18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
The Church is the body of Christ, and each of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior are members of that body. We are united with one another in the Spirit of God by the blood of Jesus. And, God desires to express Himself through His people. As we meet together, study, fellowship and serve, we individually are strengthened and the body is stronger. The local church is not defined by its location, in terms of a building, but by Who is the head - Jesus - and how we follow His leadership. The church is the people, devoted to God, seeking to lift Him up.
In Matthew 16, Jesus is meeting with His disciples. We pick up the story with an important question:
15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Egypt is a country where the predominant religion is Islam. Over 160 years ago, the Ottoman Caliphate, which ruled the nation, issued an order that anyone wanting to build a Christian church would have to get approved by the country's ruler; before that, building a Christian church, which is not permitted under Sharia law, was very rare, according to a story on the Christianity Today website.
Almost 80 years later, some regulations were introduced that would make church building more difficult. Examples included: Christians were required to gain the approval of local Muslims, the proposed church had to be at least 340 feet from the nearest mosque, and could not be built near schools, village canals, railways, government offices and facilities, or between residential areas.
Until last week that law stood.
But, last week, Egypt's parliament passed a law making it easier to build a Christian church. Christianity Today reported that it's a 13-article law and it decentralizes the approval process. Now provincial governors, rather than the president, can approve church building or restoration permits. It also requires a decision from them within four months of an application.
There is apparently a provision allowing unregistered churches to operate freely until a government committee can determine whether they are structurally sound and, if so, retroactively grant them a license to operate. The ability to put crosses on church domes was also approved.
Several Coptic Christian members of Parliament said it was “a step in the right direction,” according to Ahram Online. And, Coptic, Orthodox, and Catholic leaders believed the bill contained the necessary components to gain their approval.
In Egypt, Christians make up about 10 to 15 percent of the population of more than 90 million. Most belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. Over the past 60 years, an average of two churches a year have been approved, according to Coptic Solidarity. Egypt has less than 2,600 churches total, which works out to about 1 for every 5,500 Egyptian Christians. (By comparison, there is about 1 mosque for every 620 Muslims in Egypt.) World Watch Monitor reports, according to CT, that "Christians end up meeting in overcrowded churches, in house basements, or in the premises of NGOs." But, the CT article points out that they're vulnerable and an easy target for Muslim extremists.
The passage of this law is definitely a step forward for religious freedom, a demonstration that, even though Islam is favored, allowances for Christianity have been made. That is a stark contrast to other nations where Christians are not free to practice their faith. Sometimes incremental progress can be celebrated, and we may lose little victories in trying to achieve the unachievable.
This victory also provides an example of church leaders working with government to address religious freedom issues. I think it's important, even in instances here in America where our freedoms to practice our faith are threatened, for Christian leaders to unite to speak up. A great example is the stance of Christians and other leaders who spoke out against a proposed bill in California which would have forced Christian colleges and universities to abandon deeply held beliefs on issues such as the definition of marriage; the bill as passed did not contain such a mandate.
What I really to concentrate on is the question, "What makes a church?" The Bible teaches that the church is not a building, although we can all admit that a building can be very useful. But, the Church is a greater entity than a location - it's the people, not the place. No matter where it meets, the Church as a whole is the body of Christ and our individual churches comprise that overall body. The Church is composed of fellow believers meeting together - to learn, to grow, to encourage one another, and to serve, so that Jesus is glorified.
+++++
In Matthew 16, Jesus is meeting with His disciples. We pick up the story with an important question:
15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Egypt is a country where the predominant religion is Islam. Over 160 years ago, the Ottoman Caliphate, which ruled the nation, issued an order that anyone wanting to build a Christian church would have to get approved by the country's ruler; before that, building a Christian church, which is not permitted under Sharia law, was very rare, according to a story on the Christianity Today website.
Almost 80 years later, some regulations were introduced that would make church building more difficult. Examples included: Christians were required to gain the approval of local Muslims, the proposed church had to be at least 340 feet from the nearest mosque, and could not be built near schools, village canals, railways, government offices and facilities, or between residential areas.
Until last week that law stood.
But, last week, Egypt's parliament passed a law making it easier to build a Christian church. Christianity Today reported that it's a 13-article law and it decentralizes the approval process. Now provincial governors, rather than the president, can approve church building or restoration permits. It also requires a decision from them within four months of an application.
There is apparently a provision allowing unregistered churches to operate freely until a government committee can determine whether they are structurally sound and, if so, retroactively grant them a license to operate. The ability to put crosses on church domes was also approved.
Several Coptic Christian members of Parliament said it was “a step in the right direction,” according to Ahram Online. And, Coptic, Orthodox, and Catholic leaders believed the bill contained the necessary components to gain their approval.
In Egypt, Christians make up about 10 to 15 percent of the population of more than 90 million. Most belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church. Over the past 60 years, an average of two churches a year have been approved, according to Coptic Solidarity. Egypt has less than 2,600 churches total, which works out to about 1 for every 5,500 Egyptian Christians. (By comparison, there is about 1 mosque for every 620 Muslims in Egypt.) World Watch Monitor reports, according to CT, that "Christians end up meeting in overcrowded churches, in house basements, or in the premises of NGOs." But, the CT article points out that they're vulnerable and an easy target for Muslim extremists.
The passage of this law is definitely a step forward for religious freedom, a demonstration that, even though Islam is favored, allowances for Christianity have been made. That is a stark contrast to other nations where Christians are not free to practice their faith. Sometimes incremental progress can be celebrated, and we may lose little victories in trying to achieve the unachievable.
This victory also provides an example of church leaders working with government to address religious freedom issues. I think it's important, even in instances here in America where our freedoms to practice our faith are threatened, for Christian leaders to unite to speak up. A great example is the stance of Christians and other leaders who spoke out against a proposed bill in California which would have forced Christian colleges and universities to abandon deeply held beliefs on issues such as the definition of marriage; the bill as passed did not contain such a mandate.
What I really to concentrate on is the question, "What makes a church?" The Bible teaches that the church is not a building, although we can all admit that a building can be very useful. But, the Church is a greater entity than a location - it's the people, not the place. No matter where it meets, the Church as a whole is the body of Christ and our individual churches comprise that overall body. The Church is composed of fellow believers meeting together - to learn, to grow, to encourage one another, and to serve, so that Jesus is glorified.
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