Love the real not the ideal

We tend to idealize many things in life, but loving an idea of the church is not loving the church. As this post notes, “But all of our naive idealism gets a cold wave of water in the face not just when we actually do it but when we read the New Testament and about the early church. Yes there is great growth, such as at Pentecost and in some of the towns where Peter and Paul and others preached. But I love the gritty reality of the way God doesn’t hide their struggles from us.”

Why the Body of Christ Is Essential

This post is a conversation with Jonathan Leeman, author of the new book Rediscover Church, on the need for the local church. It is not only good for the believer it is the option for the believer.

Prioritize Your Local Church: Don’t Just Be a Highly Online Christian

Here, Randy Alcorn highlights an article on the absolute need for the local church. After all, Alcorn notes, if the church is the bride of Christ, then it is a key component of God’s eternal plan.