WorshipGod Conference Part 4

The Fourth Session was given by Thabiti Anyabwile and is titled: "The Church of Worship". This dude is an author and also the senior pastor of The First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman. The main focus of Anyabwile's was the church and how it is essential, critical, and central to your spiritual well-being. I am guilty of previously coming to church out of duty, going because I had to. Up until last summer, I viewed church as a chore. Now I realize how important the church is to my spiritual walk. How the brothers and sisters are there to encourage us and spur us on in Christ. Anyabwile presents this equation: church = people, community, body.

2 Corinthians 12:12-27 describes the church as a body with each individual being a member of the body. In this body, each member has a different part to play. The body cannot function without all the parts together. The well-being of the entire body depends on the spiritual health of the members. In vs 26 it says that if one member suffers, all of the members suffer. As members of the same body, we must take care and watch out for each other.

Anyabwile lists 5 reasons as to why we need the church:

1. Because it's God's workmanship

Christ is the one that joins us to His body. He elects each and every single one of us. Therefore we all have a purpose in being in the body.

2. Because we need to be cared for

Every member of the body cares for each other like I mentioned before. One of the challenges he gave us was to have a meaningful conversation with everyone in the church. I am definitely guilty of aimless conversations. We need to dwell on things of consequence, our spiritual health. Love in the church should abound out of our doors so that when strangers step into our church, they can experience the love of Christ through us. We were also warned about individualism in the church. It can be dangerous when people isolate themselves from the members of the body.

3. To be equipped and matured for the Christian life - Eph 4: 11-15

When we edify the body of Christ, we are encouraging others to pursue God. Worship at church should fulfill this purpose while being glorifying to God. Becoming spiritually mature and to be like Christ is the goal of the Christian faith. The church is instrumental for individual growth. Think about it, can an arm severed from the body continue to grow? No! It strivels up and rots! You see why we cannot mature in Christ independent of the local church?

An illustration he gave was this: We cannot cut out the body and just love the head, in the same way, we cannot cut out the church and love Christ.

4. We need God's grace

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:"- 1 Peter 4:10

God's grace is channelled through God's people. God blesses us through His people.

5. We need God's love

"⁹Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." - 1 John 2:9-11

Whoever loves God must love his brother. We are command to love the members of His body!

LISTEN TO THE SESSIONS ONLINE!!!!

http://purechurch.blogspot.com/