Christ’s Church
The Bible says: “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which
are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and
hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou
hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise
of God.” Revelation 2:1-7 (KJV)
When it was built for an international exposition in
the 19th century, the structure was called monstrous by the citizens of the city, who demanded it be torn down
as soon as the exposition was over. Yet, from the moment its architect first conceived it, he took pride in it and loyally
defended it from those who wished to destroy it. He knew it was destined for greatness. Today it is one of the architectural
wonders of the modern world and stands as the primary landmark of Paris, France. The architect, of course, was Alexandre Gustave
Eiffel. His famous tower was built in 1889.
In the same way we are struck by Jesus’
loyalty to another structure; the church; which He entrusted to an unlikely band of disciples, whom He defended, prayed for,
and prepared to spread the gospel. To outsiders they (and we) must seem like incapable blunderers. But Jesus, the architect
of the church, knows this structure is destined for greatness when He returns.
He
is coming back for His bride. Will she be found in spotless radiance or with she be tarnished? As Believers, we make up the
church. Are we ready for His return?
Daily Chronological
Bible Reading: Song of Solomon 1-8
