Steve and Rich are continuing in the Desert Springs doctrinal statement today talking about something very near and dear to their hearts; that is the church. What exactly is the church? Is it a specific building or place? How much do the people in the church matter? Does the church exist to merely provide "religious services"? What does it mean to be a member of a church? Rich encourages us to start with Jesus when thinking about these things. In the later part of Mark 3 Jesus states that the church really functions as a family. Jesus was essentially calling His followers to realign their thoughts on who they belong to. Is it fair for someone to say, "I love Jesus, but I don't love His church"? A lot of this comes down to the idea that our identity in Christ includes our identity in Christ's family - the Church! Steve speaks to the fact that many American Christians unfortunately have a complete misunderstanding of what the Church should be. It is not a building, a time of the week, a service provider; it is a community. We don't just go to church; we ARE the Church. The Church should not be a place that someone just comes and goes. Ephesians 2 speaks to temple language that was seen in the Old Testament and Rich helps to bring clarity on where God's presence now dwells. 1 Corinthians 12 also speaks to how God has gifted each person to serve and minster within the Church, a truly beautiful picture. The concept of a "solo Christian" is totally absent from the Bible. Have you ever thought about the fact that you don't just need the Church body but that the Church body needs you? Come back next week for part 2 of this conversation! 

When the Church Was a Family by Joseph H. Hellerman: https://www.amazon.com/When-Church-Was-Family-Recapturing/dp/0805447792/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MZX6L7S4EWZ3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iNgW2eszfEH3pr7bRIAzl-V-apejhdZSCczY_nzKXDih3rRxFIQpyhGhgfdbTFeZ1tbv-Z-jeNu6z2KAVI4qO6IQ4T9b04j7h5R1CvDbxzs05j42ue7GvUykDgexzctknM8hNXuaOVwXeXsSjfs1JTvwMdpMwNURNbF-8VMjSx0S2XvOs1N-7C8dtQofUCdswQAmdmcxLPBNuriDg9llQL3KeH7Cq4gWgvx6xl4g6qg.qHKEdiKHWUQuN1o0maE67H7z8LVfZnPLmLMX5qxSEZ8&dib_tag=se&keywords=when+the+church+was+a+family&qid=1714593835&sprefix=when+the+church+%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-1

Rich Holland's testimony on The Stories Collective podcast, Episode 45: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4O9jSmbkZgC9taWVeRiqxS?si=24519f1c8d494e2d *available wherever you listen to podcasts

Steve Engram's testimony on The Stories Collective podcast, Episode 100: https://open.spotify.com/episode/446WRLtZyjtY7hKf2IfR2N?si=ecace4448919474b
*available wherever you listen to podcasts

Desert Springs' Doctrinal Statement -https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefs

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