THE CHURCH (PART 1)

There has been this great misconception which always arises when children of the world and unfortunately many Christians try to drag Christianity under the umbrella of religion. Christianity is not a religion, but a lifestyle which was made manifest by our Lord Jesus Christ. He came in order to set Himself as an example for us to follow, that we may escape death and gain eternal life through Him. This lifestyle is a divine mandate from heaven for those who care to make heaven. The bible in the book of Acts 11:26 says ".........and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" ,and this was because their lives were a direct reflection of Jesus Christ. Christianity brings about discipleship and not membership, because discipleship is a believers right stand with God while membership is a row call of attendance. It is very unfortunate that in the vineyard of God today, we have more members than disciples.

The gathering of Christians with the sole aim of reverencing, praising, worshiping, and praying to God through the name of Jesus Christ is called a Church. Today, many mistake the definition of a church to the exoskeleton called "the building". A church is not a physical structure but a spiritual entity which cannot be explained by the flesh. The bible in the book of Mathew 18:20 says " for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them". This scripture is very deep because it means that every gathering of believers or Christians in the name of Jesus Christ, is a church. The church of God is mobile and cannot be confined or tied down to any structure, no matter how gigantic it is. Today we have a situation where church leaders are now becoming more interested in erecting gigantic buildings with state of the art facilities rather than developing the church(Christians). I am not saying that ministries should not build befitting sanctuaries or temples for God, but the focus should be more on developing the church (Christians), physically, mentally, materially, and spiritually in preparation for the bridegroom. In churches today, the book of Malachi 3:8-10 becomes a popular scripture when offerings and tithes are to be collected, but many leaders whom God have given the rare privilege to serve in His vineyard as General Overseers, forget the part of that scripture that says "......that there may be food in my house". The word "food" is relative, as it does not refer to consumables alone. This part of the scripture is saying that, the house of God is meant to be a home of provisions, but what do we have today, when men and women who have been asked to hold brief for Jesus Christ live in opulence, while the church lives in abject poverty. It is not meant to be so, because the house of God is a house for provisions for all those who seek Him in terms of spiritual and material needs. I was recently watching on television, a man of God who was giving back to the Church by supporting members and workers in the church with cash gifts and tools needed for small scale business and other needs. This is the way to go, and blessed are the General Overseers who follow this same principle of giving back to the church and not being only collectors.

The church is regarded as the Body of Christ in the book of 1 Corinthians 12:27, because she is in a Holy matrimony with our Lord Jesus Christ. The conception and engineering design of marriage by God, is still a mystery with the unsolvable equation of 1+1=1. God instituted the first marriage in the book of Genesis 2:18-25, and by His design, He made the man and woman one flesh (Genesis 2:24). The expression "one flesh", connotes a spiritual design that cannot be broken or separated. When a man marries a woman, he becomes one flesh with her, or he becomes spiritually fused together with her to become one entity, and this is the same spiritual principle that operates between Jesus Christ and the Church( Isaiah 54:5). The church of Christ is the Bride, and hence one flesh with Christ. This means that you cannot separate the Church from Jesus Christ, neither can you separate Jesus Christ from the Church.

The body of a man is made up of various distinct parts which cooperate with each other irrespective of their differences towards a collective goal of making the body function properly, and this is the same way the Body of Christ is build to function. Denominations are integral parts in the Body of Christ with certain peculiarities and differences, but with the same mandate of preparing the church for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Today, we have a vast number of them which are ordained by God and with different names designed to fulfill His promises in our lives, but many believers as a result of ignorance have misunderstood this kind gesture from God. Believers now use the platform of denomination to cause division in the House of God, while others out rightly disown the credibility of other denominations. This trend has become so bad, that certain so called "Christian families" deny their children the right to get married to their partner of choice because he or she is a not a member of their church. What a great ignorance under heaven!

However, the Body of Christ is one indivisible entity, and its diversity portrays the complex nature of God. Every denomination serves a purpose, and we as believers are meant to drink from the cup of that purpose and be satisfied while preparing for our bridegroom.

STOP DIVIDING THE BODY OF CHRIST BY USING DENOMINATION AS AN EXCUSE.

THE BRIDEGROOM IS COMING, WILL YOU BE READY WHEN HE COMES?

#TheChurch
#TheMessenger