The Body, The Bride or The Business?

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

I Corinthians 12:27

 

 

The Church of Jesus Christ is not a business.

It cannot function like one.

This is not to say that we should overlook or neglect sound business practices for the administration of the church.

But to relegate the operation of the church to the same principles used on Wall street or

Main street is to sadly miss what God has purposed us to be.

Neither is the church meant to function, or can it succeed, on man’s “will power”.

We are to be the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ.

Nowhere in scripture are we called the Business of Christ!

A ‘church’ built by man and sustained by man’s will is doomed to fail.

A church which sails under the power of man’s will is surely going to face turbulence far greater than the storm the disciples faced on the Sea of Galilee.

The church Jesus built is sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The ‘successful’ church is that which has relinquished control by man

 to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit.

We don’t always like to surrender control.

There are a 1,000 reasons we can give for maintaining our own firm grip on the helm.

But the hand that holds firm control cannot simultaneously surrender control.

We want it both ways but, it seems, God just will not comply with our wishes!

So the next time you pray for your local church – ask God to keep all of us in that place of surrender to Him and the leading of His Holy Spirit.