Acts 20:27 - 29 "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock."
What is a church, a church is an organized assembly of baptized believers in Jesus Christ that trust Him as their Saviour. The church is an assembly of saved and baptized believers that God Himself assembled as He elected. A church is the only institution on earth where fellow believers can come together and worship the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, God The Father as our Father, and the Holy Spirit as our teacher. The church is a spiritual bridge to enjoy a spiritual relationship with God. The church is the very institution that Jesus Christ bought with His blood because the church is her membership not a building. People want to make a church much more and much greater, but it is not, it is just a local body of believers. The scriptures absolutely supports one church, the one that Jesus Christ called out and assembled together at the foot of that mountain and led them to the top of that mountain and held the first church service and preached the very first sermon on the mountain to the first assembly. Mathew 4 – 5. The church is the one “safe place” for believers on this earth, because she is protected by her Head Jesus Christ and her Father, God. The church is a place of unity, where her members love and care for each other like family, because they are an eternal family and not temporal. The church is a place where the membership is treated equal in every aspect, never allowing money to be a dividing point. Those with tattered clothing are as good and respected as those that have the best of clothing. Church is a place where the membership loves one another and never allows hate or disrespect to enter through the doors. Church is a place where her members help one another, lift each other up in edification, sincerely pray for one another, and feel the pain of each other and the joy of each other in trueness of heart. Church is a place where the body is respected, by the way we dress where men dress like gentlemen and the women dress modestly like real women should. Church is a place where parents make their children to respect the house of God instead of a playschool. Church is a place of spiritual education where her members grow and advance in knowledge not a place of entertainment. One that attends church to be entertained is not attending church, and a church that entertains is not a church. God, who set all the membership in place also set the teachers in place, to teach you the Word of God. Your Pastor is an especially important member of the church, while he is a member as you are, his responsibilities are unspeakable. Your Pastor is called by God, and used by the Holy Spirit to be the leader of the church (overseer) and he has the sole responsibility of being the shepherd of your flock under the Shepherd over all the flocks (under-shepherd). While Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, your Pastor is the leader of your church. Pastors need to adhere to their work and responsibilities, a Pastor that fails in their responsibility (teaching her) is a church that will suffer. A Pastors success is his soundness in teaching, and sometimes his soundness in teaching will reprove and rebuke us all, and if our feelings are hurt, blame God and His word and not your Pastor. A Pastors is your teacher not you entertainer. A good Pastor treats the church like she is the most important earthly thing on earth to them. A good Pastor deserves a good supporting church, love your Pastor, respect your Pastor, and treat your Pastor as an overseer and under-shepherd of Christ, as one appointed of God to be your leader and teacher, not just as another member. Love the church more than any other earthly thing. Tithe and give offering to church, not as you can afford but as though you cannot afford not to, the church and your Pastor depends on her memberships giving. Attend church, you are a member, a part of the spiritual body of Christ, one that God graciously chose to be a part of, if you miss part of the body is not there. Treat the church as though she is more important than anything else because she is. Stop looking for excuses to attend church, stop using things as excuses to not attend church, your job is not more important than church, ask God and seek another job as though you truly desire to attend church. This is a real and true church; they are getting harder to find because her members and Pastors are not doing their responsibilities. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 3:13 Every members and Pastor remember these words, because failure is not an option. “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:5
