the local church

I love the church. I love it! The Lord has been renewing my love for the local church and reminding me how beautiful and precious it really is ... Christ died for the church! The fact that HE GAVE HIS LIFE for it just proves the depth of His love for the church. Well, I was reviewing some of the reading I did last year in Bill Hybels' book, Courageous Leadership and I thought some was worth sharing again ...

"It's the power of the love of Jesus Christ, the love that conquers sin and wipes out shame and heals wounds and reconciles enemies and patches broken dreams and ultimately changes the world, one life at a time. And what grips my heart every day is the knowledge that the radical message of that transforming love has been given to the church. That means that in a very real way the future of the world rests in the hands of the local congregations like yours and mine."

"There is nothing like the local church when it's working right.
Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness. Still to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp. No other organization on earth is like the church. Nothing even comes close."

"Give your life to this ... Give all the money you can give.
Give all the service you can give. Give all the prayers you can give. Give whatever you have to give, because for all eternity you'll look back over your shoulder and be glad you did."