Viewing The Church

We recently watched a show on TV where a woman had purchased a home that she
was very excited about. It was in complete disarray. It looked old on the
outside and it was completely "trashed" on the inside: walls torn, ceiling
falling down, windows broken and miscellaneous pieces of walls, ceiling and
flooring were piled up in the main dining room. She was excited because she
viewed this home not as a problem, but as a possibility. She was excited at
the prospect of fixing it up. When they visited the woman some 6 months
later, that house looked like a mansion. Her view of the house was not as it
was, but as it should be.

Paul admonished Timothy, "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know
how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the
church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)
Paul is not talking about how we should act when we are within the place
of worship - our building. He is informing Timothy about our attitude with
respect to our understanding of the church and it's place in God's plan: it
is the pillar and ground of truth.

Too many have a view of the church not as the pillar and ground of truth,
but as either a place where folks go to worship, or as an organization
that is there to provide for their means. I regularly get folks calling on
the phone and asking if the church can provide this or that material
thing for them. NEVER do I get a call asking something Spiritual, such
as help finding a Bible passage or about Salvation. Recently a man walked
into the building wanting to provide a "FREE" service to the church. What
he really wanted was to introduce himself, and tell me what his business
could do for the church. In the end money was involved, from us to him.

In each of the above, those involved do not see the church as a spiritual
organization, but as a charitable or business organization. When they think
of the church they do not think of truth, but money. "What can the church
provide for me?" seems to be the question on their mind.

We also must be careful. We must see the church the way God wants us to
see it. We must recognize it as the Bride of Christ (Ephes. 5:23-27), and
as the House of God (1 Tim. 3:15). It must be seen for it's SPIRITUAL
relationship and not it's physical. We must know that it is the place that
Christ adds the saved (Acts 2:47) and therefore it is special. He paid the
price for it with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

The church will fail as a charitable or business organization because it
was not designed for that. Other organizations in the world far exceed it
in that category. God designed it for a Spiritual purpose, and when seen
that way, it will far excel anything that man can design! [JW]