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Day #31 WE ARE THE CALLED-OUT ONES
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
» What is the church?
» The smallest church is the family. How is your church (family) doing at being the body of Jesus?
» Decide right now to practice being the church in your world today. How might you do that?
» Practice the memory verse.
QUOTE
“She say, Celie, tell the truth, have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not to find God.”
- Alice Walker (The Color Purple)
SCRIPTURE
“On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
- Matthew 16:18-19
DEVOTIONAL
Jesus is the One who created the concept of the church, and it is He that gets to define it. The Greek word He chose is eklesia, from two words: ek = out of, and kaleo = to call. The Church is the “called out ones.” The people of God, called out of their sin, death, and broken world, that they might belong to God and be His body for the world to see. God’s people don’t go to church; they are the church.
God calls His people to come out of the darkness and into the light, and be one together in Him. We leave our addiction to the pleasures, promises, and provisions of this world, and give ourselves fully to Christ and His Kingdom. We are built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. We are His people who become His body, doing His work of destroying the gates of darkness so others can find God through us. Wherever two or three of us are gathered, there He is in our midst. We are given the keys of His Kingdom, and are entrusted with His power to bind and loose evil and goodness in this world.
We are called out, and sent back in.
How many churches are there in your city? The answer is, One. How many churches are there in the entire world? Only one. We meet in various buildings, and unite around various distinctives, but together, we are one body, living out one faith in one Lord, united together through one baptism. I currently serve as the Pastor of the portion of the church that meets at Evergreen. If you are a member of Evergreen, you are a part of His church that gathers here. Evergreen is not the church - it is a place where a portion of the church gathers.
The church is not a place, it is a people. Together we are a habitation of God by His Spirit and His actual hands and feet on this earth. This is 100% a work of God that we are not qualified for, nor could we ever accomplish on our own. Yet it is another gift from our incredible God.
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By Evergreen Christian CommunityREFLECTION QUESTIONS
» What is the church?
» The smallest church is the family. How is your church (family) doing at being the body of Jesus?
» Decide right now to practice being the church in your world today. How might you do that?
» Practice the memory verse.
QUOTE
“She say, Celie, tell the truth, have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not to find God.”
- Alice Walker (The Color Purple)
SCRIPTURE
“On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
- Matthew 16:18-19
DEVOTIONAL
Jesus is the One who created the concept of the church, and it is He that gets to define it. The Greek word He chose is eklesia, from two words: ek = out of, and kaleo = to call. The Church is the “called out ones.” The people of God, called out of their sin, death, and broken world, that they might belong to God and be His body for the world to see. God’s people don’t go to church; they are the church.
God calls His people to come out of the darkness and into the light, and be one together in Him. We leave our addiction to the pleasures, promises, and provisions of this world, and give ourselves fully to Christ and His Kingdom. We are built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. We are His people who become His body, doing His work of destroying the gates of darkness so others can find God through us. Wherever two or three of us are gathered, there He is in our midst. We are given the keys of His Kingdom, and are entrusted with His power to bind and loose evil and goodness in this world.
We are called out, and sent back in.
How many churches are there in your city? The answer is, One. How many churches are there in the entire world? Only one. We meet in various buildings, and unite around various distinctives, but together, we are one body, living out one faith in one Lord, united together through one baptism. I currently serve as the Pastor of the portion of the church that meets at Evergreen. If you are a member of Evergreen, you are a part of His church that gathers here. Evergreen is not the church - it is a place where a portion of the church gathers.
The church is not a place, it is a people. Together we are a habitation of God by His Spirit and His actual hands and feet on this earth. This is 100% a work of God that we are not qualified for, nor could we ever accomplish on our own. Yet it is another gift from our incredible God.