[ampaterry]

LOL!!

Good verses, too, BlackEagle!

For today:

Since there is some confusion in the matter about exactly what ‘the church’ is, I thought this list might prove helpful:

The church is not:
* An ark for the saving of a select few.
* A ferryboat to take effortless passengers to the shores of heaven.
* A life insurance company, with no obligation on policy holders except the payment of a small annual premium.
* A social set, welcoming certain people and excluding others from its fellowship.
* A Sunday pleasure club for providing a pleasant distraction on the day of rest.

The church is:
* A lifeboat for the rescue of sin-wrecked and perishing souls.
* A family, in which love and service are expected from each member to each member.
* An organized community, with constant activities and continual growth and development.
* A company of believers who have found the one way of life and obey the one Lord of life.
* A union of those who love for the benefit of those who suffer.
* A center of social worship, in which the spiritual life of each is helped by the spiritual life of his neighbor.
* The representative -- the "body" -- of Jesus Christ on the earth, reflecting his spirit and controlled by his will.

Ephesians 1:22-23 (TLB);
“And God has put all things under his feet and made him the supreme Head of the Church which is his body, filled with himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere.”

May God richly bless each one of you -