Part 3 of the Church series.

Who is the church? One, Paul the apostle in his first letter to the church in Corinth as he is conveying greetings to them from the churches of Asia includes greetings also from Aquila and Priscilla, two Bible teachers, said it like this, "The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house." "The church that is in their house." Not some great denomination...not a great edifice, a building, but rather the people in your house who have Jesus living in their hearts by faith....that is who the church is, ....people.

People with messed up lives? Yes...people who are less than perfect? Yup...You mean every day people with problems just like I have? People who make mistakes and fall on their proverbial faces and get dirty sometimes? Yes, people, people with a difference...they belong to the household of God. Wherever there are people of God gathered in His name, there you have a church. It does not matter whether it has official status or no, what matters is having Jesus in the midst....He is the status.
So everyone in the church is not perfect; the psalmist recorded these words from the 37th Psalm, "the steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down for the LRD shall lift him up,"Are there hypocrites in the church? Yes, but don't pick one to hid behind or he will be bigger than you. Sometimes we are guilty of pointing out those who attend the services of the church in their broken lifestyle...a past has left them with scars. The true church of the living God does not put them out but rather it will help to restore such a one. Some things we can't fix....but remember if we yield ourself to Him....He makes everythingright. To all who have received Christ....we need to extend the right hand of fellowsship.