The Contenders

I listened to this sermon on the way to the seminary this morning.

I love the local church and my colleagues on this blog do too. However, the trend in Christianity today is to have a low view of the church. This type of mindset leads to a lack of service and membership. Fellowship is neglected because it is seen as an inconvenience and a burden. But this surely is a corrupted attitude toward the local church.

I was reflecting upon how much Christ treasures His church, and the price He paid for His church (it definitely assisted me with my internal ministry griping). The bridal metaphor is so much more clear to me after experiencing marriage (finally!). Christ treasures His bride and He loves her dearly. If only we had the same zeal and dedication to the local church that Christ has, then we would be greatly honoring our Lord.

I hope this sermon will bless you and that you will share this with anyone who does not treasure the church as Jesus treasures His church.