I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also. - 2 Corinthians 6:13
Some people consider at times the Church as an organization, business or structure merely. But though even the smallest gathering of believers can act like these things, the foundation of a Church is always a deep relationship with each other and with God. Paul had a very deep meaningful relationship with the Corinthian Church, he labored for them, suffered for them, was persecuted for them. His heart was breaking over their sins and problems and yet did not cast them off as too much trouble. He actually came to the place of treating them as if they were his own children. Paul started to share the very heart of God in which, God as Father calls us children of His. (Galatians 3:26). For a pastor or leader in the body of Christ to see people as anything else leaves great opportunity to simply hurt lives for the sake of the success of some ministerial pursuit or financial advantage. Such lording over God's people is forbidden in the Scriptures (1 Peter 5:2-3). When we can easily write people out of our lives will little sorrow or long-suffering shows that possibly we are not sharing the father heart of God towards His body. Our fellowship is not only to be with God and His Son but also with each other, who are actually part of the body of Christ (1 John 1:3).
Relationships always mean there is a potential for hurt, misunderstanding, pain and unfair treatment. Yet Christian life without deep meaningful relationships will end in a very hollow experience as God's will is for believers is to assemble together no matter how hard at times this can be. The Church itself is to be perhaps the only institution outside of marriage in the earth where very deep relationships with others is catered. For the Apostle Paul there was no separating individuals out of the Church but they were all one and had to work through problems, even great sins such as incest (1 Corinthians 5), lawsuits against one another (1 Corinthians 6) and abuse of of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11). These problems were not a reason to give up on the Church or move on but to work through these things. We see the character of God in the Church that he hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and will not leave His people but work with them to bring His body to maturity. To word it in another way, God hates the idea of giving up on something that He paid the greatest price in eternity and time, the very suffering and death of His Son. God is committed to the Church, the body of believers who gather in local areas, we should also! Let us look at leaders in the body of Christ as "fathers" who we build relationships with. Let us think of ourselves as "children" who we are building relationships with each other. Let us see the Church as a "family" that God is building in the earth. And let us committed to what God is committed to.
Some people consider at times the Church as an organization, business or structure merely. But though even the smallest gathering of believers can act like these things, the foundation of a Church is always a deep relationship with each other and with God. Paul had a very deep meaningful relationship with the Corinthian Church, he labored for them, suffered for them, was persecuted for them. His heart was breaking over their sins and problems and yet did not cast them off as too much trouble. He actually came to the place of treating them as if they were his own children. Paul started to share the very heart of God in which, God as Father calls us children of His. (Galatians 3:26). For a pastor or leader in the body of Christ to see people as anything else leaves great opportunity to simply hurt lives for the sake of the success of some ministerial pursuit or financial advantage. Such lording over God's people is forbidden in the Scriptures (1 Peter 5:2-3). When we can easily write people out of our lives will little sorrow or long-suffering shows that possibly we are not sharing the father heart of God towards His body. Our fellowship is not only to be with God and His Son but also with each other, who are actually part of the body of Christ (1 John 1:3).
Relationships always mean there is a potential for hurt, misunderstanding, pain and unfair treatment. Yet Christian life without deep meaningful relationships will end in a very hollow experience as God's will is for believers is to assemble together no matter how hard at times this can be. The Church itself is to be perhaps the only institution outside of marriage in the earth where very deep relationships with others is catered. For the Apostle Paul there was no separating individuals out of the Church but they were all one and had to work through problems, even great sins such as incest (1 Corinthians 5), lawsuits against one another (1 Corinthians 6) and abuse of of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11). These problems were not a reason to give up on the Church or move on but to work through these things. We see the character of God in the Church that he hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and will not leave His people but work with them to bring His body to maturity. To word it in another way, God hates the idea of giving up on something that He paid the greatest price in eternity and time, the very suffering and death of His Son. God is committed to the Church, the body of believers who gather in local areas, we should also! Let us look at leaders in the body of Christ as "fathers" who we build relationships with. Let us think of ourselves as "children" who we are building relationships with each other. Let us see the Church as a "family" that God is building in the earth. And let us committed to what God is committed to.
