As I travel week after week it is always fascinating to see the buildings and attractions that make each area unique. Large cities and rural communities all have something of interest to discover! Each place is a new adventure.

Yet I have come to the conviction that the greatest thing in any town is the greatest thing in every town. At least in every place where one exists. The greatest thing in any little village or bustling city is a local, New Testament church.

Ephesus was famed for the Temple of Artemis, but it was the church of Jesus Christ that made Ephesus special. Rome was the center of power in the New Testament era, but it was the church of God in Rome that held the true power. Jerusalem boasted the Temple Mount, but it was what the Holy Spirit did through the church of Jerusalem that truly impacted the world.

And so it is in your town.

The greatest institution is God’s institution. The greatest work is God’s work. There is nothing like the New Testament church!

It is not the size of the church or the architecture of the meeting place that makes it so special…

The local church is the body of Christ in every place (Col. 1:18). Christ lives in your community! He speaks and works through the body of which He is the Head. There is no more important resident than the Lord. There is no more needed work than His work. Every community needs the hope and help only Christ can bring.
The local church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). Christ’s church is called to do what no other institution in town can do – lift up the truth of God in love. Her mission is narrow and her mission field broad. The church is to take the gospel to all people.
I love the local church. Christ loved it so much that He gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25)! Surely we can give our lives to what He gave His life for.

Be faithful to your local church. Give. Speak encouraging words. Support your pastor. Find a way to serve. As a member of a New Testament church you are a part of the greatest thing going on in your town. Work to make it all that it can possible be.