Last Sunday morning, we heard a message about faithfulness to church. Church is not an optional part of Christian living, it is an essential part of Christian living. It matters to God and it should matter to us!
God’s care for the church is evident in the Bible. It is the primary way to do His work in our time. The church proclaims the gospel, baptizes those who believe, and helps believers to grow. As the gospel spreads, new churches are established to multiply disciples for Christ.
Notice two ways the Bible indicates God’s care for the church.
A Contrast with Creation
The world was created directly by God’s voice. Genesis 1 describes this in detail. On each of the six days of creation, God spoke and His Word brought a new part of the world into existence out of nothing.1 On the final day He formed Adam and Eve with His hands.
The church was created personally by God’s Son. When God started the church, He did not speak. He came down to us. Christ was born as a man – the immortal God robed in mortal flesh. When Jesus began His public ministry, the first church began to form under His care. Jesus called and trained the disciples to carry on His work.
God used a few words over a few days to create the world. Yet He devoted three and a half years of personal ministry to build the first church. What does this tell us about God’s care for the church? Churches are special and important to God. They get special attention.
A Comparison to Marriage
To further show God’s care, we turn to Ephesians 5. Notice Paul’s comparison:
”Husbands, love you wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”
Ephesians 5:25
One concise statement reveals the depth of Christ’s love for the church. Christ’s action is the epitome of care – He loves and sacrifices for the church. The Bible sets up Jesus as the great example that husbands are to learn from and imitate. We are to love and give ourselves for the church like Christ did.
If the church is so precious and valuable to God, shouldn’t it be for us?
Next Step: Listen to the Sermon ”I will Gather with the Church” from 1 Timothy 3:14-15.
- Visit Answers in Genesis for more information about Creation. ↩
