BY JACK WARD
There are many organizations worldwide today. Some of them are very good and helpful, such as the American Cancer Society, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Kiwanis clubs of America, which do good things for their communities. And I’m sure we can think of a hundred others.
Some organizations are just plain stupid, such as the American Society of Atheists. (Why does an organization that does not believe in God want everyone to know that they don’t believe in God. If God doesn’t exist, why would they bother? There is the National Society of Freedom from Religion. (If they want freedom from religion, then just ignore religion.) Then there is the American Society of Hydrophobic Induction theorists. (People who are afraid of water)
Then some organizations are evil in their intent, such as the Aryan Nation, which wants to bring back the Nazi party. There is Hamas, an organization bent on the destruction of Israel, and the religion of Islam that wants the whole world to be under Sharia law.
But I say without any doubt that the church is the greatest organization ever established because it was established by the Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, the church is not an organization but an organism because it is alive and well led by the resurrected and living Lord Jesus!
Two things define the church. Faith and love. How else could finite, sinful, fallen human beings like us know an infinite, holy and perfect God? It is by faith. By the way, how do we know God is perfect? He is the creator and He makes the rules. So He cannot be imperfect because just one tiny imperfection and the world and universe fly apart. And because God loves us, we know we can trust Him. We know because He loves us that we can have faith in Him that He will always do what is right. Will not the Lord do that which is right?
Our faith in our great God is what keeps us together as a church. It is called our common faith by the apostle Paul. We have faith in God through Jesus Christ in common or we believe the same things about God as presented in the word of God.
The church is also defined by love for one another (1 John 3:14): “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren…”And we show love toward all people, even those outside the church. And our love for each other should increase more and more. This is what defines a true church to the world: love for each other, especially love for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to be worshiped, He is to be sung, He is to be taught, He is to be testified, and He is to be preached in every church to every person in the world. 1 John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.
All those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and who follow Him each day are His church. No greater place to be in than in the church. Are you a part of God’s church?
Listen to Pastor Jack’s sermons every Sunday at 10:30 Am on 98.9 WSIP FM. Check out the Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church Facebook page and our website: www.tomahawkmbc.com.