We live in times where speaking about “the Church” is looked down upon. People want to talk about Jesus, but not about the Church. Or, at times, people have a concept of the Church as just being another social gathering, much like a community club or ball team.

     The Church, however, is far more. I need to know and appreciate that, and I also need to instill that in my children. So, while this is not an exhaustive list, here are four things I want to teach my children about the Church.

     1. The Church is Not Mine; It Belongs to Christ. Here is where it all starts. This is a divine institution. It is not man-made, and it was certainly not made by me. Jesus built it (Matthew 16:18) and purchased it with His blood (Acts 20:28). That being true, He has the say in how the Church is organized and what is practiced. We do not get that say, and we only truly honor Him when we faithfully follow Him, the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18).

     2. The Church is a Beautiful Family of People. Though a divine institution, the Church is comprised of people, and those people are from all over the world and are made up of every walk of life. The Church is described as a body (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27) where each part plays a vital role in maintaining the health of the whole. Young and old, married, and single, people of every race and language; they all make up a beautiful family that must work together and work through problems together to the glory of God.

     3. The Church Should be the Center of Our Schedule. I want my children to see the priority of the Church right on our calendar. When there is an activity, priority is given to the Church, not the world. That does not mean we will be able to attend every single activity, but the priority is being with God’s people and working and worshiping with them.

     4. The Church Will be in Eternity Together. I want my children to learn to love being with God’s people here because it is God’s faithful people who will be together for all eternity! I want them to know that following Jesus really is the only way (John 14:6), so only those in the Church that belongs to Jesus will be in eternity.

     There are certainly many other things I want to teach my children about the Lord’s Church, but these four are invaluable to them gaining a lifelong love for this great body. I pray that, in teaching these things to my children, it also builds an even deeper love for the Church in my heart.

 – Adam Faughn