Are you a living church
We have to start with the question if you are a living church. It is very important to always keep one in check as we ponder on the right question. Whether you are a living church or not is never a question anyone should think embarrassed. The point there is the need to candidly put such awakening question in view to enable one keep check and have proper adjustment towards a proper alignment with God Almighty.
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1Timothy chapter 3 verses 15)
You don’t have to contradict God’s Word with your doctrine
This very question if you are a living church can have different meaning and different reaction to different kind of people. This might have sounded cool in the hearing of some persons, but it is never so with other persons. Some must have picked offense with the caption even without reading through the content, questioning the fact that such question proceeded from one’s mouth in the first place.
Some in their doctrine believe that none is righteous and none has what it takes to obtain the righteousness of God. This is the wrong doctrine that was sold to them which have drained their faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross and as well as sank their walk with God. The door to obtain the righteousness of God through Jesus was opened the very moment Jesus publicly declared, “It is finished.” His death, resurrection and ascension made it possible that anyone who believes can obtain the righteousness of God.
Anyone who desire to be a living church of the Living God must be willing to experience a deep transformation
No one can become a living church of the Living God by living the way he or she desires. It does not work that way. There is a standard to this. The God which is the Living God is the standard. Anyone who desires to become a living church of the Living God must be eager to meet the standard. People so discouraged at the process to meet up God’s standard because they thought the process is tough and hard.
19 – “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
20 – But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 – If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
22 – Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2Timothy chapter 2 verses 19 to 22)
God’s standard cannot be changed by anyone standard
Do not be deceived, God’s process to meet up His standard of the living church He can dwell in can only be tough so that it can profit whoever that pays such a huge price. In the journey of being a living church of the Living God is never about one’s thought that God will succumb to one’s standard. Man’s standards are always full of selfish interest. And because it is about greed and fulfilling one’s desires, it can’t match up to God’s standard. Our walk with God will pain us if it must pay us.
16 – “No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17 – Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” (Mathew chapter 9 verses 16 to 17)
It is everyone responsibility to meet God’s standard
God is never a waster that will want to destroy anyone by taking one faster than he or she can walk. That is why our walk with God is a gradual process. Step by step He leads us through the path of our reformation. You see the process to be reformed into His image is very important if we will developed the mental capacity and effective to live as the living church of the Living God to reflect His glory every where we go. Meeting God’s standard is all about His glory. The price of meeting God’s standard is discipleship.
Do not be deceived by the doctrine that is flying all over the place trying to make one believe that he or she does not have the capacity to have and observe a right standing with God. That is the doctrine and message that have kept people in their old stage of life even when they have claimed to must have confessed Christ into their life. This the same wrong messages have made people in this category trying to manage their sinful lives and still have a walk with God with the understanding that God will understand. Yet they fail to understand that God is the righteous God and He expects everyone to experience His righteousness through Jesus Christ.
You have what it takes to be used by God if only you will pay the price
The captioned, ‘Are you a living church’, to some persons it is a wake-up call to check oneself if one is still in faith, having and maintaining a right standing with God. The call for righteousness is the call of having a right standing with God. Any question in our journey with Christ Jesus that put one on the thought of sober reflection about his or her standing with the Maker, is a right question. That is why inspite the fact that some persons detest this very question, some persons will cherish such an awakening and guiding question if one is the living church of the Living God which is expected of all believers.
There is no controversy that the caption is a source of irritation to some persons who never believed that God and man had anything in common. They are quick to discard the fact that man was created in God’s image after God’s likeness.
You are made of God Almighty
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis chapter 1 verses 26)
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis chapter 2 verses 7)
They fail to realised that it was God that breathed into the physical man that he became a living soul. Everything about man to become a living soul is to be a living church of God Almighty. These ones always based their fact that man has fallen short of God’s glory and man does not have the tendency and capacity to obtain God’s righteousness.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans chapter 3 verses 23)
In conclusion:
4 – “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
23 – For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans chapter 6 verses 4 and 23)
The free gift of God to anyone who believes in the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross, His resurrection and ascension to heaven is eternal life. To experience eternal life which is God’s kind of life, that makes every believer a living church of the Living God.
