“And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God” Eph 3:9-10
I just finished reading “Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love With the Family of God” by Joshua Harris.
This is a great book about a great theme. So many people are disenfranchised and bitter about something that the powers in Heaven are in awe of: God’s church!
We are church-planting missionaries because the local church is what God authored to use in reaching the world, the means through which He loves, calls, and equips.
Don’t be a worthless brick standing by yourself, God wants you to be part of His building! Here are some great quotes from the book:
“The church was actually God’s idea — not some plan or program invented by humans. In fact, the church is the only institution God promised to sustain forever.” (Page 15)
“Christians often speak of wanting God’s heart for the poor or the lost. And those are good desires. But shouldn’t we also want God’s heart for the church? If Jesus loves the church, you and I should too. It’s that simple.” (Page 31)
(Symptoms of church daters — me-centered, independent, and critical.) (Pages 16-17)
(Quoting Chuck Colson): “Of course every believer is part of the universal church. But for any Christian who has a choice in the matter, failure to cleave to a particular church is failure to obey Christ.” (Page 40)
“Going away (leaving a church) is easy. Do you want to know what’s harder? Do you want to know what takes more courage and what will make you grow faster than anything else? Join a local church and lay down your selfish desires by considering others more important than yourself.” (Page 60-61)
“Take it upon yourself to protect your pastor by praying for him and by refusing to engage in slander against him. And if others engage in gossip or slander, challenge them and refuse to participate.” (Hebrews 13:17)
“The importance of the sermon has nothing to do with the stature of the pastor who is preaching and everything to do with the authority and power of the Word of God. … Listening to preaching is a form of worship” since “God himself is addressing you through his Word.” (Luke 8:18) (Page 111)
“I will be held accountable for what I have heard regardless of whether it moved me emotionally. God’s truth is God’s truth. If I have heard God’s truth, then I am called to obey it. Period.” (Page 113)
(Quoting John Piper) Come to church “on the lookout for God and leave on the lookout for people.”
Book Review disclaimer: I never claim to endorse any author, his denomination, his views, his Bible version, or his doctrine 100%. I glean what I can through filters of God’s Word and letting the Spirit be my teacher, but with any book but the Bible I “eat the meat and spit out the bones”. Some are meatier than others, some are a big bone with a strip of meat.
Read more at BCWE.org
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Stop Dating the Church
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