20070128

The Church, the body of Christ, is built up to be His witness in Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth.  Although the Church is not a building, yet local church buildings are symbols of Christian faith in a community.  For this reason many churches all over the world are burned or destroyed by hostile anti-Christian elements unhappy about the testimony of Christians.

How does the Body of Christ show that they are Christ’s disciples?  It is by loving one another as the Lord has loved them.  Church members are called to bear their crosses daily to follow their Master.  Jesus suffered while He was on earth and left His disciples an example to follow.  When believers in countries that are closed to the preaching of the gospel of Christ need Bibles, Christians in the world who are able to worship God freely must risk lives and limbs to supply this important spiritual need.  Suffering believers must back up their faith with works.  They must show love to their persecutors by blessing them for it is the Lord’s command that they should love everyone including their enemies.  This is a challenge for all of us to do but it is the Lord’s command and has to be obeyed as with all the other commands of God in the Bible

The church in Macedonia in the Apostle Paul’s time showed their oneness with the suffering Jerusalem church.  Aware of the poor and needy believers in Jerusalem, they gave generously.  They had received Biblical instructions from spiritual teachers like Paul and they supplied material needs in return.  The lesson from God giving manna to the grumbling people in Moses’ days was clear.  He that gathered much had nothing over; he that had gathered little had no lack.  Today’s provisions are more than adequate for us to share.  God will provide for tomorrow.  As good stewards of God’s rich resources which He entrusted to us, we can also follow this hospitality example by excelling in giving abundantly to needy persecuted believers worldwide.  This is sincere love in action.  God is honoured by what we do and not what we talk about.  Christians in the Body of Christ must live out their Christian faith so that the world can see and proclaim: “See how the Christians love one another” and they too can come to believe in God and in His Son Jesus Christ.