Everyone knows the church has spots and blemishes.

God knows it best of all. The very fact the Bible talks about Christ presenting his bride without spot or blemish indicates that the church as we know it now has plenty of imperfections.

It’s really not hard to understand the church has spots and blemishes. We know it because of our own lives and temptations. But we also know it just by standing around listening or being in the hallway of any church anywhere.

With that being said, let me brag on the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me talk about the church and its beauty.

Right now there are thousands of missionaries around the world who are taking the gospel to people who have never heard and who desperately want to hear. Most of those people live in “undesirable” places, not the places you go to visit or places where you feel safe and secure. They are there out of obedience to Christ.

Behind those people are ordinary church members, the kind that you see every Sunday morning, who in their own way are making it possible for those missionaries to go and serve.

I saw the beauty of the church firsthand this week. We went to a treatment facility to pick up Martha’s sister to get her to Covington with us. For three weeks we have met those people, called them on the phone, and gotten to know them well. Almost all are followers of Christ who worship and serve in a local church.

We saw them in a number of stressful situations. They lived out their faith and gave witness to Christ in their lives. They loved and cared for my sister-in-law.

As we departed for Louisiana, we had a wonderful send off as they showed their love for Jean. The way they cared for Jean and others was a beautiful thing.

As we were leaving I said to Martha, “What a wonderful thing to be cared for by Christians.”

I love the church.

Even with its spots and blemishes, the church is the beautiful bride of Christ.

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