As some of you will know our family resided at Cowichan Lake for 43 years and for the most part attended Honeymoon Bay Baptist/Cowichan Lake Baptist. We spent time at Brae road in the 80-s and again since 2013. Sadly the Baptist church at Cowichan Lake has closed down. I recently received a communication and photo from the new owner of the building who has turned it into a home for his family. The picture showed the front of the sanctuary which previously was a raised platform and included the baptistry and pulpit. The new owner had to demolish that and seemed to be discomforted by the fact he was demolishing the baptistry. It occurred to me that his concern was misplaced as this was part of what is just a building.
The CHURCH as we know it is the people who did worship there and in our case our family of believers who worship at Brae Road Chapel. In other words the church is the called-out ones who have believed in Jesus Christ, those who have been joined to Him and sanctified unto Him through faith. The church is not a building or an organization or a denomination. According to scripture the church is the body of Christ and the believers.
Ephesians 1: 22-23
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head of all things to the church.
Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.
We’ve heard it said many times the Church is a collection of believers each with many and varied talents, gifts and skills. Brought together to share the salvation message, spend time together in worship and study of scriptures and prayer. The study of scriptures should also occur in private homes but again the Bible tells us that worshiping together is valuable and necessary.
Hebrews 10:25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.
We do live in perilous times. Our world is coming apart at the seams. We see the Devil having so much power and influence right up to the level of our Governments. Our time should be spent worshiping our God, learning from His word and carrying out the instructions and directions from our Lord and Saviour. We need each other and we need to be in community with each other. God has laid out in scripture precisely why we should gather and how we should gather and given us clear and simple instructions of how to worship.
God created the church so that we could be in relationship with Him and therefore in relationship with one another. Our church (the people) should be a lighthouse and beacon of hope in a very dark world. Jesus’ instructions when he departed for Heaven, was to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel Baptizing the new believers in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost”.
Lastly when we come together we are both encouraged and challenged by the Word of God. The church should be a vital part of our spiritual journey and maturing process that never ends. When we come together as a church community, we are able to do all things. Worship God together, encourage one another, and build each other up in our faith.
To close, may I remind each of you we are a group of individuals who have been brought together through one thing – our salvation through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. All our individual differences, idiosyncrasies should be manifest in one belief. God So Loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. One God, one message, one body of believers. Praise Him we have that situation. Let’s share our blessings with others. Invite them to our chapel. Win the Lost. Nothing More, Nothing less. Praying, Praising and worshipping God each week and throughout the week maintains our strength and builds us up in the spirit. Thank God for His blessings.
Services
When: Sunday Aug 27, 2023 09:00 am Breaking of Bread 10:15 am Fellowship Time 11:00 am Family Bible Hour
