Why the Church is a Blessing
Jon Warnes
 
From Okinawa to North Carolina to Illinois to Texas, back to
Illinois and on to Missouri then to Nebraska and finally to
Colorado. Oh wait, on to Georgia and now back to Colorado. My
family and I have been a part of many congregations and have
been the partakers of many blessings. The blessings of the
church manifests itself in so many ways within each local
assembly, but everywhere we go or have been, there are three
consistencies to acknowledge.

The first is the blessing of fellowship in the church. The
companionship with the saints provides so much edification or
building up spiritually. Our family's faith has been and
continues to be refreshed and fortified through our bond and
unity with the brethren. Relationships made are rich and will
continue thru this lifetime and thru eternity. Furthermore, when
Christians fellowship with the saints we also are in fellowship
with God the Father and Jesus (1 John 1:3). What a joy!

The second blessing is the food in the church. Oh now, we all
know about the churches of Christ and their ability to add girth
to our bodies, but the delicious food I mention here is of the
spiritual type. God's word has always been served up abundantly
on a regular basis. If you will, the teachings of the Lord's
church give adequate nutrition to the body. The brotherhood
never misses a meal and the dessert upon which we receive comes
thru programs like: Men's and Women's Bible studies, devotional
periods, lectureships, just to name a few. With dependable,
seasonal preaching (2 Tim. 4:2), both milk and solid food are
rich blessings in the church of Christ.

Finally, the blessing of being in the family of God, the
greatest family on earth, is in the church. What's important to
point out is that it is not the act of any congregation to "add"
someone to God's family. When we are obedient to God's word
(Acts 2:38) and submit to His will, He does the adding to His
own family (Acts 2:47). As a child, I would get so excited
knowing I was going to Grandma's house to see all of my
relatives. Now, as a Christian, it excites me knowing I get to
see my family members at steady doses throughout the week.
You'll discover rich blessings being a child of God. The
blessings of being in fellowship, partaking of spiritual food,
and having the greatest family ever all flow forth from our
Heavenly Father because He loves us so!


In Christ, Steve Preston


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