I will build My Church

As we continue to contemplate the miracle of the incarnation during this Christmas time, we ought also to consider both the supreme value of the gift of Christ and the heart of God in giving Him. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift”.

There is no question that God could give nothing greater or more precious than His own Beloved Son Whom He loves infinitely, Whom angels worship and all heaven lauds. But, for what purpose did The Father give His Son and to whom did He give Him? We begin to see the answers to these profound questions in God’s own words for “when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law so that He might redeem those who were under the Law that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Immediately, then, we see Jesus came to redeem - to buy back - a people who would subsequently be adopted as sons of God. But, to whom did God give Him; who constitutes the “we” in that verse? Again, we find our answer in God’s words: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me”.

Now we have it! The Father gave a specific people, those of His own possession, to the Son to redeem them so that they in turn would be adopted as sons unto God! This necessarily makes the redeemed very precious - they are, after all, God’s own possession and they were redeemed at the highest cost - the life of God’s own Son.

Of course, we know that this specific people is the precious Church - Christ’s own body here on earth. And, the Lord Jesus has now told us just how treasured the Church is to Himself by declaring, “I will build My church”.

Look into the declaration more fully: It is He Himself Who is the builder - He is personally responsible and involved. He WILL accomplish the Father’s desire and already has powerfully advanced (built) His church across the world. He declares it to be His own by calling it MY church and it is comprised of His people - those whom He redeemed. Because the church is His, it cannot be destroyed and it cannot fail. Indeed, “the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Precious indeed!

So, then, what is to be the church’s response to these incredible truths? First and foremost, the church must exalt God and His Christ in true worship, praise, and adoration consistently being faithful in obedience to Jesus its Head. These are the expressions of gratitude for what God in Christ has done. Then, the church is to edify believers in the biblical application of the “one-anothers” (see 1 Thess 5:11). And then, consistent with Christ’s royal commission, the church must evangelize the lost by spreading God’s gospel everywhere.

But, we, the body, cannot lose connection with the Head and therefore we must “pray without ceasing”. We must be watchful as scripture admonishes us for “savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert”

Christ is God’s precious gift to us. We are God’s precious gift to Christ and to each other. May we consider these truths seriously, pondering them in our heart and living our lives as a reflection of the preciousness of Christ’s church. Amen!

Pray For the Church

We clearly see again and again in his letters that Paul prays such rich, kingdom-saturated prayers for the churches.

For the church in Thessalonica: “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thess.1:11-12

For the church in Colossae: “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” Col.1:9-10

For the church of Philippi: "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Phil.1:9-11

For the church in Ephesus: See Ephesians 1:16-17 and Ephesians 3:14-21.

Beloved, as we pray for ourselves, our families, and our friends we need to cultivate how to pray more fervently and consistently for the church. For one, we just need to start doing it—and encouraging others to do so. Here are some guidelines to help us pray for the church. Perhaps you could pray two or three of the points below per day for the next week—maybe in your quiet time, maybe at the family dinner table or family prayer time.

Pray—
1. That we would be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace— to have unity amid our diversity, loving one another as Christ loved us.

2. That a mindset of discipling would form in which making disciples is viewed as an ordinary part of the Christian life.

3. That the elders would shepherd the flock of God faithfully, using Scripture to train members to do the work of ministry.

4. That a hunger for studying the gospel would form among members so that they can guide and guard one another in it.

5. That transparent, meaningful relationships would become common where the one-anothers of the NT are lived out.

6. That God’s Word is faithfully preached—that it would be rightly divided and Spirit permeated.

7. That God’s people would walk worthy of their calling, kept from temptation, complacency, idols, and worldliness.

8. That the church’s songs would teach members to biblically give thanks, confess, lament, and praise.

9. That the church’s prayers would be infused with biblical motivations, honesty, and humility.

10. That the Sunday School teachers grow in dedication to God’s Word.

11. That the church would grow in being distinct from the world in love and holiness, even as it engages those outside.

12. That members would share the gospel as God gives opportunity—and see more conversions to the glory of God.

13. That hopes for political, social change would be outpaced by the hope of heaven.

14. That giving would be faithful, as well as joyful, consistent, and sacrificial.

15. That God receives the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen