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What is the church made of? For us Baptists, the answer is obvious. Our identity is not found in the appearance of our buildings. We understand that the church is not made of bricks and mortar, but of ‘living stones’ (1 Peter 2:4-5), people chosen and put together by Jesus Himself (Matthew 16:18).

What kind of people does Jesus choose, and how does he put them together? The church, as a kind of spiritual building, is not like our brick houses (or the Tower of Babel) where all the building blocks are the same shape and size. The beauty and strength of the church is actually in how irregular the size and shape of each stone is. Look at the first followers of Jesus - you would not have found them together at a social gathering before meeting Jesus. Fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, a loose woman, and the list goes on.

When you look at a church congregation, does the diversity make it obvious that the people have been brought together by Jesus, or does it appear to be a result of social preferences? Recently I talked to a friend who spoke glowingly of her church because all the people there were in her age group. I felt sad for her because of how much she was missing out on.

It’s natural to want to be with people who are like us, and evangelism can occur through our family and friendship circles, but if Jesus is at our centre, the gravitational pull of His love will extend beyond these circles to people who are not like us. Can we feel His heart for those who most people would not want at their social gatherings?

The early church was made up of people with all sorts of interesting backgrounds. As they heard and responded to the Good News of welcome into God’s family through repentance and faith in Jesus, they took their place in the magnificent building that is called the church.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him

(1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

 

PRAYER & PRAISE

I waited patiently for the Lord, He turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1

  • You are creator God, worthy of all praise and honour, thank You that we are the sheep of Your pasture.
  • Thank You for Your loving care, and for Your kindness that leads us to repentance.
  • Thank You for the glimpse of Your holiness, majesty and power that we see in the book of Revelation.
  • Father, we bring the little children to You, thank you that you welcome them, but there are many who are hurting in all sorts of ways. Please give us hearts like Yours for them… the great Rescuer.
  • Thank you for our Pastors, Deacons and Elders - please help them stay close to You.