Hello! Brrr! 7 degrees today? Snow! Winter. Wow…IS IT COLD! Too cold. God knows what He is doing. No worries. I’m certainly thankful for heat. I am also very thankful for life, good health, my family, friends, and especially my name and place in Christ’s kingdom, His church.
We are the church; you, me, and all who have obeyed the gospel. The Lord Himself added us to His church (Acts 2:27). The church belongs to Christ. He is the Savior, the Head and we are the saved, His body. That is the reason we call ourselves the church of Christ: the church belonging to Christ. Of course, we can also look in the Bible (Romans 16:16) and find that congregations of the Lord’s church are called “churches of Christ.” We are Christians. We do not choose this name by vote or because it sounds good or because this name suits us. We are Christians because God calls the followers of Jesus Christ this name. In Acts 11:26 we find this name. King Agrippa used the name “Christian” when he was almost persuaded to become one (Acts 26:28). Simon Peter wrote to us about suffering in 1 Peter 4:16, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” I have often thought about the various names that people take on when it comes to religion and wondered why people couldn’t just be Christians. One day I was talking with someone and asked him if and where he went to church. I realize that “going to church” is not the correct way to word this question, but in the world today, people understand what I mean. He answered, “Yes, I’m _______” and went on to talk about the denominational church he was a part of. He asked me about my church affiliation. I told him that I am a Christian and a member of the church of Christ that meets on Harding Street across from the MHS football field. After my answer his immediate response was “Well, I am a Christian too. I’m a ______ Christian.” My next statement to him was, “Wouldn’t it be great if we all could just call ourselves what the Bible calls us: “Christians?” Nothing before the word and nothing after the word. I am not a “church of Christ Christian” or an anything Christian. I am also not a member of a denominational church. I am a Christian (simply and only) a member of the church that belongs to Christ, the church of Christ. This church exists all around the world and regularly meets together for fellowship, Bible study, worship, and service here, there, and everywhere in small congregations made up of maybe two or three Christians and in large congregations, some into the hundreds of thousands. Yes, I am so very thankful to be a Christian, a member of God’s family, the church that Jesus established, purchased, provides for, and is coming from heaven to receive to Himself (John 14:1-6). I hope you can read this and think about who you are and what the Bible says, understand what I am trying to say, and make the changes you need to make to be what you need to be. Now this is a good question to ask ourselves; “Is the person I am, the person I need to be?” MB
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