The Place to Be #1

Ephesians 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

How can we make sure we are doing our part to make the Church the place people want to be, and where those outside of Christ can be drawn in and find Him?  Paul begins right away giving us some indicators by reminding us of some of the characteristics of God's people that should be evident.  We are saints - set apart to serve and support one another in our pursuit of holiness.  Much of what keeps people outside of the church and helps make them what to leave is our failure to keep this calling.  That does not excuse those who claim to be Christ-followers and "bail ship" because of some personal confrontation with someone else in the Body, but it does help explain why we don't live up to "being the place to be."  The other piece of the puzzle here is our being "faithful" - trusting God enough to help us deal with all the uncertainties of life that come to the believer, as well as the certainty that others will let us down. The failure of other human believers is no excuse for us being unfaithful to Christ and His Body. There really is no other plan God has given for growth in Christ than doing so as part of His Body.  Being faithful means trusting His plan for our salvation and sanctification: Christ and His Church.