What God has created as His Church is nothing short of extraordinary. Jesus has been speaking to me, planting new thoughts, and raising the value of His Church in my heart over the past few weeks. If you've been listening to our current message series, Unstoppable, my prayer is that God is doing the same in you.
Here's something Jesus very recently drove into my heart about us, His Church: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9)
We've been called by God out of darkness and into His wonderful light. His children (His Church) belong to Him as chosen, royal, holy ones. I don't know what other "labels" you've had in life, but these words about us . . . you will not find anywhere else. That's how much He loves us, how truly special we are as His own. Oh, that we would more fully grasp what He has made us into!
But to stop there is to miss the most important truth of why Jesus has endowed us like this: that you and I would declare the praises of God.
As heart-warming and purpose-giving it is to belong to God as described here, that's all SECOND behind bringing God praise through our lives as His Church. Our purpose as His Church is to give God highest praise, all glory, and full honor. We proclaim and spread His fame and supremacy. So while we're incredibly blessed to belong to Him as royal and holy (all by Jesus' work on the cross), this can all sadly be us-centered if we stop there, missing our clear, given agenda as His Church:to make known the supreme greatness and glory of God.
We are His Church for His glory, not our own. As HOPE Community Church, how well do we live this out?
