the church.

We recently finished up our Ecclesiology class (basically a study of the Church).  Before I put my notes away from that class, I thought I would just share some thoughts on my blog.  I learned so much truth and have so much to think about from Ecclesiology, and I don't want to forget it!  So I thought the blog would be a good place to store my (somewhat random) thoughts :)

*the local church is always and only made up of living believers and is limited to location, while the universal church is made up of all believers, dead and alive, and is not limited by location.

*All churches have the same Head--Jesus Christ.  We all have the same goals--we should all be what CHRIST is about!  Of course, diversity can be fine, too.  But there should NOT be this competition between churches.  There should be unity.

*the local church is a way of life...not a meeting.  Meeting together in an organized manner is important, but being a part of the local church is much more of living life together functioning daily as the body.

*a MAJOR theme running throughout all the Scriptures:  the difficulty of life in this world and the need to persevere.  And we cannot do this by ourselves--we need the Body.

*the local church should be close, intimate, serving and sacrificing for each other.

And lastly, for anyone who wants to read this quote, I think it is amazing.  It is from a guy named Radmacher, and our Ecclesiology teacher had it in our notes.  I just love it.  It is on the Church as the Bride of Christ and the amazing-ness of this love that Christ has for the Church:

"This love is even more amazing in the light of the infinite distance of nature between the lover and the beloved.  Never was there love that fixed itself upon an object so much below the lover.  Nor has there ever been an instance of such love to those so far from being capable of benefiting the lover.  Among men the lover looks upon the beloved as one capable and fitted to complement or benefit the lover.  But Jesus Christ is above want.  Again, never was there any that set his love upon those in whom he saw so much filthiness and deformity.  Men may set their love upon those that are inwardly very hateful because they are ignorant of them.  They do not know what is in them.  But Christ knew perfectly all of man's filthiness (Heb. 4:13).  Again, never was there a lover that set his love upon those that were so far from loving him.  Every natural man has a mortal enmity against Christ.  And this enmity is infinitely unreasonable, for Christ has never done him any wrong.  Yet, knowing of this contempt beforehand, Christ was pleased to set His love upon them.  Finally, never was there any love so beneficial to the beloved.  By means of Christ's dying love, the beloved is rescued from eternal destruction to fully enjoy Him for all eternity.  All of this is just a mere glimpse at that knowledge-surpassing love of which the apostle speaks and which is pictured in the beautiful bride metaphor."