Scripture tells us that the church is "God's building," God's "temple," the "body" of Christ, "the household of God." We are "living stones . . . being built as a spiritual house" (1 Corinthians 3:9b; Ephesians 2:21-22; 1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 2:5). All those metaphors certainly apply to the worldwide church. But their most immediate and practical application is to the local church-the Christians I'm joined with day by day, week by week, year by year. And gathering together with them should be one of the highlights, if not the highlight, of my week.
