one another and sacraficially serves one another. It is a blessing!
Hey Jeanna, I was excited to see that you are reading Women's Ministry in the Local Church. Sadly, I am still reading it, as I took time off from all of my reading during my early pregnancy--because I was so sick. Though I already had a solid understanding of our God-given roles as men and women, this book has really helped me to invision how that should be fleshed out in the local church. It is a beautiful thing when the women's ministry submits to the male leadership of the church and operates within God's perfectly designed complementarian framework.
Congratulations on your new home! What a blessing.
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