We the Local Church Why Every Christian Should Belong to a Local Church (youtube.com)

God places us in families.

Psalms 68:6 God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

-The family unit reflects Him.

The protection and covering that a father provides. The nurturing and love that a mother provides. The family that comes from the mother and father similar to the spiritual family we have in the family of God.

The family unit reflects him.

But we can also say that the family unit refines us.

-The family unit refines Us to be more like Him.

There ain’t nothing like family but also “there ain’t nothing like family.” In all of its glory its wonderful, but we have to be honest its also messy. It is. Its different personalities and people types and then people get added in through marriages, some that work and some that don’t.

“Familying” is Hard.

But it is meant to refine us to be more like Him.

God places us in marriages.

Ephesians 5:30-33 Because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Within a picture of marriage between a husband and his wife God beautifully displays the vision of the church being the Bride of Christ. This imagery in its biggest picture is meant to fully display that relationship.

-Our marriages reflects Him.

Our marriages are to reflect the Lord. You should be able to look at my marriage (oh my I hope you can) and see a picture on display of the beauty of Christ and the Church. That’s what the word says. It’s a mystery but it refers to Christ and the church.

But we can also say that our marriages are hard work..

And at this point though I don’t usually ask for one “Can I get a Amen”

And we can get stuck in this. It’s so hard. It’s miserable. What did I ever see…

Why doesn’t he think like me, talk like me, care for me, understand me, blah blah blah.

And I was a couple years into our marriage and found out the marriage was never about me, it was to refine me to be more like Him (not Ted) Jesus. That’s why God placed me in the marriage. To reflect Jesus and refine me. To quit being selfish and self-absorbed and concerned about only my interest and to treat someone as better than myself.

To love like Christ loves the church.

-Our marriage refines Us to be more like Him.

I said all of that to get to the point today…

God places us in these units of…

About how God places us in families, to reflect him, and refine us.

He places us in marriages to reflect him, and refine us.

And he places us in the local church to reflect him and refine us!

God places us in the local Church.

Most of the time in the NT the “church” refers to the local church, the gathered community of God’s people who are covenanted together to worship the triune God, love one another, and witness to the world (Acts 14:23; 16:5).

This designation is the main usage of the term “church”; the Bible emphasizes the church as a local group of identifiable believers committed to Christ and each other, working together to glorify God and to serve his mission.

The local church is the primary center of fellowship and worship.

The local church is the chief means God uses for evangelism, disciple-making, and ministry. The local church is where the Word is taught and preached (2 Tim. 3:16–4:2). The local church is where the ordinances are practiced in baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:18–20; 1 Cor. 11:23–26).

These truths are why Paul plants local churches, appoints leaders for them, sends delegates to them, and writes epistles to them. Local churches are significant in his theology, and they are crucial in his mission strategy. In the local church, there is a sharing of life together, growing in maturity together, ministering together, worshipping together, and witnessing together.

Hebrews 10:25 Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

But “churching” can be hard. Because we are not perfect.

And people can “rub you wrong.” It’s like family, some of your family you didn’t ask for,

Church is the same way. But we are looking at it wrong because the..

The local church refines US.

We are looking for the perfect church, but the church is meant to perfect us.

Look at the letter Paul write to the churches, they weren’t perfect.

He doesn’t say quit going to them. He doesn’t be mad and bitter. He doesn’t say deconstruct.

He offers correction that refines them.

To the church at Ephesus…

About a decade after the church had been started, Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians commending their faith and love (A.D. 62). A careful reading of this epistle shows that they had done well. They appeared to be devout in their faith, well organized, and busy in the gospel. During these early years they had been growing, expanding and doing the will of God. Jews and Gentiles, from several ethnicities and nationalities, had come together to form “one new man,” (2:15), “one body” (2:16). They were multiethnic as well as diverse in their socioeconomic make-up. Paul commends their sincerity in the final sentence of his letter: “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love” (Ephesians 6:24).

To the church at Corinth…Its rough he writes two letters of rebuke.

To the Church at Galatia…3”:1 “Oh foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?

And then John in the book of Revelations…good things.

To the church at Ephesus. Smyrna. Pergamum. Thyatira. Sardis. Philadelphia. Laodicea

But then a couple of “but I have this against you things” of correction.

I can tell you of some crazy that have happened to me personally in a church…

I can tell you of some crazy people that I have dealt with within a church…

I can tell of some funk and some junk and really hard things…

But I’m not. I’m gonna do what we do with our children.

We want our kids to fall in love with Jesus and His Church.

I want you to fall in love with Jesus and His Church.

But I want to tell you church camp is where I gave my life to the Lord.

Church is where I learned commitment and faithfulness to the things of God.

Church is where imperfect people mentor and disciple me on a perfect Savior.

Church is where I have seen true salvation and transformation in people’s lives.

Church is where I learned the word of God and how to apply it to my life.

Church is where I have seen miracles of God.

Church is where I have seen people bravely face death with no fear but amazing Hope.

Church is where I have heard prophetic words that have changed the direction of my life.

Church is where I am encouraged to keep on going on.

THE LOCAL CHURCH!

Jesus love the local church.

And when we get this right it reflects Him!

The local church reflects Him!

Because ultimately the local church is for them that don’t know Him yet.

Think of places of significance in the local area.

Clubs: Larussa’s Lounge. Frog’s Bar. Bottom’s Up. On the Canal. After 5. Intracoastal Club. Spigot’s. Overtime. Big Daddy Pub and Grub.

Think of schools: Honduras Elementary. Acadian Elementary. Oaklawn. Southdown. Legion Park. Village East. Grand Caillou Middle. Ellender. HJH. Terrebonne.

Restaurants Just Selling Chicken Here on Grand Caillou: Cane’s. ChickFilA. Church’s Popeyes’s. Danny’s. Walmart. Not counting those others like McDonald’s BK…All to sell chicken.

But what about the Church. The mission of the local church is to reflect Him. The answer is not government, programs, libraries, the local church holds the answer because we have Jesus.