Friday, June 10, 2011
The Church Triumphant
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33
Sometimes people get upset with the church. They may have been mistreated, or perhaps someone representing the church didn’t do a good job of that. Or maybe they did a horrible thing in the name of the church, and there is no excuse for that.
Then again, it may be the people who are supposedly bitter at the church feel that way because they have lived in disobedience. They did something wrong, and then they faced the repercussions of that in the church. Maybe they were told not to live that way any longer. And so they became angry at the church.
The church has its strengths, and the church has its weaknesses. But no matter what, Jesus Christ established it, and we are part of it. We need to love the church, support the church, and be a functioning part of the church. And if you are looking for a hypocrite-free church, your search is over, because no such church exists. So stop looking. Every church has hypocrites, because every church is made up of human beings just like you and me who fall short. We all have our shortcomings. We all have our flaws. But Jesus established the church, and He said, “Upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18).
We live in a culture where the church is under attack. Our values are mocked and laughed at. Our belief about the family, about what matters in life, is being challenged by an increasingly secular culture. And sometimes we wonder, Is evil going to prevail? But Jesus said of the church, “All the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Read the last page of the Bible, and you will see that the church wins in the end.
Summary sentence: The church is made of flawed people like you and me, yet Jesus has promised that the powers of hell cannot conquer it.
Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
SPECIAL OFFER
.webp)
Learn from the Preach the Word Prophecy Conference DVDs what some of the leading experts on the topic of end-times events and Bible prophecy have to share from their unique perspectives on what is happening in the world. Teachings from General Boykin, Delta Force founder; Joel Rosenberg, Israeli expert; Mosab Hassan Yousef, former member of Hamas; and Tim LaHaye, co-writer of the Left Behind books.
“Learn More about Bible Prophecy from Men I Trust.” –Greg Laurie
I want to send you your personal copy of Preach the Word Prophecy Conference DVD Set in appreciation for your gift to Harvest this month.
You can have the Preach the Word Prophecy Conference DVD Set in appreciation for your gift to Harvest Ministries this month.
