Allow yourself to be counted among the flock of God. Include yourself in that group of people. He loves you. Never give up on trying to believe that, no matter how hard that is. (Ephesians 1:6)
Paul C. Maxwell
It is possible for sheep to wander away from the fold and the shepherd, and find in the jungle good pasturage, but they are all the time in danger of being torn to pieces by wild beasts, which will indeed be their fate in the end. But those who abide in the fold with the shepherd, though they may appear to be sick and feeble, are certainly free from anger and in the shepherd’s care. This is the difference between believers and unbelievers.
You have a God-given purpose. Paul said that God has saved and called us (2 Timothy 1:9). A lot of Christians live saved, but forget to live called. You have a function within the body of Christ and you have to play your part to make the body more effective.
Communion is strength; solitude is weakness. Alone, the fine old beech yields to the blast and lies prone on the meadow. In the forest, supporting each other, the trees laugh at the hurricane. The sheep of Jesus flock together. The social element is the genius of Christianity.
The church is never a place, but always a people; never a fold but always a flock; never a building but always a believing assembly. The church is you who pray, not where you pray.
The body of Christ, especially in well-functioning, small, intimate groups, is the most healing body in the world; yet we do not treat it as such. We wouldn’t think of relating to a medical doctor with the same reserve as we have in the healing body of Christ. Would we say to a doctor, “I have this unspoken illness?” Of course not! But we often use this term, unspoken request, in sharing our needs with the body. Would we try to deceive a doctor into thinking our hurt is nonexistent or in a different place than it actually is? Of course not! Would we say, “I am here for a friend – examine me and diagnose him?” Of course not! Yet we treat the church with such distrust and fear. We choose to hide.