One Church in Christ

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."  Ephesians 2:19-22

What a beautiful picture of the church of Jesus Christ. We are not a building, a denomination, a people group, nationality or nation...we are all part of the family of God. God the Father chose us, Jesus  Christ bought us through His sacrifice on the cross and the Holy Spirit dwells is us.

"There is nothing as noble as the Church, seeing that it is the temple of God.

There is nothing so worthy of reverence, seeing God that dwells in it.

There is nothing so ancient, since the patriarchs and prophets worked to building it.

There is nothing so solid, since Jesus Christ is the foundation of it.

There is nothing so high, since it reaches as high as to the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

There is nothing so perfect and well proportioned, since the Holy Spirit is the architect.

There is nothing more beautiful, because it is adorned with building stones of every age, every place, every people; from the highest kings to the lowest peasants; with the most brilliant scientists and the simplest believers.

There is nothing more spacious, since it is spread over the whole earth, and takes in all who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

There is nothing so Divine, since it is a living building, animated and inhabited by the Holy Spirit." Adam Clarke

As I was reading this I was reminded of the beautiful hymn, The Church's One Foundation by Samuel Stone and Samuel Wesley (1800s). Here are the lyrics:

1.     The church's one foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the Word.
From heaven he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.

2. Elect from every nation,
yet one o'er all the earth;
her charter of salvation,
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with every grace endued.

3. Though with a scornful wonder
we see her sore oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder,
by heresies distressed,
yet saints their watch are keeping;
their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
shall be the morn of song.

4. Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation
of peace forevermore;
till, with the vision glorious,
her longing eyes are blest,
and the great church victorious
shall be the church at rest.

5. Yet she on earth hath union
with God the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion
with those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with thee.

Prayer is the Best Thermometer

"Prayer is probably the best thermometer you will ever have to measure your growth in Christ. It drives all that is truly spiritual, both in our churches and personal lives." K.P. Yohannan

As I spend more time with the Lord, my time in prayer to Him increases. How can we expect to know God, to understand His Word, to know the path He wants us to take in life if we don't spend time communicating with Him in prayer? I know that often times it can be difficult to pray. We close our eyes and then wonder what to say. Yes, prayer comes easily when things are going wrong in our lives...when a loved one is sick, when we are facing financial challenges or when we are in some type of danger. But what about when everything is going well? Why do we often find it hard to pray?

I think it's partly because we have the wrong view of prayer. We look at prayer as a way to get what we want...healing, a better job, a husband/wife/children, safety, security, comfort. But asking the Lord for things is only part of it.

Intimacy with the Lord really grows when we focus on more than just asking for things from God. We need to focus on praising Him in our prayers. Use Scripture to praise Him for His wonderful qualities. Here is a sheet you can print out that lists some of the attributes of God (holy, just, wise, eternal...) with key verses to pray Attributes of God prayer sheet 

We also need to be thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Giving thanks for everything is both pleasing to the Lord and reminds us of all He has done for us. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is a wonderful book about what it means to live a life of thanksgiving. She challenges her readers to spend the next year writing down 1,000 things to thank God for. It may seem daunting but if you write down daily at least 5 things you are thankful for you will be amazed at how your love for the Lord grows.

Intimacy with the Lord is so amazing and rewarding yet it won't happen without prayer. "The awful truth, whether we admit it or not, is that we don't pray because in our hearts we don't think we need God. We don't know how to pray because true prayer can only originate form a life emptied of self-sufficiency." K. P. Yohannan