“That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).
The Lord wants the best for His Bride. And so does every right-thinking child of His.
Here is my wish list for the church of the 21st century….
One. I wish the church were less of a business and more like a family.
Our Lord looked around at His disciples and followers and said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brothers and sisters and my mother” (Mark 3:33-35). The obedient are His family.
I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God. The local church should be a smaller expression of that larger, forever family. I wish more of them were.
A real family nurtures its members, is always there, makes a big deal of each one’s special moments, and puts each other ahead of anyone else or anything else. To paraphrase Robert Frost, “A family is where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”
Families are not about numbers, divisions, classes, and groups. Family members are related by blood and joined at the heart. The weep when one of their numbers weeps, rejoice when they rejoice. They don’t compete, except in a fun way, and are proud when one gets an award or honor.
People looking for a new church often will hesitate before joining one for the simple reason that they are in effect joining a family. Their unasked question is “Do I want to be family with these people?”