Do I Love the Church?

This question is something that the Lord has put on my heart the past couple of months and I can't help but keep asking it to myself. Do I love the church-the Bride of Christ? In particular, do I love the local church?

The easy answer here would be "yes!" I mean, come on, my husband is a pastor. I'm there every Sunday unless my kids are sick. Most of my friends are from the church and most of our time is spent in activities related to the church. Those things are my circumstances (and they are beautiful ones!) but what is in my heart? Do I really love the local church?

About five years ago I heard a song by Derek Webb that the Lord used to arrest my heart. These words in particular pierced me at the time and still do, "You cannot care for Me with no regard for Her, if you love Me you will love the church." In other words, Jesus Christ died to save sinners, His Bride. Jesus purchased the Church with His very own blood. It's pretty clear that He loves the church. Do I?

Five years ago when I first heard that song, it was crystal clear to me that I did not love what Christ loved. The local church was far from something I loved. In fact, I somewhat dreaded it unless they happened to be singing some songs that I liked on that particular day. At the time, I did love Jesus Christ and was seeking to live my life for Him. I just didn't see how church fit into that. I was living with my parents in Iowa and going to church seemed like a big pain. I had to get up early on the weekend. I had to sit through what seemed to me to be a boring couple of hours. I thought many of the people around me seemed like hypocrites who really didn't live what they believed. Often, I sat through a service just waiting to rip apart in my mind everything with it that I thought was wrong it. Let me be the first to say that I could not possibly have been described as someone who loved the church.

But God doesn't just leave us in our sin. So as I heard that song by Derek Webb, He began to work in my heart. The Holy Spirit convicted me and I repented from my pride and from not loving that which Christ died to save. God began to develop in me a love for the church.

More on this later...