Church.
What pops into your head when you hear that word? While
growing up, the word church always meant Sundays
and Wednesdays to me. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I finally
understood church is about God’s people… about my brothers and sisters. The church is what we are. And not only
are we a family, but we are a family that pleases our
Lord.
The more I come to love Jesus, the more I love His church. I
love praising His name alongside so many others. I love thinking about the work
Jesus has done in each of our lives and the fact that He knows each of us so
personally. I love thinking about how broken we are as a church, and how good
God is to restore us and use us. I love our ability to give all praise back to
Him, and I love the overwhelming feeling of the glory I want God to receive
from us.
In my time overseas I have gained a huge appreciation for
the international church. God is reaching so many through their own cultures,
and it’s an honor to worship him amongst my brothers and sisters of other
nations. It’s a tiny sliver of what heaven is going to be. It’s beautiful.
In Revelation 7:9, we are told that heaven is international:
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…”
Last night I was able to go to Passion Manila and worship
the Lord with thousands of my Filipino brothers and sisters. It was incredible!
I felt overwhelmed by the privilege to experience God being worshipped by the
nation He has called me to for the past two years. It felt like a “parting
gift” from Him as my number of days here dwindles.
Keep praying for the
church. Pray for our eternal family that God is working through all over
the world! I can’t wait for the day Rev. 7:9 is reality.
