Be The Church

This has been on my heart lately.  BEING the church.  Don't get me wrong, I love going to church.  I love my church and our pastors and our worship team and all my church friends.  But going to church is pretty much all about me and my relationship with God.  I am singing, I am praising, I am worshipping, and building myself up.  But for what?

I believe we are blessed to be a blessing to others.  And I believe we go to church and build ourselves up in Christ so we can GO AND BE THE CHURCH TO OTHERS IN OUR DAILY LIVES!

Many people don't attend church.  So they don't sing and praise and worship and get built up in Christ.  They don't even know who Jesus is.  They need to see ME (AND YOU!) as a living example of Jesus.  They need to see us living a life of obedience, and that means NOT SINNING!!!  We can't be a shining example of Jesus if we are leading a sinful life.  And I know, I know, we all sin every day.  But we need to walk the walk if we're going to talk the talk.  Nothing turns people off to Jesus faster than not being authentic, not being real.  People can spot a phony a mile away. 

So go and be the hands and feet and mouth of Jesus today.  At school, in your work place, at the grocery store.  Wherever you are today, take Jesus with you and show Him off.

Speak words of kindness.  Compliment someone.  Being the church doesn't have to mean standing in the back of a pickup truck and reading the Bible (although it certainly can be)!!   Being the church is as simple as holding a door for a mother with her hands full of groceries and babies.  Being the church is as simple as smiling at someone who looks like they are having a bad day.  Being the church is sending a cheery card for no reason at all to someone who could use some cheering up.  Being the church means loving your family no matter what.  Let the love of Christ flow through you.  Let the JOY of the Lord just ooze out of your soul in all you do.  Don't worry, others WILL NOTICE!!!

HAVE SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY WANTS IN THEIR OWN LIFE!!!  Be the kind of person others want to be around.  Because if they see in you a life lived with peace and joy, no matter what your circumstances, pretty soon they are gonna be asking YOU what is so different.  And that opens the door to sharing the GOOD NEWS.  You don't have to begin in Genesis and preach through Revelation.  Just be honest, tell them that Jesus loves you, and loves them too.  Tell them that they can have what you have by just believing that Jesus is the Son of God, believing that He can forgive them of their sins.  All they have to do is invite Him into their heart.  And that's it.  Plenty of time for all the "details" later. 

So today, as you go about your daily life, BE THE CHURCH.  Let your light so shine among men (and women) that people know there's something different about you.  Different in a good way.  Different in a way that brings GLORY AND HONOR TO OUR LORD!

SO GO AND BE THE CHURCH TODAY!!!!!!