AND…HELL WILL NOT CONQUER IT.“ ’ MATTHEW 16:18 NLT The Church is still relevant!
An old man who was stone deaf still attended church every week. One day a cynic asked him, ‘Why bother going when you can’t hear anything?’ Smiling, he replied, ‘Because I want people to know which side I’m on!’ For some, church is a place to get christened, married and buried (hatching, matching and dispatching). But it’s more than that to God; it’s His personal project. Movements come and go, but Jesus said, ‘ “…I will build My church, and …hell will not conquer it.“ ’ It’s not perfect (after all, we are members), and it doesn’t always live up to its own standards. But Dr Jay Kessler says: a) it’s the only organisation that still deals with the issues: like salvation, death, judgment, grace, purpose, heaven and hell b) it adds value and dignity to human life. We live in a secular culture that contributes to our sense of inner worthlessness. The church counteracts this negative message by preaching God’s love and acceptance c) it provides a moral and spiritual compass. Society has revised, resisted and rejected absolutes, embracing relativism. But the church stands on the timeless bedrock of God’s Word d) it’s where you find compassion, healing and community. There we’re all on a par. There God’s Spirit is working to knit us together as believers, guaranteeing us all ‘…equal access to the Father’ (Ephesians 2:18 TM) e) unlike other institutions, it has motivated the most lasting, unselfish, essential, courageous endeavours on earth: like missions, schools, hospitals, food pantries, rehab centres and orphanages. But most important is the fact that Christ Himself ‘is the Head…Everything comes from Him…So in all things Jesus has first place’ (Colossians 1:18 NCV).