| A Strong Community |
A Strong Community
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in
the midst of them."
— Matthew 18:20
We live in a time in which our society is becoming more and more
disjointed and divided. Rather than celebrating what we have in
common, it seems nowadays we emphasize the things that separate
us. In fact, I don't know of a time, at least in my brief life, when our
culture has been more divided (perhaps with the exception of the
tumultuous 1960s).
Families are falling apart like never before, and the result is that people
are looking for a place where they can belong, a community where they
can feel safe, a family they can belong to . . . a place where they can
genuinely love and be loved in return. And that is exactly what the church
is.
I know the church is not perfect. The church is made up of imperfect
people, but foibles and all, it is the only organization that Jesus Christ
himself ever established. And it is still going strong.
Years ago, the Roman emperor Diocletian set up a stone pillar as a
monument, boasting that he had exterminated the word "Christian" from
the earth. That was the aim of Diocletian, and needless to say, he failed
in his endeavor.
Any attempt that has ever been undertaken to eradicate the church that
Jesus established and maintains has met with failure, because Jesus
said of His church, "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). He is with His church, and it is
still going strong!
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in
the midst of them."
— Matthew 18:20
We live in a time in which our society is becoming more and more
disjointed and divided. Rather than celebrating what we have in
common, it seems nowadays we emphasize the things that separate
us. In fact, I don't know of a time, at least in my brief life, when our
culture has been more divided (perhaps with the exception of the
tumultuous 1960s).
Families are falling apart like never before, and the result is that people
are looking for a place where they can belong, a community where they
can feel safe, a family they can belong to . . . a place where they can
genuinely love and be loved in return. And that is exactly what the church
is.
I know the church is not perfect. The church is made up of imperfect
people, but foibles and all, it is the only organization that Jesus Christ
himself ever established. And it is still going strong.
Years ago, the Roman emperor Diocletian set up a stone pillar as a
monument, boasting that he had exterminated the word "Christian" from
the earth. That was the aim of Diocletian, and needless to say, he failed
in his endeavor.
Any attempt that has ever been undertaken to eradicate the church that
Jesus established and maintains has met with failure, because Jesus
said of His church, "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). He is with His church, and it is
still going strong!
| C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside , CA 92514 |