Where is The Church?

After reading something recently written by a lover of God and good friend of ours, I got to thinking about "The Church" and it's location.  It's not a building.  Or a place.  It's the body of Christ.  So, it's mobile.  So it doesn't have one specific location.  Ok, so where is it located?  Where can the church be found?  Hmm.... well, I thought, where was Christ?  With the sick, the broken and the lost.  All right, so then that's where the church should be.  And since WE are the church, that's where we should be. All right... the church is Christ's body.  Well, the body has many different parts. As believers, we are those parts and we make up this body.  And these parts have different functions.  Then I got to thinking how we are also referred to as the 'army of God'.  Now, I don't know very much about the Army, or any branch of the military for that matter, but for some reason I began to think about it in these terms and it made sense to me.  So, what are some of these functions and how might they resemble an army???  Well, some are made to be out there on the front lines in the heat of the battle... in fierce, hand to hand combat with the enemy.  Now, not ALL are made to function in this capacity, but, all are still part of the same body, or army :)  Then there are the medics... those who's job it is to tend to the sick and injured WITHIN the body.  There are the high ranking officials whom, I imagine, are the ones who devise strategies, give orders and oversee the operations.  How about the mechanics who make sure all the equipment is in good working condition and then those who operate that equipment?  I'm sure there are many more 'functions' that I have no knowledge about or am forgetting, but what I'm seeing here is that not everyone in the army is a medic, or a mechanic or a man on the front lines.  But together, they make up the army.  So, likewise, I don't think every believer will be out on the front lines of the battle, but in some way or another, they will be helping those there... whether it be by giving orders, making sure equipment is working properly or tending to those who have become sick or injured.  And ALL are working together, helping one another, to bring freedom and truth and overcome the enemy!

Let Us Stop And Consider... The Fake

I read something a while back that caused me to stop and take a good, hard look at myself.   Disappointment.  It stinks!  People often disappoint us.  When I've been there, let's just say I don't react well!  I get really mad at the person who did the disappointing.  Especially if they don't apologize up to my standards (ewe!), or God-forbid they should not even see what they did as being wrong or hurtful!  The idea of forgiving them is NOT what I want to do!  So, how should we respond when this happens to us?  ...Forgive.  Yeah, I know... we don't want to.  But we need to remember that people are weak.  In many ways.  And we, too, have disappointed others.  But, man, that is hard to do!!  In fact, without God's help, I would say it's downright impossible.  The sad truth is, we don't always DO what we want to do or what we know we should... it is our human nature :(  (Romans 7:14-25)  And this often results in us hurting someone.  The weaknesses in us sometimes run very deep.  And only God can heal us, in his way and in his timing.  But, it is hard to remember this when someone has just hurt us.  I am guilty of having hurt and disappointed others... in many times and many ways.  One of my weaknesses, and it's really ugly, is not always being completely honest and authentic with people because I SO want to be liked by everyone.  I battle a profound fear of getting into a disagreement or having a confrontation with people, and so sadly, I try very hard to avoid having that happen! :( 

Been hearing people say, a lot lately, how much they hate those who are fake.  So, of course, this really bothers me!  But, let's face it.  Nobody likes a fake.  We all want people to be honest and sincere with us, and understandably so.  This is a particularly 'repulsive' character flaw to most of us.  But, what if we stop and consider that people who are fake may be painfully aware they are - and truly hate it - but hard as they try, still find themselves struggling to change?  That maybe because of their upbringing, or life's circumstances, and/or the lies the devil has been feeding them their whole lives, it's like they've become 'programmed' that way?  Isn't that true of us all?  Aren't we all programmed in some ill manner?  After all, doesn't the Bible say we need to 'renew our minds'?  Or worse yet, what if we are falsely accusing someone of being fake, when they're actually being sincere?  After all, only God knows our hearts.  

Bottom line... none of us is perfect :)  We all exhibit some kind of character flaw, or flaws.  If not insincerity, then pride.  If not pride, then lust.  If not lust, then greed.  You get the idea.  Yes, we are ALL flawed, weak and sinful in some way or another.  Yet God pours out his mercy on us continually, even though we've done nothing to deserve it.  He accepts us just the way we are, and he doesn't just 'accept' us, he LOVES us!  So much so, that he did something only he could possibly do... gave up his only son, Jesus, to DEATH, so that we could have a personal, intimate, loving relationship with Him.  And so that HE could have one with US!  Our sin might look very different from the next person's, but it's really all the same to God.  And the awesome thing is, if we've accepted Jesus' gift of salvation, and have that personal relationship with him, he is no longer counting our sins against us!  He is keeping NO RECORD of our wrongs!!  So then, shouldn't we, like God, do the same with one another?  Even with those who are insincere, or fake?  We have been forgiven for ALL our sins. God is FULL of mercy toward us.  So it is only right that we be the same with each other.  But that's hard!  No, again I say it's impossible without God.  So, how can we forgive and be merciful with someone when their sin really hurts us, really STINKS?  GOD.  LOVE.  GOD'S LOVE.  As it grows in us, we become more and more like Him, able to do "all things through Christ who strengthens us".