Covenant Church

"Pastor Bare," she said, "I am very religious. You do not have to go to church to be religious. I pray and read my Bible every day. I believe in God. I am a Christian."

It is difficult to argue with folks who have already decided they are right. Even worse, to be so right that one can not imagine questioning their "rightness" is dangerous. Compounding these two errors one can only imagine the disaster that comes when the feeling of self-righteousness is based upon narcissistic notions of self-indulgence, self-importance, and self-serving.

It is absolutely true that one does not need a building to be a Christian. One does not need a pew, a steeple, or a hymnbook. If you pass a building with a cross and say: "There is the church," it may be understood in conversation as noting a meeting place for certain people. It takes more than the steeple, hymnbook, pew and a cross on a spire to make a church.

It takes people. A person is not the church or a church. The Church is the "called out ones". The Holy Spirit convicts sinners. Sinners choose to allow the Holy Spirit to bring them to Jesus. The Word of God leads a willing heart to repentance and faith in Jesus as Savior.

As surely as persons come to Jesus they naturally inherit by the atoning blood of Jesus an innate desire to be around others who have common faith in Christ. Like hunger draws a person to food, salvation draws "called out ones" to the fellowship of others who have been redeemed.

For persons to say they are Christians but they do not need to be around other Christians is an oxymoron. Bluntly put, it is a contradiction of terms. For a Christian not to crave, hunger, and long to be with other Christians would be as unnatural as a zebra not having stripes.

When a child comes from its mother's womb, it needs oxygen. When a sinner is born again of the power of God, instinctively there is a longing to be around, in the company of, and fellowship with other redeemed sinners. Sinners saved are "called out" of sin to be in the family of God. There is no thrill of sin that can equal the joy of redeemed persons being in the company of and celebrating with other believers.

In the liberty of popular democracy folks have tended to write their own theology. Fortunately God's Word does not change because we change, or because we attempt to change His Word. We only fool ourselves by attempting to sound self-important and justified in our self-righteousness.

Countless stories are documented of persons in places far and near becoming followers of Christ and walking hundreds of miles to inquire where there might be other believers, i.e., a Church.

Christ said that He gave His very life for the Church. The Church is called a precious jewel, a Bride. Prophecy is that the Church will be redeemed/raptured from the curse of this world. The Coming of Jesus will not be to round up individuals on their esoteric and egotistical Sunday morning strolls through forests, or to find them in their favorite coffee chair meditating, or to rescue them from flipping religious channels in an attempt to find cheap religious therapy. Christ will come for His Body, the totality of all believers: The Church.

The coming together of the Church is the most blessed experience that a Christian can have on earth. Corporate praise, prayer, searching the Word, and ministry to each other cannot be experienced in any other way than through the CHURCH!

Christ explained to the disciples the Church in the Old Testament. In other words, He explained His place in the life of believers since Adam. The Bible is clear that Christ died for the Church. He will redeem His Church. The Church belongs to Christ. He bought it with His own blood. He is preparing the Church for His return.

My hope and prayer is that the Holy Spirit will lead us in a revival of doctrinal truth of the Church. May our spiritual eyes be opened. May we crave and long to be together with others who walking together in the glory of the Church.

Pastor Bare

That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish [Ephesians 5:27].

Men's Breakfast With Pastor