Created to Love. Called to Serve. 

It was a normal Monday and a co-worker and I headed out to lunch. When we arrived, we were surprised to find an empty lobby. A cheerful, middle-aged woman greeted us from behind the cash register and took our order. As I went to pay, my card was declined. I mentioned it was my business card, and I had been having trouble with it.  

She asked where I worked. I said, “Christian Fellowship Church.”  

She said, “What do you do there?”  

I replied, “I’m one of the pastors.”  

She paused for a second. I could tell she was thinking about something, and then a quizzical look came over her face. “Do you all help people?” she asked.  

I looked around the lobby. It was prime lunch hour, yet no one else had come in. I knew God was up to something. “Absolutely we help people,” I said. “What’s going on?” 

This beautiful lady, we will call her Dana, began to share her story. She had been laid off from a job she had kept for over a decade. She had recently been hired at this new place but was struggling to pay a bill that was due before her first paycheck.  

We gave her our information and instructions and told her we would love to help. She raised her hands in thanksgiving and said, “God, I knew you’d take care of this.” 

While this was one simple encounter, it says a lot about the purpose of God’s church.  

What is the church and how can we know it is trustworthy?  

For starters, we need to be clear on the church. The church is not a building — it is the people. It is you and me. When we make the decision to follow Jesus, we become part of God’s family, the church. We become part of the universal church, which includes all believers over time and across the world. We can also join a local church, a gathering of believers in a specific setting.  

And God has given his church a specific purpose that we read about in Matthew 22:37-39. It says,  

And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  

The church was created to love.  

Second, he has given us a mission. We can read about it in Matthew 28:19-20.  

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  

The church was called to serve.  

Beyond this overall purpose and mission, individual churches are as different as the people who make them up. But the thing that defines them as a church is that they love God, love themselves, and love people. And they are dedicated to helping others experience that love.  

If you are wondering if a church is healthy, you can tell a lot by looking around and asking questions related to God’s desire for the church.  

How do the people demonstrate their love for God?  

How are they loving themselves?  

How are the people actively loving those around them?  

Do they treat people as Jesus treated them?

If the answers reflect God’s purpose and mission as described in Matthew, then you have encountered a church that is following in the footsteps of Jesus. This will be evidenced by the people’s joy, their growth, their servant’s heart, their excitement about their faith, and their desire to share it with others.  

Columbia has lots of healthy churches. When you find one, jump in! Love. Serve. Trust. Experience life in community with God and others. 

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Beth Bramstedt is the Church Life Pastor at Christian Fellowship.