Sarah Walker - May 13, 2018
What About The Church?
A young man was struggling in his faith and found himself drifting in his doubts. Seeking advice, he went to see a wise older man who lived in a cottage with a coal fire. The two men the young man’s troubles, and as they did the older man got up and walked over to the fire. With his tongs, he reached in and took a red-hot coal out of the fire and placed it on the hearth. He watched the coal transform from red-hot to black and cool. When the young man finished speaking, the wise old man picked up his tongs once again and put the coal back into the fire. Within a few minutes the coal was red-hot again. He didn’t need to say a thing. The young man left knowing exactly why his faith had gone dull. There seems to be a trend in western society of people who are saying goodbye to the local church. We’ve heard statistics of those who leave because they no longer believe or they are no longer engaged. But, surprisingly, others leave because they say they want more of God in their lives and the church just isn’t doing it for them. Often, their disenchantment with the Church is legitimate. But we have to ask, would Jesus, the Head of the Church, favour a churchless Christianity? Many who are disillusioned with the Church today romanticise the early church, not realising how broken things were then as well. Take Corinth, for example. As the most prominently represented New Testament church, Corinth was a dysfunctional mess. But Paul never gave up on Corinth. Instead of walking away, he pressed in. He knew why the church existed, and he believed in what it could be. There is no such thing as a perfect local church. But the impact of being part of a local church is transformative. It’s where we live in community with other believers; where we belong; where we work together. The church is where we grow, recharge and reignite our faith. It’s where we be Jesus, together. In this message we wrap up our ‘Foundations’ series by answering the question, “What about the church?” Tune in as we we’re reminded of why the church really matters.
From Series: "Foundations"
13 messages delivered at different times throughout 2018 covering the basic questions about the Christian Faith. An essential primer for the beginning Christian.
