This site uses cookies to provide you with more responsive and personalized service and to collect certain information about your use of the site. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. If you continue without changing your settings, you agree to our use of cookies. See our Privacy Policy for more information.
When Jane has guests for dinner, she often sets the table with her “good” china. She treasures the set because she received it as a wedding gift—but the dishes themselves are rather ordinary, having been purchased at a grocery store in 1979. What makes them special is what they represent, not what they are made of. The same could be said of the Lord’s Supper. This meal instituted by Christ is both common and special. It is composed of the common elements of bread and wine, but it is special for what it represents.
I have a deep love for the church, which is an integral part of my walk with God. I have been deeply connected with five different churches from childhood through today. In each congregation, I learned more about God through interacting with His saints, as fellow members used their spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ.
We all know that it is impossible to find a perfect church. Every congregation has flaws. But a day is coming when the church will be perfected. In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of “the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). We might reasonably wonder whether he is speaking of the church or a literal city. Here John is using a figure of speech known as metonymy, in which the thing being described is both real and also represents something else. The city is real, but it also refers to those who will inhabit it.
Your notes are such an encouragement to us, and we are thankful to hear about the ways God is using Today in the Word in your lives. Together we are stretching and growing, digging deep into His Word so we can follow Him better day by day. Thank you for taking the time to send us these encouraging messages. We also thank all of you who give financially to support this ministry! Your gifts are important for this ministry of the Word, which helps us to know and follow Christ.
