CHURCH:
PROPER PLACE OF

Faithfulness to the local church is also a good thing. The true Christian will, by a kind of spiritual instinct, find a body of believers somewhere, identify himself with it and try by every proper means to promote its growth and prosperity. And that, we repeat, is good. But when the church becomes so large and important that it hides God from our eyes it is no longer for us a good thing. Or better say that it is a good thing wrongly used. For the church was never intended to substitute for God. Let us understand that every local church embraces el-beth-el and the right balance will be found and maintained: God first and His house second.…

We may judge our spiritual growth pretty accurately by observing the total emphasis of our heart. Where is the primary interest? Is it Beth-el or El-beth-el? Is it my church or my Lord? Is it my ministry or my God? My creed or my Christ? We are spiritual or carnal just as we are concerned with the house or with the God of the house.

Genesis 28:19; Genesis 35:7

Of God and Men, 134, 135.