Jesus loves messy people

I've been reading through 1 Corinthians 12 over the past few weeks.  As I've read I've tried to remember all the issues the Corinthian church was struggling with.  They were struggling with cliques and which leader they were following.  They wrestled with lawsuits among themselves.  They seemed to be plagued with sexual immorality.  They were neglecting the poor.  They were putting certain gifts and manifestations up on a pedestal.  You name it and it they seemed to struggle with it.  This was a messy church.  And, it's to this church, with all its issues that Paul writes, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it" (1 Corinthians 12:27).  I'm so glad that Paul didn't write that to a church that had it all together.  So is your church messy?  Are there cliques?  Do people have sexual struggles?  Are people divided?  Take heart.  You ARE the body of Christ.  Jesus seems to love redeeming and restoring messy people and shaping them into His image.  In fact, if a church isn't messy, I would argue that it's probably just good at masking its issues.  If we want to see real transformation, we need to love the church and all her mess.  We need to humbly come to Christ in repentance, seeking the transformation that only He can do in our hearts.  My prayer is that you are encouraged today as you seek to love Christ's messy bride.    

if you love me you will love the church

I was reminded again this past Sunday how blessed our church is in so many ways.  One of those ways is musically.  I was preaching on the how we are each indispensable parts of Christ's body, gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit to build the church up.  In other words we are gifted for the sake of others.  We are called to love and serve the church.  As I finished our musicians began playing a song that I didn't recognize about loving the church.  It turned out to be a song by Derek Webb called "The Church."  It was the chorus that kept ringing in my head and then my heart.  It says, "Cause I haven't come for only you, but for my people to pursue, you cannot care for me with no regard for her.  If you love me you will love the church."  Why bother with church?  Quite simply because Jesus loves the church.  Is she messy?  Absolutely.  Will she drive us crazy at times?  Probably.  Is it hard to love the church?  It can be at times.  Should we give up?  Not as long as Jesus continues to love and care for and call his church to be His bride.   

They Gave to Anyone Who Had Need...

Acts 2:44-45 records these words "All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need" (TNIV).   One of the reasons I believe church is worth bothering with is the way the God works through his generous people to provide for people in need.  This morning I found myself on the receiving end.  I am blessed to have a small number of really good friends.  One of these friends is also a colleague in ministry.  We often call each other when we're frustrated, discouraged, or just need to vent.  So I call him every day and he calls me every other day :-) (kidding of course).  Anyway, we were enjoying a coffee this morning when during our conversation he slid an envelope across the table and told me that he and his wife wanted to bless me and Michelle by paying for new tires for our truck.  I can't describe the feeling.  We recently found out that we have to put a new roof on our house, the tires on Michelle's truck are really bald, and we didn't know how we were going to pay for everything.  I was pretty overwhelmed at my friend's generosity.  He shared how God put it on his heart to bless us with this, and that this was what the body of Christ is all about.  I am so grateful and this type of generosity is one of the reasons I believe church is worth bothering with.  We are a body.  We should be there for one another.  We should care for one another.  We should love one another.  We should help one another.  This morning I found myself being blessed by a great friend.  My hope is that we can all be a blessing to others as God empowers and enables us.