《麦子》86期 / 文：JS Pau
As I grew up, I was taught that church does not refer to a physical building made of bricks and concrete, but a body that consists of believers who are sanctified by Jesus Christ and are continuously sanctified until the end of our lives. Romans 8: 17 says “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Jesus Christ is our savior and redeemer. Through His redemption, we are children of God. Those who are born into the Kingdom of God are like babies who need nourishment and food. A church functions to nurture and to provide spiritual nourishment to Christians. Christians shall find communion with other Christians in earthly churches. In this article, I would like to share about how I have had communion with other believers in my church.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4: 15-16)
I am thankful to God for leading me and my family to serve in PJ State Chinese Methodist Church since 2016 as the church has provided us with plentiful of spiritual nourishments. My children have been attending Sunday school since they were little. I saw teachers who are also parents, that are passionate about teaching God’s word to our next generation, and they serve with humility and love. Children not only learn about God from Sunday school, but they are also able to experience the love of God through interacting with Sunday school teachers. Besides that, I am also encouraged by the time when parents meet before and after Sunday school; where we would talk about our challenges in educating children and share our life experiences with one another. In our church community, we need to have such fellowship in order to strengthen one another’s faith, learn how to apply God’s word in daily lives, bless and help one another.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5: 11a)
“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 14)
It is such an amazing blessing that God has given me a role to serve in church’s choir. We meet on a weekly basis to practice choral singing. I have learnt that there is a message in each piece of sacred music. The message could be our prayer to God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, our praises to God and, the truth, that can touch each one of us – those who sing and those who listen. The choir shares these messages with the congregation with the aim to nurture our spiritual lives, comfort weary souls, encourage peoples who struggle in life, offer the congregation’s praises and prayers to God and leading people to Christ. In church, we have communion with other Christians through music. Christians need the messages in church music as we strive to live a God-pleasing life on this earth while we long for our heavenly home.
“Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one.” (Hebrews 11: 16a)
In a nutshell, a church is home for Christians to have communion with other Christians. We need to support each other’s spiritual growth as we walk along the journey to our eternal home. An earthly church is a home that provides spiritual nourishment, a home that nurtures our souls and a home that fosters love.