Thursday, July 8, 2021
Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 2:20-22
This is a devotional that posted in January 2020 about what makes an effective church. Little did we know what was coming two months down the road. I believe that God's church did not suffer the way Satan wanted it to during the pandemic. We are on the rebound as the church of God, and we will be stronger than ever, but we need to re-focus on these important principles. As we have been reading through the book of Acts, and learning about the early church, let us keep in mind where we came from and be open to how God wants to use our church in this day and time. I believe the key is togetherness and unity!
Healthy, growing churches are composed of healthy, growing believers seeking to fulfill the mission of Christ in the world. When people believe they are doing something special they will surprise you with their willingness to serve and sacrifice.
For the Church to be Effective we need to:
Come Together – Only when we come together can we overcome all the obstacles that can keep the Church from being effective. Unified we can come together to work as one, toward one purpose – doing God’s work. God’s people working together in unity produce amazing results. The task that Christ calls us to, calls us to each other. It is bigger than any of us - it is a shared responsibility.
We do not have equal gifts, but we can have the same commitment – God gifts us all differently so our gifts will be different, but our commitment has to be equal. We will solidify our unity by giving from our hearts. Our commitment will show not in just being present to worship together, but in how we give – financially and with our talents and time. The measure of a gift is not measured from the head but from the heart. It is a gift of love and trust. The real test of whether a person trusts God is most often how they handle what brings them security. For us, it is most in the financial area of our lives.
Worship Together – Working together creates a social bond but worshipping together creates a spiritual bond. We must make church a priority and set the example for our families, so they see how important it is to worship in a community with other believers. Too many things can come between us and our commitment to worship. Maybe it is time to review whether our children see our commitment to worship equal to other commitments in our lives.
Do the Right Thing in the Right Way - To do the right thing the wrong way is to do the wrong thing!
God’s plan is for His people to work side by side in unity to accomplish His work. No one is left out, but all have a part! There is fellowship like no other when you work side by side to accomplish a great task. When God assigns a task, He also designates a method. God has a plan as well as a purpose for us – both individually and collectively as a fellowship. That means for lay people as well as staff. Some of North Side’s most successful ministries have been the products of the burden, vision and coordination of members.
Finish What God Started – God wants us to celebrate the accomplishments we finish as a body of believers. All glory goes to God, but He does want us to rejoice in His work being accomplished and for the part we are privileged to -play in it. Anyone can make a commitment – the ones who change the world are those who keep them.
Not any one of us can do the task alone that God calls the church to do, but together we can see a great things accomplished! Every stone we lay provides a foundation for the next generation. They will remember how we worked together as a church and they will build off the foundation we leave for them so they can also accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God.
