The church gathers together for the purpose of edification. This is done to the glory of God.
What tangible result should come from this edification? The answer is infiltration. As we grow closer to Christ through mutual upbuilding, we are more prepared to infiltrate the world as incarnational Christians. What does this look like? Simply put, we look like Jesus (despite our faults) to the lost.
Specifically, edification ought to bring about a deeper desire for holy living, a deeper desire for serving the needy, and a deeper desire to proclaim the gospel of Christ.
We are Christian infiltrators into Satan's realm. We must be prepared for battle. The gathering is the preparation place.
3 comments:
Eric,
How exciting it would be to be part of a group who held to those thoughts, which you have published.
I don't want to be a wet blanket, but I'm not too sure about the word "infiltrate" which infers secrecy. Among other things my dictionary says it means,"Enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members", or,"Pass through an enemy line; in a military conflict".
Quite the opposite of, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden".
How about "permeate" such as salt which enhances?
John,
You may be right. I was trying to emphasize the idea of moving into something in order to bring about a radical change. If life is a battle, then there is a sense of passing through an enemy line. The analogy breaks down, of course, because we go forth not killing but being willing to be killed.
John this spoke to me because the word that God gave me was "infiltrate". We are in a war and he is going to send us into the camp of the enemy to take back what was has been unjustly gained. If we are going to change a world, we must be ready to enter when God sends us. How ever he chooses. Esther had to go in to an unholy situation and her identity was hidden, so that a nation could be saved. Can we be chosen for such a time as this?
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