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Life of the Church

At the Lord's Supper, Christians eat and drink together. We call it communion because by it we are unified in Christ. This togetherness—this community—is central to the life of the Church. Its distinguishing feature is not multiplicity, but oneness: "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph. 4:4-6).

Like all good stories there is unity to the story of the Church. It looks much different now than it did in the first century, but it's still the same Church. Part of its life is this story: where did it come from, who keeps it together, where is it going? While there are all kinds of interesting particulars, there is really only one answer to these questions: Christ. He is the founder of the Church, He is its sustainer, and He is the goal toward which it is progressing. History will culminate in the absolute glorification of Christ before all creation, and the Church's primary task is to prepare the way for Him. The Church is healthiest when Christians are most dedicated to this task. This doesn't mean the death of denominations, it simply means they will be working humbly together. Just as the men of Israel worked together to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem (Neh. 3), so all Christians regardless of denomination must build the kingdom together.

To be successful the Church must be healthy internally. Its worship must reflect the standards and guidelines found in the Bible, and its observance of the sacraments cannot be taken lightly or neglected. The Church is to be the one consistently safe place for Christians in a mostly hostile world. This is not to imply the Church is a location or building but that it is a spiritual presence providing refuge for the people of God.

The apostle John made it plain how the Church is to hold itself together. The world will know us by our love, he said. "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11). The Church is at its best when it is filled with the selfless love of Christ and is sharing that love with the world.

It is the Church's responsibility to spread the kingdom Christ set up during His lifetime. This kingdom is spiritual and its citizenry is increased whenever someone is baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but it exists in a physical world and will lead to the transformation of all civilization and culture. While this goal often seems hopeless and beyond reach, God has promised that the Church will triumph:

"On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." — Matthew 16:18

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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Abandoned on the Wild Frontier
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Abandoned on the Wild Frontier
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Ambushed in Jaguar Swamp
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Ambushed in Jaguar Swamp
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
American Indian Prayer Guide
by Danette Maloof, Dean Cozzens
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-7th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.50 (3 in stock)
Assassins in the Cathedral
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Assassins in the Cathedral
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Attack in the Rye Grass
Trailblazer Series
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Attack in the Rye Grass
Trailblazer Series
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Bandit of Ashley Downs
TrailBlazer Book
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Bandit of Ashley Downs
TrailBlazer Book
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Betrayer's Fortune
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Betrayer's Fortune
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Blinded by the Shining Path
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Blinded by the Shining Path
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Bobby’s Friends
by Phia van den Berg
from Inheritance Publications
for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.95
Brigham Young, Pioneer and Prophet
Let Freedom Ring
by Cory Gideon Gunderson
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Built to Last
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$24.99
Catching their Talk in a Box
by Betty M. Hockett
from George Fox Press
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Caught in the Rebel Camp
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Caught in the Rebel Camp
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Children's Illustrated Jewish Bible
by Laaren Brown & Lenny Hort
Revised Edition from DK Children
for 1st-6th grade
in World Religions, Cults and Sects (Location: XAP-WRCS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Chimney Sweep's Ransom
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Chimney Sweep's Ransom
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Danger on the Flying Trapeze
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Danger on the Flying Trapeze
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Daring to Live on the Edge
by Loren Cunningham
from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Sacrificial Living (Location: XCL-SAC)
$9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Day of Delight
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIB-CHDP)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Defeat of the Ghost Riders
Trailblazer Books
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Defeat of the Ghost Riders
Trailblazer Books
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Dragon Tales
by Celia R. Brines
3rd edition from Pacific Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Drawn by a China Moon
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Drawn by a China Moon
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Drummer Boy's Battle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Drummer Boy's Battle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Escape
by Mona Dunckel
from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Escape from the Slave Traders
TrailBlazer Books
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Escape from the Slave Traders
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Exiled to the Red River
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Exiled to the Red River
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Experience Jesus Today
by Charles Singer
from Oregon Catholic Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIB-STU)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Eyes on Jungle Doctor
Jungle Doctor #10
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Faith Like Mine
from DK Publishing
for 2nd-6th grade
in World Religions, Cults and Sects (Location: XAP-WRCS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Fate of the Yellow Woodbee
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Fate of the Yellow Woodbee
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Flight of the Fugitives
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Flight of the Fugitives
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Forty-Acre Swindle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Forty-Acre Swindle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
God Speaks Numanggang
by David Hazell
2021 Printing from My Father's World
for 2nd-4th grade
in My Father's World (Location: CUR-MFW)
$6.00 (3 in stock)
God Speaks Numanggang (old cover)
by David Hazell
from My Father's World
for 2nd-4th grade
in My Father's World (Location: CUR-MFW)
$4.50 $2.50 (2 in stock)
Gold Miners' Rescue
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Gold Miners' Rescue
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Hidden Jewel
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Hidden Jewel
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Hostage on the Nighthawk
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Hostage on the Nighthawk
Trailblazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Imprisoned in the Golden City
TrailBlazer Books
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Imprisoned in the Golden City
TrailBlazer Books
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
It's a Jungle Out There!
Rani Adventures #1
by Ron Snell
from Hannibal Books
for 4th-8th Grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Jamie Soles CD - Memorials
by Jamie Soles
from Jamie Soles
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Jamie Soles CDs (Location: CD-JAMIE)
$16.00
Journey to the End of the Earth
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Journey to the End of the Earth
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor and the Whirlwind
Jungle Doctor #1
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Doctor Attacks Witchcraft
Jungle Doctor #16
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor Goes West
Jungle Doctor #17
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor in Slippery Places
Jungle Doctor #6
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Doctor Looks for Trouble
Jungle Doctor #13
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor Meets a Lion
Jungle Doctor #9
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor Meets Mongoose
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #6
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor on Safari
Jungle Doctor #8
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor on the Hop
Jungle Doctor #2
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Doctor Operates
Jungle Doctor #14
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor Pulls a Leg
Jungle Doctor #12
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor Sees Red
Jungle Doctor #18
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor Spots a Leopard
Jungle Doctor #3
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Doctor Stings a Scorpion
Jungle Doctor #11
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor to the Rescue
Jungle Doctor #15
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor's Africa
Jungle Doctor #7
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor's Casebook
Jungle Doctor #19
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
Jungle Doctor's Crooked Dealings
Jungle Doctor #4
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Doctor's Enemies
Jungle Doctor #5
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Doctor's Hippo Happenings
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #4
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Jungle Doctor's Rhino Rumblings
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #5
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Jungle Doctor (Location: SER-JD)
$8.99
Kidnapped by River Rats
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Kidnapped by River Rats
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Listen for the Whippoorwill
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Listen for the Whippoorwill
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Mask of the Wolf Boy
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Mask of the Wolf Boy
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Mayflower Secret
Trailblazer Books
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Mayflower Secret
Trailblazer Books
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Mosque
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99
Mosque
by David Macaulay
1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World
by Deb Brammer
from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Praying through the 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window
from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-Adult
in Prayer (Location: XCL-PRAY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Praying through the 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window
2nd edition from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-Adult
in Prayer (Location: XCL-PRAY)
$9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Queen's Smuggler
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Queen's Smuggler
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
Quest for the Lost Prince
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
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