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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's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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52 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 10th grade (Ages 15-16), Trade Paperback
"But Don't All Religions Lead to God?"
by Michael Green
from Baker Books
for 7th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$11.05 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Against All Odds
by Jim Stier
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.74
Bhagavad Gita
by Anonymous
Modern Reprint from Oxford University
for 10th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church
by Michael Lawrence
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in General Theology (Location: XTH-GEN)
$6.80 (1 in stock)
Blood of the Moon
by George Grant
from Wolgemuth and Hyatt
for 9th-Adult
in Islam & Sharia Law (Location: XAP-ISL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Body of Divinity
by Thomas Watson
from Banner of Truth Trust
Theology for 9th-12th grade
in Puritan Writings (Location: XCH-PUR)
$13.60
Body of Divinity
by Thomas Watson
from Banner of Truth Trust
Theology for 9th-12th grade
in Puritan Writings (Location: XCH-PUR)
Carved in Ebony
by Jasmine L. Holmes
from Bethany House
for 10th-Adult
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$15.29
Cell 58
International Adventures
by Dan Baumann
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.50
Christianity, Cults & Religions
from Rose Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in World Religions, Cults and Sects (Location: XAP-WRCS)
$12.74
Classic Baptism
by James W. Dale
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Baptism (Location: XWO-SAC1)
Compact Guide to World Religions
by Dean C. Halverson
from Bethany House
for 9th-Adult
in World Religions, Cults and Sects (Location: XAP-WRCS)
$16.00
Cry from the Streets
International Adventures
by Jeannette Lukasse
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
Dayuma
by Ethel Emily Wallis
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.74 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Dispatches From the Front
by Tim Keesee
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Elders of the Church
by Lawrence R. Eyres
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
by J. I. Packer
from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
by J. I. Packer
from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$16.14
Face to Face
by Steve Wilkins
2nd edition from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Hospitality (Location: SS-HOS)
$11.90
Five Pioneer Missionaries
by Various
from Banner of Truth Trust
Biography for 9th-Adult
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
$13.00 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Handbook of Christian Apologetics
by Peter Kreeft & Ronald Tacelli
from InterVarsity Press
for 9th-Adult
in Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-GEN)
$18.70
Hipster Christianity
by Brett McCracken
from Baker Books
for 9th-Adult
in Ecclesiology (Location: XTH-ECC)
$13.59 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Hospitality Commands
by Alexander Strauch
from Lewis and Roth Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Hospitality (Location: SS-HOS)
$4.75 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Let The Nations Be Glad!
by John Piper
2nd edition from Baker Books
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$10.00
Let The Nations Be Glad!
by John Piper
3rd edition from Baker Books
for 10th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$14.44
Living on the Devil's Doorstep
International Adventures
by Floyd McClung
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.74 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Lords of the Earth
by Don Richardson
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
Man With the Bird on His Head
by Abbe Anderson, John Rush
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
Narrow Road
by Brother Andrew, Elizabeth Sherrill, Jars of Clay, John Sherrill
from Revell Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Narrow Road
by Brother Andrew, Elizabeth Sherrill, Jars of Clay, John Sherrill
from YWAM Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.74 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Operation World
by Jason Mandryk, Patrick & Robin Johnstone
7th edition from IVP Academic Press
for 9th-Adult
in Spiritual Disciplines (Location: XCL-SPDI)
$16.80 (1 in stock)
Peace Child
by Don Richardson
from Regal Books
Biography for 10th-Adult
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
Peace Child
by Don Richardson
4th edition from Regal Books
Biography for 10th-Adult
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
$13.59
Persuasions
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Christian Apologetics (Location: XAP-GEN)
$10.20
Praying through the 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window
2nd edition from YWAM Publishing
for 4th-Adult
in Spiritual Disciplines (Location: XCL-SPDI)
$8.49 $3.60 (2 in stock)
Rule of St Benedict
by St. Benedict & Timothy Fry, editor
from Penguin Classics
Devotional Material for 9th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$14.45
Secret Believers
by Brother Andrew
from Revell Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.00
Stronger Than the Strong
by Louise Morris
from OMF
for 10th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Student's Guide to Religious Studies
by D.G. Hart
1st edition from Intercollegiate Studies Institute
for 9th-12th grade
$12.99
Supper of the Lamb
by Robert Farrar Capon
from Modern Library
for 10th-Adult
in Culture of Food (Location: COOK-CUL)
$17.00
Tactics
by Gregory Koukl
10th Anniversary Edition from Zondervan
for 9th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$19.54
Taking Men Alive
by Jim Wilson
from Canon Press
for 10th-Adult
in Evangelism & Missions (Location: XAP-EVA)
$10.20
Taking the High Places
International Adventures
by Jemimah Wright, Terry Snow
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$14.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
The Koran
by Anonymous
Revised from Penguin Classics
for 10th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$13.60 $6.80 (1 in stock)
Thousand Year War in the Mideast
by Richard Maybury
1st edition from Bluestocking Press
for 10th-Adult
in Uncle Eric books (Location: ECON-ERIC)
$15.26
Tommorow You Die
International Adventures
by Reona Peterson Joly
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Totally Surrounded
by Christina Davis
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.74
Walking Miracle
by Art Sanborn
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.74
What Is Worship Music?
Basics of the Faith
by Paul S. Jones
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Basics of the Faith (Location: XNC-BAS)
$4.24
Why Baptize Babies?
Answers in an Hour
by Mark Horne
from Athanasius Press
for 10th-Adult
in Baptism (Location: XWO-SAC1)
$4.25
World Religions
by John Bowker
from DK Publishing
for 5th-12th grade
in World Religions, Cults and Sects (Location: XAP-WRCS)
$16.99
World's Religions
by Huston Smith
50th Anniversary Edition from HarperOne
for 10th-Adult
in World Religions, Cults and Sects (Location: XAP-WRCS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
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