Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul.”
Restoration is the goal of redemption. What sin has broken, grace restores. The process begins when we humbly admit our need for God and others. While we may be apt to admit our need for God, sometimes we are reluctant to admit our need for others in the process. Fear of embarrassment or shame often create barriers to finding the help and support we need. Help is available.
That’s why God created us to live in a community of faith called the church, the family of God. Jesus sent out His disciples by two’s. He promised to be in our midst when two or three are gathered in His name. In Ephesians the Bible spells out the significance of doing life in community with other Christ followers, and the value of the local church when it says,
Ephesians 2:19-22 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
The church was designed to be a bridge of support. When we connect with one another in a local church we find encouragement, strength, hope and recovery. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it was to those standing beside him that Jesus said, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (John 11:44)
When Lazarus came back from the dead he was bound in the grave clothes of a dead man. He couldn’t take them off without some help. Imagine being alive but still bound by old grave clothes. Imagine how thankful he must have been to be free of them. When we come alive in Christ from being spiritually dead, there are grave clothes that need to be removed.
Those grave clothes may be old hurts, habits and hang-ups and God uses those around us in our community of faith to help us get rid of them. Then we are able to help others in the same way. It’s why I love the local church! It’s where you belong. We are all God’s restoration project.