In conversation about church there’s always the obligatory reminder that the “church is the people.” That’s true and should never be forgotten. However the church can be an entity in itself filled with tradition. The church is composed, not only of current members, but of most who have gone before. She has a legacy of blood, sweat and tears. People have given their lives to form the institution.
As a Christian individuals, we belong to God. The Church belongs to God. She is the bride of Christ. She actually is his body made up of many members, yet one. She has a purpose.
Determining that purpose is often fraught with deep battles of might and conscience. Some look at her as a well where Christians go to drink and be filled. She is. Some see her as a springboard for “going forth into all the world.” She actually is. Some look at her as a source of social interaction in an otherwise lonely world. She is. เรียน IELTS The church, this battered institution, is each one of these things and more.
There is comfort in custom. It binds us as a scattered folks. Attending church in a strange town with individuals who are unfamiliar to us, one can sing hymns and create statements of faith that get unity. In this time which place strangers are family. For this hour there’s one church, the body of Christ. The custom of the institution spans space and time. It creates tangible the assurance of Christ that where two or more are gathered in his brand, He will be in the midst of them. The communion of saints can be mortar in a fragmented globe. Worship may be the tie that binds.
Worship is one facet of the institution. It’s the heart and soul. Prior to the church can go out into the entire world she must acknowledge her Creator and Sustainer. The custom, hymns and creeds result from a long line of people who could no more contain their like of God and of His people. They put words to document to offer back again to God their souls in gratitude and enjoyment. Individuals read and sing hoping of making exactly the same offering. Church, the institution, retains the legacy in order that Church, the people, may exhibit devotion to God as one.
The expectation is that body of believers will abandon worship refreshed , renewed and filled with question at the grace of God through Christ and bring this wonder out in to the world, out of the basic safety and familiarity of the organization.