Have you been on a hunt for the perfect church? I know that many times during my life, I’ve been eyeing congregations much like a judge sees contestants in a talent contest. Church A gets a 10 for great music… Church B gets a 6.5 for fellowship (the pastor’s wife seems a little stuck up)… Church C gets an overall good score, but the pastor can’t seem to follow any sort of outline, and it’s driving me nuts!
Recently, Yehovah has been showing me from His Word that a perfect congregation does not exist! At first I was disappointed, but then I realized that a perfect congregation cannot exist because I’m in it — and I’m not perfect! In fact, I need to stop thinking about how a church can meet my needs, and start concentrating on how I can meet the needs of others in my local assembly.
Assembly. I have a very dear friend who is part of a fellowship of believers that calls itself an “assembly” instead of a “church.” Actually, the two words mean much the same thing, but in our culture, we tend to see a “church” as a building where we go for spiritual food, worship, and ministry.
In contrast, the Bible describes the church as a body, a living organism. The moment we trusted in Christ, God grafted us into this organism, and He expects us to contribute, just as the different parts of our body must contribute if we are to be healthy.
Anne’s Blog Series on Church
