"The gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
"The church of Christ, enfeebled and defective as she may appear, is the one object on earth on which he bestows in a special sense his love and regard. The church is the theater of his grace, in which he delights to make experiments of mercy on human hearts."
We are told that the church is that which is dearest to God on planet earth, in spite of the defects present. If that is the case, and I believe it is, it behooves us to also love God's church, and the people who make up His church.—Dan
Ephesians 1:22-23 (NKJV) "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
Ephesians 4:15-16 (NKJV) "But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
Colossians 1:18 (NKJV) "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."
"The church, defective as it is, and enfeebled with so much chaff, is the only object on earth upon which He bestows His highest regard. In His estimation, the church in heaven and the church on earth are identical." {Lt119-1895.33}
“Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.” The aggressive power of the gospel is in proportion to the genuine faith and piety and example of the believers. The church is to be the Lord’s light bearer to shine amid the moral darkness of a corrupt and sinful generation. There can be nothing in the world that is so dear to God as His church. Nothing is guarded by Him with such jealous care. Nothing offends God more than for the church to be in a disunited state, because it bears to the world a very bad testimony and example." {Ms176-1902.1}
"The church of Christ, enfeebled and defective as she may appear, is the one object on earth on which he bestows in a special sense his love and regard. The church is the theater of his grace, in which he delights to make experiments of mercy on human hearts." {RH December 4, 1900, par. 4}
"Why are believers formed into a church? Because by this means Christ would increase their usefulness in the world and strengthen their personal influence for good. In the church there is to be maintained a discipline which guards the rights of all and increases the sense of mutual dependence. God never designed that one man’s mind and judgment should be a controlling power. He never designed that one man should rule and plan and devise without the careful and prayerful consideration of the whole body, in order that all may move in a sound, thorough, harmonious manner. {TSA 90.2}
Believers are to shine as lights in the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. A church, separate and distinct from the world, is in the estimation of heaven the greatest object in all the earth. The members are pledged to be separate from the world, consecrating their service to one Master, Jesus Christ. They are to reveal that they have chosen Christ as their leader. The work in Cape Town is an important work and the church is to be as God designed it should be, a representative of God’s family in another world." {TSA 90.3}
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