Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY
/
The Church Is Here to Stay
The Church Is Here to Stay
Mar 18, 2025 6:25 PM

  Weekend, July 13, 2024

  The Church Is Here to Stay

  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25 NLT)

  The first one ever to use the word church was not the apostle Paul. Rather, it was Jesus Himself. He said, “Upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18 NLT).

  When Jesus walked this earth, He started only one organization, and that, of course, was the church. By stating the gates of Hell will not conquer His church, Jesus was saying, “Listen, this church is here to stay. Against all odds, it will prevail.”

  Interestingly, Jesus made this statement at a place called Caesarea Philippi. We could miss the significance of that altogether. But Caesarea Philippi was a place of paganism and false belief. In fact, the Greeks had dedicated Caesarea Philippi to Pan, one of their gods. And if you were to go there today, you would see what is left of a site dedicated to false gods and idols.

  In contrast, the foundation of the church is Christ Himself. He will build His church, and the gates of Hell will not conquer it. This reminds us that the church will face hostility and opposition.

  The word church comes from the Greek word ecclesia. And ecclesiaconsists of two other terms that mean “out from” and “called.” When we put them together, the meaning of ecclesia, or church, is “called out from.”

  From what is the church called out? We are called out from this world and this culture. Jesus was saying, “My followers should be separate from this culture.”

  But we also are called to. God has called us to Himself and to one another.

  Wherever God’s people gather together, that place turns into a sanctuary. That’s because the church is not a building; it is people. Jesus said, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20 NLT). That is what the church is.

  When we love God, we also will love His children. And when we don’t love His children, then the question arises as to how much we really love God. It is popular today to criticize the church. But understand this: when you speak critically of the church, you are speaking critically of those whom Jesus loves.

  Some people claim to be Christians, but they don’t attend church. However, if you really are a Christian, then you should long to be with God’s people.

  The Bible says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT). If you love God, then you will love His people.

  As Christians, we need to live up to our name, which means “Christ followers.” And we need to be Christlike.

  If each of us would be what we ought to be as followers of Jesus and as a part of the church, what a difference it would make in our communities, our country, and the world.

  Copyright © 2024 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

  For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org

  and

  Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.

  Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

  In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy ofBen Born Again's New Believer's Growth Bookby Greg Laurie

  Cartoon companions Ben Born Again and YellowDog teach kids how to read the Bible, how to pray, how to know the will of God, how to resist temptation, and much more in this engaging resource written for children. A copy will be sent to you for a gift of any amount to Harvest Ministries this month.

  Click here to find out more!

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY
Sparkling Gems from the Greek
  Are You Tired of WaitingFor Your Fruit-Producing Season?   Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. - Colossians 2:7   Have you ever been so frustrated at waiting for a fruitful time in your life that you said to the Lord, When is the fruit-producing season ever going to...
After Roe’s Reversal, Most Churches Still Aren’t Involved with a Local Pregnancy Center
  Two years ago, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade and the right to an abortion. In the aftermath, many churchgoers say theyve seen their congregations involved in supporting local pregnancy resource centers.   On June 24, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the Supreme Court opened the door for states to pass laws restricting abortion. In the aftermath,...
J. K. Rowling and the Hate Monster
  Let me tell you about an intense time in British politics: one where Scotland’s hate speech legislation came into force, the final Cass Review into paediatric gender medicine was published, a UK general election was called, and Nigel Farage made a triumphant political return.   Throughout, J. K. Rowling tweeted.   On June 3, Farage left his quondam job as telly broadcaster...
An Unveiled Lifestyle
  An Unveiled Lifestyle   Weekly Overview:   Living an unveiled lifestyle is the way in which we experience the fullness of what’s available to us in our restored relationship with God. It’s a powerful lifestyle of faith, direct encounters with our heavenly Father, and life transformation. It’s when we live our lives in light of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus that we...
When We Get Too Weary (Galatians 6:9)
  When We Get Too Weary (Galatians 6:9)   By Anne Peterson   And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.- Galatians 6:9   Let’s face it, we all get weary. Wiping the sleep out of our eyes, we know that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing. A...
Molières Medicine for Wayward Youth
  Before the Internet and social media, there was Johann Gutenberg’s seventeenth-century movable-type printing innovation. (The Chinese invented something similar centuries before, but without impact). It revolutionized the spread of literacy and contributed to the Protestant movement’s break from the Catholic Church.Between the printing press and the Internet, there were other things: the telegraph, radio, and TV. None diffused written texts...
SCOTUS Did Not Dodge the Abortion Pill Case
  A unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, preserving a federal agency’s relaxed regulations of an abortion-causing drug, is not what contemporary Court-related coverage and commentary would lead one to expect. Although, in fact, consensus is the order of the day at the Court, breathless reports of split decisions, bitter dissents, and partisan divides—especially in June—tend to...
Confident Praying
  Weekend, June 22, 2024   Confident Praying   Never stop praying. (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)   Herod Agrippa was the consummate career politician. The main thing for him was staying in power. So, he had James arrested, and then he executed him. He saw that curried favor with his constituents, so he planned to execute Peter as well.   Now, this wasn’t the same...
Arab Israeli Christians Stay and Serve as Gaza War Riles Galilee
  One Friday evening, a young woman sat her toddler on her lap at Christ the King Evangelical Episcopal Church in Maalot-Tarshiha, a mixed Arab-Jewish town in northern Israel five miles from the border with Lebanon. Like mothers everywhere, she clapped her hands and beckoned a response.   What does the cow say? Moo, the child replied.   What does the dog say?...
Your Life Needs Your Unique God
  Your Life Needs Your Unique God-Made Pace   By Keri Eichberger   For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:10   As my heart rate reached 175 beats per minute, lightheadedness shifted to disorientation. Hints of nausea grew to deep gut punches. My breath shallowed and...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved