It is a place where we can feel at home. It is
a place where we are accepted and understood,
even when we are not at our best. It is a place
where we are free to share our victories and our
defeats. It is a place where we are able to
confidently and fully express what are the
desires, the needs, the troubles, the joys that
are on our hearts. It is a place where we share
what is most important in life—what is most
critical in life. It is a place where we come
together as one, regardless of our diverse
backgrounds, experiences, attitudes, thoughts,
opinions, and perspectives. This “place” is
called “church.”
And, it is not a “place.” Rather, it is a family.
It is a group of people spread across the globe
who share in common a love of Jesus and a
desire to be in fellowship with him. It is a band
of immersed believers who are striving to be
disciples of the Lord who has saved us. It is a
coterie of human beings who have been
rescued from the darkness of sin through our
faith, by the grace and mercy of a holy and
compassionate God. It is a bevy of individuals
whom the Lord of Heaven has forged into a
community—a community that exists both to
care for one another, and also to bless the
neighborhood in which he has placed us.
As the church, we live to support one
another. To serve one another. To meet the
needs of our sisters and brothers. To enter into
one another’s lives for the sake of
encouragement, help, and building up, to the
glory of God. Also, we exist to influence the
world around us. The church—the gathered
people of God—does not stop being the church
when we are no longer together. Rather, it is
when we are scattered about our neighborhood
that we are to most be the church. A light to the
nations. –Ricky
