We are a forgetful people in a land of distractions. Our minds are easily captivated by trivial and temporary inducements. New things quickly become old. In our mind’s eye even glory tends to fade and warnings tend to wane. It is no wonder that we who are invisibly united to Christ and visibly in and not of this world live in constant need of renewal. And what is true for the Christian is true for the church. This is a series that seeks to renew the mind of the church. Not so much by reviewing what she is called to do as much as what she is called. As with the Christian so with church, her God-given identity defines her. We who are the church are a people for God and none other.
Before we return to the book of Romans, we will be looking at the what scripture says about the Church, in its nature, how she expresses herself in song, and how the church cares and equips for its members.
The messages from this series can be found here:
Manny Pereira - October 29, 2023
For Christ and His Church
Christ is the light of the world and His church His light bearer. If the brilliance of Christ does not shine in and through His church, darkness will mark both the church and the world around her. The stakes are exceedingly high. When the light of Christ is diminished or concealed in the church, God is robbed of glory and man is robbed of grace. And the quality of the church’s light rises and falls on her love for Christ. In Colossians, the apostle Paul manifestly models the kind of all-consuming love for Christ and His church that radiates glory to God and grace to man. Whenever men have been consumed by this same love for Christ and His church, light that brings reform beams forth into darkness. This message was given in commemoration of the 506th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, highlighting its foremost forerunner in the life and love of Jan Hus (John Huss).
Scripture References: Colossians 2:1-5, Colossians 1:24-29
