"A Glorious Church"

“That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish”
Ephesians 5:27

    I believe our church is a wonderful church! This past week (January 31, 2010) was a tremendous, yet typical Sunday at Central Baptist Church. Tremendous in that we saw people kneeling at our altar receiving Christ as Saviour, and those following the Lord in believer’s baptism, and families joining the church. Typical, in that, we see that week after week. I don’t ever want to get used to those kinds of results. It is not our work, but the work of the Holy Spirit, as we are obedient to preach the Word of God.

    Our church is made up of wonderful people. I think of our dear elderly folks, and I am encouraged by their great faith, and steadfastness in the Lord. I think of our moms and dads who are busy raising teenagers. They are a busy people with activities and ball games and extra outings, yet they are doing a great job with their teens. I think of our young parents raising small children, and the hectic pace of life they have. I think of our single adults and the commitment they must have for the Lord. Our young children and teenagers are constantly on my heart with the temptations and trials of life they have. I am so thankful that God has allowed all of us, young and old, to be a part of this wonderful church.

    However, I can’t help to think that with all of these wonderful aspects of our church, there is a day yet to come when we will be a glorious church! Right now we have faults, and strife and sin to contend with. Sometimes these things break our fellowship with each other and interfere with our service and even hinder our walk with the Lord. These things become a wearisome battle for us to fight, and often times discourage us, but there is coming a day when nothing will hinder our fellowship! We will be a church in Heaven! Our Jesus will be with us, and we will have no spots or blemishes. We will serve Him with nothing to stand in our way. We will have no strife between us, and no murmuring about our positions, no jealousy, no broken hearts! Imagine serving the Lord with no tears staining our checks, and no sin to confess. Oh, a glorious church!

    Let all of us strive together to be the church God wants us to be. Let us work to maintain a good spirit, and a love for each other. Keep in mind that we are going to be in Heaven together forever, and then we will be Christ’s glorious church!

Study verses - Ephesians 5:23-33; Hebrews 12:22-24; Colossians 1:18-29; Revelation 22:1-17

Previous devotions

"Work of the Ministry" - January 27, 2010
"Redeem The Time" - January 20, 2010
"Stewardship" - January 13, 2010
"Tithing" - January 6, 2010
"An Expected End" - December 30, 2009
"Silent Night, Holy Night" - December 23, 2009
"Christmas - Part 2" - December 16, 2009
"Christmas - Part 1" - December 9, 2009
"Walk in Truth" - December 2, 2009