God’s Vehicle for Provision
It seems that the deeper we move into the 21st century — more church attenders shift toward apathy when it concerns the local church. In fact, it is my contention that much of the distraction, the weight of burdens, and the weariness with which the average Christ-follower deals with these days, can be attributed to a lack of faith in the“vehicle” God designed to actually aid us in living victoriously! That specially-designed vehicle is the LOCAL CHURCH!
While church leaders and ministry departments have become more savvy in the presentation and overall communication of the Gospel — the truth is, that it doesn’t mean we have extended the faith of most church goers. Church leaders are now faced with the added challenge of continuously checking the actual foundational understanding of their members since faith is generally weak even if participation or attendance is high! Part of our problem is that our “western” mindset tends to believe that if we just “do” something— then results will follow. However, God is challenging us to “be something” through our doing! This explains why so many Christians’ relationship with their local church these days (if they have one) is casual, intermittent, and usually on the low end of REGULAR and sacrificial participation. Why? Because much of what is done in this present generation is done without conviction and faith. The “Church” is God’s vehicle for providing the necessary provision the pressures of the world constantly overload us with. So what can we do?
As church leaders it is up to us to provide the reasons to believe in the church—so that Christ-followers and those in our communities who are far from God know how to draw their nourishment from the Body of Christ. In the ancient world every small and large community knew one thing above all other things — that was where to draw their water! So it is with the local church. It is the local “well” for living water and those who participate or belong to her MUST LIVE LIKE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE! Using Abraham (the father of our faith) as an example, I believe we can draw out some prophetic conclusions that will help us understand God’s provision of the Local Church to address our needs.
Hebrews11:8-10 8 “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (NIV)
BY FAITH—ABRAHAM MADE HIS HOME IN THE PROMISED LAND…
- Even though Abraham was a stranger to the land God had promised, he put his trust in what GOD HAD PROVIDED—even if he had to live in temporary dwellings! He was so convinced in his quality of life based solely on God’s provision for him— that he NEVER allowed the condition of the existing territory to speak to his future!
- Abraham so trusted God and what he had given him— that he never put stock in what he felt, what he saw, or how strange he felt being in untested territory. The truth is that for many believers today, there is no contrast between their so-called “church-life” or experience and what they experience daily in the world. It is simply something else to do rather than to be.
- Having faith in God’s provision of the local church simply means that we have to buy into the notion that we are to sell out to her FIRST. Then simply open our eyes to seeing just what it is that God has provided. THIS IS HOME friend! The church is the well, the church is the provision of God, the church is where plant, water, sow, reap, and above all— BELONG!!
