Your Future and the Church

Here is my final post from Jesus > Religion by Jefferson Bethke.  His final chapters focus on our future and why we need the be participants in the church.

We are to created, cultivate, and redeem while we're here. . .The fact that we can create is a sign we are created in his image.

Since everyone is made in the image of God, everyone has worth and everyone has dignity.

Faith is no longer wrapped up in a building; it's wrapped up in every soul who loves Jesus. When the people of God move, the church moves. It's not brick and mortar; it's skin and bone.

We are called to redeem this earth--everything, not just the spiritual part. Jesus is Lord of all of it, even the mundane Mondays through Saturdays. He's not just in charge of Sundays.

I saw the church wasn't a museum for good people; it was a hospital for the broken. Jesus wasn't trying to create a place to show off his shiny employees; he wanted a place where his children could be healed.

For me, the best part about the church is that God has uniquely wired it as his vehicle to heal and offer grace to hurting people. The church is a shelter from the storms.

When Christians fight among themselves, Jesus is the one whose reputation is damaged and bruised.