I Love My Church

This blog post comes from reading posts on Twitter today by @ljcunningham.  Bro. L.J. Cunningham is a pastor of an United Pentecostal Church in Virgina.  He preached a message today entitled, "I Love My Church".  I have not listened to the message, but a couple of the post that he posted about loving his church and loving your pastor has gotten me to think a lot.  So much it has stirred me from my normal hour Sunday Afternoon Nap. 

As I think about all the great revivals that have happened in the United Pentecostal Church it has taken place in churches that people love their pastor and love their church.  I have also seen what is normally necessary for a church to see decline of revival.  It is when people do not love their church and pastor.  You say, well, I love my pastor and my church.  Stop and think about the last 10 conversations that you have had about your church or your pastor.  Have they been up lifting or where they in discussion of a problem or disagreement with what your pastor is doing or something in the church.  Speak of the negative nature is a very bad ingredient in our churches.  As the old preacher said, "Why would the sinner want to come to church when people are walking around with frowns on their faces looking think they have been smoking persimmons through an old stove pipe?"  Some people the only time they smile in church is when the preacher is throwing in one of his weekly jokes just to get you to smile.  I wondered by preachers told so many jokes, until I starting pastoring myself.  Yep, It was to see a smiling face looking back at them.  I see more laughs in the bar room than I do in most American Churches.  It's time that we start loving the things God gave us.  "... it please God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." I Corinthians 1:21.  It is God that chose the preach not man.  If God is pleased with the preacher and the preaching of God's servant, then so should I.  In Matthew 16:18 it states,""And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,"  It was from the testimony of the preacher (the sermon if you will) that the Lord chose to build his church.  Let's love the ministry and our preacher.  Another verse says how will they hear unless a preacher is sent.  That's God's plan, not mine. 

Paul is telling the Ephesians in 5:25 that for the Husband to love their wives as Christ loved the church.  If he loved the church so much that he would die for it.  Why can't we love the church?  To some who are serving God it would kill them to do anything other than the bare minimum for the church.  I love my church and I want to give my life for the work of my church.  I have always since long before entering public ministry myself have loved the church.  I am even thankful for my up bringing and the church I grew up in.  I do believe that God has revealed more to me than the church was teaching, but I do still to this day love that church.  A lot of what I am today is because of the core teaching I received in that church. 

So tonight when you walk into your church.  Stop a minute and say, "Wow, Thank you God for giving me this great church and a great pastor."  Come on it won't kill you and the more you say it the easier it gets.

I LOVE MY CHURCH & MY PASTOR!!!!

Humbly Submitted,
Pastor Reynolds