God Reflection:
Events in my own life over the last several days cause me to marvel anew at God’s grand design of church. So often we human types belittle it to a small group of people or an address on a building that seems like it has been there forever. In our more “progressive vocabulary” we may even envision a “megachurch” on acreage that houses thousands of worshipers.
I do not want to discount any local group of people who gather to worship and honor Jesus. In today’s post my attempt will be to share anew the vibrancy of the united Body of Christ that Jesus and New Testament authors call church. It is the perfect, pure bride of Christ.
This church, established by Jesus, is the fulfillment of all prophecy. Perfection comes through His blood. My only role in this church is to belong. I can’t make it better, nor can I mess it up. God designed it as eternally perfect.
When I placed my faith in Christ and went through the symbolic watery grave of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, He placed me in His church. If I remain in Jesus, I will ride will fellow believers into the perfect eternal reality designed by The Holy. The Lord Jesus charges his church of imperfect people to live as witnesses of love and unity before all humankind.
Due to limitations of wordcount I will attempt to cite three events in my own life over the last weeks that make me reflect anew on the power Jesus releases through His church, His Body. We see his power in the form of united believers from around the globe who shine Celestial Rays of His Healing Light across our hurting world.
In the three event that follow, I choose not to identify names nor places since what seems to me to be of greater importance is to step back and stand in awe at the reality of God’s gift of church, AND His open embrace to invite our participation.
- Death – Over the past month, on three occasions the glory of the church highlighted the
celebration of reward at the death of loved ones who were very dear to me. All three wove the riches of Jesus into my life for over half a century.
As we reminisced about one couple, the concept of teamwork flooded my mind. In late 1950’s God planted into their hearts to invite college classmates to join them upon graduation and go as a team to introduce Jesus to a lost city. Sixteen families caught the vision and signed on for a 1961 departure to another nation.
It was a vision without precedence in the modern world to go as a team to plant churches in another country. The faith of these young families spread across news channels and inspired other teams to form over the next few years for the northeast USA, for Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. It was a grand vision of the body of Christ, the church as individual members orchestrated by Jesus The Head to share light together as a team.
- A Working Body – Like a fly on a wall, I was gifted to watched online the fall Board of
Trustees meeting of a group (rooted from the vision described above) to plant Jesus’s church in other nations through teamwork.
Over the morning as I observed the meeting I marveled in holy awe as Jesus Church glowed on the screen. Jesus was on center stage at work through his church.
Men and women who served local congregations across the country serving as a seamless team with those who were also team members on the non-profit mission entity. They in turn had recruited, trained, and cared for other families who are now being Jesus Church in other nations work as teams. And many of those family along with families of their national churches, working together as a team, made their appearance on the screen.
What was obvious to me was the glory of the church radiated through teamwork. No one was the big cheese. They worked together WITH each other not FOR anyone in the room. All were servants of Jesus, they worked gladly for him. A beautiful portrait of a diversified yet united church that glows around our globe.
- Mission Month – My final gift for October came in the form of a month-long celebration of
Mission Month by a local church. I am indebted to that church in a distant city who for the past five decades has continued to add unspeakable value to my life. They too find their roots connected to both of the above observations that I have noted.
For four Sundays, through online presence, I witnessed an indescribable seamless demonstration of the team mission of the global church of Jesus Christ—His body at harmony and in step with other body members across their city, throughout our nation and around the world.
Pictures and testimonies throughout the month portrayed a worldwide team unified to be Jesus’s church for both lost and found people who now join the rest of us as members of God’s eternal family.
Yes, I marvel anew at God’s grand design for His Church. Isn’t it amazing He would invite me and you, who can’t get through our day without mistakes and false steps, as partners in His Holy Mission to share Jesus’ light with lost people? What a grand view The Holy has for us The Church—The Body of Christ. In teamwork with Jesus, we go as His Church to the nations. Wow. Amazing.
Stay tuned.
Gary Sorrells
A God Reflection on A Grander View of Church.
God Reflection 