The Bible on Church, Acts 20

"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20.28

I almost skipped over this verse simply because at first it didn't seem to be saying anything new. It presents the same idea that the Church belongs to God that is seen in Matthew 16. But as I thought about it over the last few days this verse takes God's ownership to a new level. In Matthew Jesus says that He will build His Church. It gives the impression that He is building something new, which He is, but it stops there. He says it's His Church but here in Acts we are told why it is His.

He has purchased the Church with His own blood. Jesus died to secure ownership of His Church. This puts a whole new dynamic on those who make up the Church. This isn't something we enter into casually or half heartily because Jesus paid the steepest price possible. Entering the Church is a big deal, and I feel that over the last few decades we've watered it down to an emotional experience.

In Jerusalem on the south side of the Temple Mount there are the remains of the southern steps, the primary entry point into the Temple at the time Jesus walked the earth. The steps are built in a very unusual way, every other step is different. Some are short, and some are long, and they were intentionally built that way. Most stair cases are built so that each step is the same height and length, we get in a rhythm and just climb and descend them without thinking. I've heard that if one step is off, even by a couple of centimeters, from the rest you will stumble as you walk up or down them because that little difference throws off your rhythm.

The steps at the Temple were built that way on purpose, so that people couldn't casually enter the Temple when they went to worship, or casually leave when they had finished. It took time and a conscious effort, and that was the point. The worship of God is not to be done casually, but intentionally and resolutely. We shouldn't casually enter church on Sunday to worship, nor should we causally enter the Church as a believer in Christ.

Entering the Church as a member, not as part of a specific denomination, but as a believer in Christ, is a big deal. As I've been writing this the thought of marriage has hit me, the Church is referred to as the "Bride of Christ". At weddings I often hear something along the lines of, "The covenant of marriage that you are entering into is a life long commitment. Therefore it is not to undertaken casually or in-advisably." Marriage is a big deal, and a serous commitment. It isn't something you just wake up one day and decide to do. It takes time, a foundation, and a relationship for marriage to work. Why has becoming part of the bride of Christ been largely reduced to an emotional conversion?

Jesus said that we are to make disciples, not converts. We are to help people become followers of Christ with faith in Him to stand firm through every trial. A convert is in this for as long as this works. It's like the marriage ceremony that says, "We're together as long as our love lasts." But a disciple is in this til the end, "Til death do we part."

Entering the Church, shepherding the Church is serious job. We've seen how leadership isn't to be taken on quickly or rashly, but with prayer and fasting. Entering into the Church as a believer in Christ is an important decision. I want to make sure I am saying this right, it is a serious decision. Literally it is a decision of life or death. Entering a relationship with God means giving yourself fully to God, holding nothing back, and allowing Him to transform your life into Christlikeness. Christ paid the highest price for the Church, and to be part of it, we must pay an equally high price. But it is totally worth it. The benefits far out way the costs. It is the best decision I have ever made.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you