From Okinawa to North Carolina to Illinois to Texas, back to Illinois and on to Missouri then to Nebraska and finally to Colorado. Oh wait, on to Georgia and now back to Colorado. My family and I have been a part of many congregations and have been the partakers of many blessings. The blessings of the church manifests itself in so many ways within each local assembly, but everywhere we go or have been, there are three consistencies to acknowledge.
The first is the blessing of fellowship in the church. The companionship with the saints provides so much edification or building up spiritually. Our family’s faith has been and continues to be refreshed and fortified through our bond and unity with the brethren. Relationships made are rich and will continue thru this lifetime and thru eternity. Furthermore, when Christians fellowship with the saints we also are in fellowship with God the Father and Jesus (1 John 1:3). What a joy!
The second blessing is the food in the church. Oh now, we all know about the churches of Christ and their ability to add girth to our bodies, but the delicious food I mention here is of the spiritual type. God’s word has always been served up abundantly on a regular basis. If you will, the teachings of the Lord’s church gives adequate nutrition to the body. The brotherhood never misses a meal and the dessert upon which we receive comes thru programs like: Men’s and Women’s Bible studies, devotional periods, lectureships, just to name a few. With dependable, seasonal preaching (2 Tim. 4:2), both milk and solid food are rich blessings in the church of Christ.
Finally, the blessing of being in the family of God, the greatest family on earth, is in the church. What’s important to point out is that it is not the act of any congregation to “add” someone to God’s family. When we are obedient to God’s word (Acts 2:38) and submit to His will, He does the adding to His own family (Acts 2:47). As a child, I would get so excited knowing I was going to Grandma’s house to see all of my relatives. Now, as a Christian, it excites me knowing I get to see my family members at steady doses throughout the week.
You’ll discover rich blessings being a child of God. The blessings of being in fellowship, partaking of spiritual food, and having the greatest family ever all flow forth from our Heavenly Father because He loves us so!
