1. The church and us…

2. There is a great deal of confusion in our world about the church!

3. But it’s also becoming clear that even among those who call themselves ‘religious’ there are many who want fellowship with Christ but want nothing to do with the church!

4. THE CHURCH IS GOD’S IDEA
THE CHURCH IS GOD’S IDEA! · With all its flaws and faults, God intends for the church to be the living incarnation of Christ in the world today! The church is God’s instrument to reconcile the world to Himself.

5. The church cannot become "an option" that one can "take it or leave it
It must not be treated
casually or with apathy.

6. Luke 9:26 (ESV) 26  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

7. Christians of Acts 2-3
They knew hardly anything of Jesus and nothing at all of the “church.”
Yet, immediately, they were thrust into a fellowship of believers – a radical, consuming community which supplanted every other loyalty.

8. This sense of community was true of the first century church
This sense of community was true of the first century church. Is it true of the church today?

9. It’s in the context of a congregation that we commit ourselves to intimate relationships with fellow Christians and submit ourselves to accountability, duties, and responsibilities and the use our talents.

10. 1. WHO’S CHURCH IS THIS?
"I’ve been part of one church or another for a long time now, and I don’t see many churches involved in spiritual business. They seem more concerned with budgets and buildings, power and prestige, programs and creeds. I look at the church and it looks like a man-made institution, pursuing human agendas, worried about worldly things."

11. 2. "THE" CHURCH OR "A" CHURCH?
"All Christians are part of the church—that great, universal community of believers which transcends time and space. The church is made up of those who believe and respond by faith to Jesus, no matter when or where they lived. I am the church whether I go to church on Sunday or worship on a lonely mountain top. You don’t have to belong to a church to belong to a church."

12. 3. YOU DON’T KNOW MY CHURCH!
"That all sounds very good...but you don’t know my church! Faulty people, flawed preacher, flailing leadership. We can’t get people to participate; some don’t attend more than once a week and some once a month. I know some are encouraged, but I often leave feeling lonely and isolated...I always have a hard time finding a parking place...decisions are made I don’t agree with."

13. There IS a great tension between the ‘church of faith’ and the ‘church of fact.’
We see the shining, pure, beautiful, faithful bride of Christ...loving, harmonious, humble, and hard working...on the other hand, there is the cantankerous bunch of stubborn people who belong to the church where we attend!

14. But at some point, we must come to realize that in spite of ourselves, God is using us to proclaim His wisdom and show His glory in this community!

15. To live above with those we love, O that will be glory
To live above with those we love, O that will be glory! But to dwell below with those we know…..well, that’s another story.

16. "The church at Corinth was in danger of becoming as unsightly as a torn garment." The same word is used in Mark 2:21: "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse."
In contrast: Greek word "katartizo" (kat- ar-tid-zo) means "to put in order, restore to its rightful condition, make complete, or mend."

17. Mark 1:19: "When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing [mending] their nets.“
Gal. 6:1: "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."

18. Ephesians 1:15-22 (NIV) For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,  I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

19.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,  which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,  far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church..