And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 3:14-22)
Today's Morsel: The thought of a believer existing outside of the boundaries of the local church is hard for me to accept. The Bible says that Jesus had a custom, and that custom was that on the Sabbath day He went to the house of God (Luke 4:16). God's people are to be in a spiritual relationship with Him and each other, feeding on the Gospel of Christ, and exalting one another daily. Church means the body of believers, not the building where you assemble. It is the group with whom our children marry, where we partake of communion, learn about the character of God, and get an understanding of the doctrine. It's the place where we grow spiritually, as well as pay our tithes and give our offerings. It's the place where every child of God needs to renew their commitment and vows to Jesus. I believe that it is time for Christians to understand the importance of the church. If we truly love Jesus, then we will want to be around His people. Paul poured his life into the church. His relationship with the ones he started and sustained was like a father for his children. When you read Paul's letters, you can easily see his commitment and love for the church and its people. What could be more important for a child of God. Jesus called for the church to reevaluate itself. As the church, we need to reevalute just how important Jesus is to us. Jesus gave His life for the church, and if we don't value that, we will soon lose our candle stick from its place.
Sing: It's the old ship of Zion, it's the hope, for the lost and dying. It's a soul, saving station, it's the tower, of salvation. Well it's the church triumphant, O Lord, and it's built by the hand of the Lord.
I'm talking about the church, in the book of Revelation, it's built on a Rock, it's got a firm foundation, it's been through the flood and it's been through the fire, but one of these days, the church is gonna, move up a little higher; it's the church, triumphant, O Lord, and it's built by the hand of the Lord.
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