The Dearest Place on Earth

"If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us." - Charles Spurgeon Below is a speech that was given by my friend, Alex, several weeks ago when we had the great privilege of making a public commitment to our local church, after going through a 10-week course on the mission, doctrine, and beliefs of our particular church. Our pastor usually likes to have one of the new members give a testimony of how they came to feel called to the church...but this year was a little different, since Alex and I had both been going to the church for several years, being members with our families. I asked him to type up and send me basically what he shared at church, because I thought it really communicated the heart and passion we should all have for our church families. * * * Will Meiklejohn once asked me, “So…Alex - what is it that you are most passionate about?” “Well, that’s a weird question.” I replied. I then proceeded to fumble through some lame answer only to realize later that I had never really answered it. However, I think I have the answer this morning. Perhaps one of the most significant events in the history of my family was standing up here together four years ago. It is now one of my greatest joys to stand here today and personally commit to this local church body. This church is my home. It means more to me then just a place where I go on Sundays. When I think of this church I think of the first believers in Acts; that sweetness of fellowship and sense of family is alive and well in this church. This is a group of people seeking to be as biblical as possible - and the implications of that are amazing! We are accountable to one another, we have solid doctrine that magnifies the Glory of God, and we are marked by a pursuit of spiritual gifts. This church has also taught me how to better fulfill Gods call on my life as a single man and this has in turn taught me how to better respect and honor the young women in my life. If it were not for this church I never would have learned such a valuable lesson. However, the most important thing that this church has taught me goes much deeper than this; it cuts to the very core of my existence. You see, the difference between now and the day when I stood weeping in my Dad’s arms in the middle of a hockey arena (at a Promise Keepers conference), is that now I understand more fully what happened on that day. That day I was regenerated. At that moment a holy God looked upon me and no longer did he see my sin, but he saw Christ’s perfect life. I stood justified by the blood of Christ. Now day-by-day, from glory to glory, I am becoming more like him. I am on my way with this church to a place where our feet should have never touched. You see, the local Church is not only a conduit for the gospel to go forth in this community, but it is also a place where the gospel can be practically lived out in our lives. I could not commit to a church that did not celebrate this, worship God for this, and preach this every Sunday. For this reason I will invest my life and any pathetic gifting God may have given me into Sovereign Grace Church. I am a sinner marking myself among other sinners, joining my hands with them in the building of a local church for the glory of the God who sovereignly brought it into existence.