Church meetings designed for our good!

It is sobering when you read in 1Cor11 that the Corinthians meeting together for the Lord's Supper did more harm than good. But in that statement we see implied that the Lord designed the meeting together of the church for our good. Central to that is remembering the Lord Jesus Christ, and his giving his life for our eternal good. I would guess that for many Christians meeting together with the church has become difficult. It is easy to get in a place where you feel, "ugh, church today," rather than, "great, church today!" It is worth examining ourselves and  our churches. Is church about Christ? Is it about worshipping God for his mercy? To easily church becomes about our own personal agenda - our own wants and felt needs and preferences. When that is the case it quickly becomes a place where joy is not felt and Christ is not truly sought. And too easily, in those circumstances, we too can become those who do more harm than good in the church. Wonderfully I have better things to report at St. John's Wood Road!

It is a great joy today to see so many different people involved in ministry. Today one led as we met for the Lord's Supper, another led the main morning service, I was preaching, yet another speaking at Grace Talks. Others were welcoming at the door, doing the projector, playing music, leading and helping in Children's Church, providing refreshments, cooking lunch. As I preached this morning I could see the gospel at work in people. Not I hasten to say because of any holiness or brilliance on my part - that sadly is manifestly not the case. Simply the message of Christ held forward from the word of God, blessed by his Spirit.

Some of us are learning hard lessons in our hearts, others are finding comfort where before there was very little. There are still hard hearts and hurting hearts. My prayer, and I ask of you to pray with me, that as we lift up the Lord Jesus more people would find him to be the God of all comfort, the rock of salvation and our own glorious Lord. May many more people say with Paul that he is, "the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me."