THE CHURCH

The church is very much a paradox. Firstly, the church is Gods idea and is held together by Him. He is the head of the church. His church is his body where he dwells by His Spirit and presence. That’s us His people. The word for church is the Greek word ekklesia which simply means a meeting gathering, community or assembly. The church has existed for nearly 2000 years and will continue to exist until Jesus returns. Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against it. In other words, it will be unmovable and cannot be destroyed regardless of what Govts and the prevailing culture says. All through history there have been times when it is strong, other times it looks like it’s finished and at times even today in some parts of the world gone underground because of persecution and opposition but it’s still here. Even yesterday there was an article in the NZ Herald talking about the church in NZ and asking the question even if the church would exist in the next few years with so many of the traditional churches and denominations declining rapidly and many old church buildings been sold and turned into houses. But that’s only one side of the story. The church just morphs into new denominations and movements which the reporters conveniently don’t report on. On the other side the church is quite fragile because it rises and falls on the basis of relationships. It's not a business, organization or company. It’s made up of volunteers and is only as strong as its relationships with each other and with Jesus the head. So, if the relationships break down with each other or with Jesus himself it can become fragile and broken and divided. God only has plan A and it’s his Church, you and I and all who love Him as their Lord and Savior.