We Need Church

We Need Church
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬

I got to say that I honestly do not know where my life would be if not for my church family. Now listen, we don’t confess our sins in church to anyone for the purpose of being absolved of them. We don’t go into detail about the sinful thoughts and actions that we commit. But we ought to be aware of the baggage we carry and the sins that beset us. We all have something that we struggle with every day, whether it be anger towards people, bitterness due to a lack of forgiveness, lustful thoughts about the opposite sex, a drive to be more successful than our friends so we can rub it in their face. No matter what your “fault” is, we should have the spiritual fortitude to be honest with our church family as we make our church support group is aware of what it is that we struggle with...it’s called transparency. I’m not a fan of stain glass windows in our church. Yes, they can be pretty and really make a place look nice. Imagine you’re on the outside of the church and it only has stain glass windows and while you’re on the outside it is beautiful and appealing, but then you open the doors and go in and find floors that are covered in filth, nowhere to sit as the seats are wet and muddy, and the bathrooms look like a construction site port-o-potty that is overused. You probably wouldn’t join that church and would be upset that you even went in. If they had had regular windows you can see through, at least you would have known to put on a hazmat suit! Transparency is so important in the lives of a church family. Repentance is so important in the life of every member of the church. We as individuals MUST allow God to keep us clean in our lives by repenting our sins to Him and allowing Him to “cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. This doesn’t mean we won’t have sin in our lives, as we all struggle, but if we live transparently with our church family, they can see in our lives and know when they can help clean things up, by praying with us and for us as they stay repentant and transparent too. We ought to be in this together and it is sad when close the blinds and sit down when there is some cleaning that needs to happen.
Let’s be the Church Christ left us here to be!
Pastor Larry Hof

No Comments


Recent

Archive

Categories

Tags

Amped Lamp Bible Bread of Life CSB Canvas and Clay Chosen Christlike Christ Creation Creator Do You Don't Just Listen ESV Father of Lights Give God Can God Heals God Will God is Love God knows best God of All Comfort God of Impossible God the Father God's Blessings God's Word Gods Glory Gods Leading Gods Resume Gods Word Godsays He Can When I Can't He>i Healer His Purpose His Way HisStory Holy Spirit Holy I am God's Child I can because He did I do IAm IN Christ Illumination Jesus Christ Jesus made me new Jesus Just History KJV Leave the Light On Liberty Life goes on Lifesnotaboutyou Light the Way Living Sacrifice Love God Love Your Enemies Love your neighbors Love MEV MKJV Make Up Application Merry Christmas More Christ Music that Moves Music NIV NKJV NLT Not Mine Obey Our Least for His Best Poor in Spirit Recieve Royal Scripture Serving Others The History Book The Life The Way The Word Time to Die Try Jesus WordofGodSpeak Work of Art Workmanship aboveall all things ammo areyoulistneing ask for help ask attitude of gratitude bad friends be loving beattitudes beloved beseting sin bitter baptist bitterness bitter blessed brain cache brainwashing bridled brokeness brokenness broken busted bubbles christian church at home church comforting comfort complicated confession confident conforming confrontation content conviction crying darkness decietful destitute devotion die to self do it well do it doingtheWord don't quit easy faithcomesbyhearing faith fatter fat favorite child fear of the Lord fear over faith fear find finish focus on Christ follow Jesus follow the Spirit forever forget forgiveness forgive free from sin freedom future get IN God's Plan get In Christ get humble getting humbled gettingoverit gift giving goback godislove godly testimony good example good friends grace harsh healing heal history honest humility humilty hunger hurting hurt iamtheenemy identity imaginations investing investment jesuswins joy just ask knock lame lay it aside liberal life is hard lifesnotaboutme light like Christ limited limitles limits living for we losetowin losing love like God love like Jesus love not hate love one another loving relationship lyingtoyourself made new makeaplan making plans meekness meek merciful mercy ministry mom said motives matter motives mourn move on need help new stuff new no condemnation no means no nosuchthing obedience open opportunity oppression pain pasthurt peacemaker peace peculiar planning playing dead playing possum poor posting poured out praise Him praise praisingJesus prayer praying humbly praying pray prisoner pure purity race real faith rebellious repent restoration rest righteousness sacrifice salvation scriptures second hand seek showthemJesus sin sick sing sin speaking special spirit filled spiritual warfare stillhurts stinking thinking strength strongholds supplication sustanence swagger swag take a stand texting the Lord is my Shepherd the Rock the heart the law thendoit thirst times are tough tired? transforming transparency true understanding unforgiveness victory wakeup walk this way walk with Jesus walking dead walking in the light walking in the new walking we choose we know weak weary wewininJesus where is God whisper why am I here wicked wisdom wise words words work out works of worship works or worship works work worship yoke you have my word