The following is a message of First Baptist Richardson.

For more information, please visit FBCR.org.

You know, I wish we heard people say, I love my church more often.

Too often, what we hear instead are people talking about

and complaining about different problems within the church.

I don't know about you, but if someone talks bad about my bride, we're going to have an issue.

And the church is the bride of Christ, false in all.

And so when I think about how we look at our church, I think we need to remember what the

church is and what she's been created for. And when we understand the purpose of the church,

that I think we can grow to love the church as God has intended us to. In order to do that,

I think we need to understand what God has called

the church to be about. And so let's start by looking at the scripture in Ephesians chapter 4 this

morning. Ephesians chapter 4 beginning in verse 1. It says this, as a prisoner for the Lord,

Paul speaking, that I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Now, Paul is right there for a second.

Notice he's not speaking here at a pastor's conference.

He's not speaking to a group of ministers.

He is speaking to the church, everyone included.

And he's talking about their calling.

I think there is a tendency within us today to think of those being

called to ministry and being called are those who are the ministers within the church, the ones with the

degrees, the ones with something on the wall of the church building. And that's not at all what the

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