Grace for Your Day July 12

July 12th, 2021

Several years ago, a major Christian denomination published a list of misprints in their church bulletins which were rather funny. They were pretty amusing because they included things such as:

Last week, Miss Charlene Mason sang, ‘I will not pass this way again!’ giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget to bring your husbands.
Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack’s sermons to help her.
Tonight’s sermon is called ‘What Hell is like.’ Come listen to the choir practice beforehand for a preview.

I mention that because, while that list is funny, I think we would all agree that the church is no laughing matter. It is nothing to be laughed at because it is a serious thing. It is the bride of Christ and it needs to be treated as such. To add to that, the church should not be tampered with, either. It is not something that you can mess around with because it is not okay to throw a few Christians together, come up with a flashy name, and call that a church. It is not okay to create a slogan, find a good rock band, and do the same thing with that because the church is about more than that. It is about so much more as we see in Matthew 16:13-20 where it says:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

We will study this passage more on Sunday but this is the first time that the word “church” appears in the Bible. It is the first time it is used and, as He describes it, Jesus gives us four characteristics of the church. He says that the church has a common confession, it has an undying duration, it has a powerful possession, and it has a prominent profession which means that the church is in a category all by itself. It is so much greater than a flashy name. It is so much greater than a good rock band because it is able to overcome the powers of Hell. It has the keys of the kingdom which is something that nothing else has. It is something that no one else can claim which is what we are going to talk about this week at Grace Fellowship Church.

This week, we are going to answer the question: “What is the Church?” We are going to look at what Jesus tells us about the Body of Christ at our 8:30 and 10:15 services. It will also be available Sunday morning on our You Tube Channel and website for all who cannot be with us in person. Please join us as we take a look at this most important topic. Join us as we learn why the church is so unique. It is truly a privilege to be part of the greatest organization on earth and we will see why on Sunday. Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you then. – Jeremy Cagle

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