So nice tonight to go to church at JBC and sit in the audience and listen to a good sermon by Mike Dedera our associate pastor.  I sat next to Patty and worshiped God and then was blessed by the power of God’s Word. It was a very enjoyable evening for me.

So many people are critical of the Church, indifferent to the Church, and even very hostil to the Church. The Church has lots of problems, but any organization with people in it has problems. It is still the “Family of God”, the “Body of Christ” and the “Bride of Jesus”, the eternal companion of Jesus Christ. Someday God the Father will present the Church to His Son, holy and blameless, without spot or wrinkle, but in the meantime it struggles.

If you told me that I was wonderful and that you loved me very much, and then turned around and called my wife, Patty, ugly, I wouldn’t like you much regardless of the nice things you said about me. Jesus loves the Church and died for the Church. My personal love for my church and my commitment to doing all I can to help her become beautiful is very pleasing to God.

The average person sees the church as a glorified Fred Meyer store. It exists to serve them and meet their needs and as long as it does They will support it, but if service wanes and someone hurts their feelings They are out of there.  Someday when Jesus comes back all will be as it should be, but until then I am committed to doing my part to build His Church around the world and at JBC.