The 268 Declaration

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21


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For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.Ephesians 2:18-22
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As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;one Lord, one faith, one baptism;one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,he took many captivesand gave gifts to his people.”

(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built upuntil we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for herto make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
Ephesians 5:25-27
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Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:23-25


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Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.


They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.All the believers were together and had everything in common.They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:41-47

The church has never been a building; it has always been a people. Saints and sinners, foreigners and strangers, grafted into the fellowship of the citizenry. We are God's people. The church has been built on truth, the revelation of a mystery, handed down to us by the apostles with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. In and through Jesus, we make up the dwelling place of God here on Earth by His Spirit living within us. The Church has never been a building; it has always been a people. And yet… In today's world, there is a push to forego this gift from God, to leave behind the Apostles and prophets, the evangelists, pastors, and teachers that Paul lists as gifts to the body given by Christ so that the Church could be built up for the works of service He set before us. Jesus so loves the church that she is often referred to as His Bride, the one he gave himself up for in order to make her Holy, cleansing her by the washing of water through the Word. The Scriptures are full of the early Church's love for her, of their drawing together under her banner instead of drifting apart over momentary differences. Followers of Jesus sold off property and possessions in order to take care of the least among them. They met daily, breaking bread together with glad and sincere hearts, all the while praising God for His gift of the Church as thousands of new believers flocked to join the great assembly. The Church is a gift from God, established to bring Him Glory, and it is made up of us. We, the men and women who carry the Spirit of God within us, will never be perfect, we will stumble, and we will fall; but we will always get back up, trusting that the God who called us is faithful to see us through. We will need to extend and receive grace time and time again, and through it all, the Church will endure, bringing Glory to God as we live out our lives in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

God, give me a greater love for your Church, the Body of Christ.