The Value of the Church in a Spiritually Ruined World
All the paths of the Lord are loving kindness and truth to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. — Psalms 25:10
These things write I unto thee, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. — 1 Timothy 3:15
Author
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
Summary: On the first anniversary of our small church, the rain brought Christians and neighbors of other faiths together under one roof. Amid songs of praise and the message, several guests drew near to the Lord for the first time; we entrust the work begun in them to the Spirit. Though imperfect and without a building of its own, the church can bear witness to God’s love. To fulfill its mission, we must awaken from spiritual lethargy and bring the good news to those who need it today, rather than confining our life of faith to Sundays. Let us work together as we await Christ’s return, when he will make his church shine.
Recently, we celebrated the first anniversary of the church my family and I attend. Among the guests were some neighbors, some unbelievers and others adherents of the Afro-Cuban religions so widespread in my country. But they were there by the grace of God.
Since we do not have a church building, we rented a small open-air space from a neighbor and gathered there to thank the Lord for our first year together. A young man, representing his ministry, sang “I Want a Church” by the worship singer René González. What we did not know was that God had a beautiful purpose that day for his people gathered there. The rain God sent in the middle of the guest preacher’s sermon made us all crowd into the only covered area of the space. There, packed together and trying not to get wet, Christians and non-Christians alike were pressed close by the Lord. What a symbol!
One guest came up to me. “Excuse me, what was the name of the song the young man sang?”
“‘I Want a Church’!” I answered. “Are you a Christian?”
“No, I practice another religion, but I liked what the song says.”
“Ah. It is as though God were speaking to his church. I can get you the song if you like,” I told her.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied.
Her face showed emotion; it even had a certain radiance. The rain was coming down harder, and we were all worshiping aloud with beautiful songs of praise. Her eyes began to fill with tears, and so did mine. The Holy Spirit was hard at work, declaring God’s love to someone deprived of love, revealing truths and needs to fill the empty places, making her forget her daily hardships, sowing the seed of his church in a heart that said it had no hope. That night, several people who said they did not believe, touched by the message and the very special atmosphere, approached the Lord for the first time. They are in the Spirit’s hands now, so that he may finish the work he began that night. The church was bearing beautiful witness to God’s love before the neighbors.
The church of Christ has much to say to a world that has turned its back on the true God, but we need to wake from this spiritual lethargy, from the Sunday-only atmosphere found once a week in many church buildings that lack resolve. There is a world out there that is being lost, and we do nothing. The value of the church lies in its mission to bring the good news here and now. Good news can become bad news if it arrives too late. The gospel is the good news of today and tomorrow. The gospel is a newspaper that never carries old news, and that is reason enough to invite the world to visit us today, to experience life with us today, and to offer them a better tomorrow in Christ.
The church is not perfect, but it has the promise that the Chief Shepherd will return and make her shine. We must work and adorn her for her wedding to the Lamb. You and I are the Lord’s hands, called to take part in his work! My little church, with barely 50 members in its first year, has a lovely motto that God gave me to encourage the church, myself, and you: we are a church without a building, but not without resolve.
God bless you!