How Do You See the Church?

I recently bought a Kindle reading device. One of the first books I download was John Bunyan's (you remember him, he wrote Pilgrim's Progress) autobiographical work, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.

(By the way, if you have a Kindle, or if you have the Kindle app for your phone you can download this for free from the Kindle store.)

About a quarter of the way in, Bunyan is recounting how God softened his heart toward Christ and made him long to be a Christian, but for sin's sake, he still felt cut off from the grace of Christ and the fold of God's people.

Check out the following quote from Grace Abounding, and listen to how Bunyan thought about the church (and what he compared it with). I wonder how you think of the church?

About this time, the state and happiness of these poor people at Bedford [his local church] was thus, in a kind of a vision, presented to me, I saw as if they were on the sunny side of some high mountain, there refreshing themselves with the pleasant beams of the sun, while I was shivering and shrinking in the cold, afflicted with frost, snow and dark clouds: methought also, betwixt me and them, I saw a wall that did compass about this mountain, now through this wall my soul did greatly desire to pass; concluding, that if I could, I would even go into the very midst of them, and there also comfort myself with the heat of their sun.

About this wall I bethought myself, to go again and again, still prying as I went, to see if I could find some way or passage, by which I might enter therein: but none could I find for some time: at the last, I saw, as it were, a narrow gap, like a little door-way in the wall, through which I attempted to pass: Now the passage being very strait and narrow, I made many offers to get in, but all in vain, even until I was well-nigh quite beat out, by striving to get in; at last, with great striving, methought I at first did get in my head, and after that, by a sideling striving, my shoulders, and my whole body; then I was exceeding glad, went and sat down in the midst of them, and so was comforted with the light and heat of their sun.

Now this mountain, and wall, etc., was thus made out to me: The mountain signified the church of the living God: the sun that shone thereon, the comfortable shining of His merciful face on them that were therein; the wall I thought was the word, that did make separation between the Christians and the world; and the gap which was in the wall, I thought, was Jesus Christ, Who is the way to God the Father.  John xiv. 6; Matt. vii. 14.  But forasmuch as the passage was wonderful narrow, even so narrow that I could not, but with great difficulty, enter in thereat, it showed me, that none could enter into life, but those that were in downright earnest, and unless also they left that wicked world behind them; for here was only room for body and soul, but not for body and soul and sin.

This resemblance abode upon my spirit many days; all which time I saw myself in a forlorn and sad condition, but yet was provoked to a vehement hunger and desire to be one of that number that did sit in the sunshine: Now also I should pray wherever I was: whether at home or abroad; in house or field; and would also often, with lifting up of heart, sing that of the fifty-first Psalm, O Lord, consider my distress; for as yet I knew not where I was.

What a challenge to the church of Christ today! I wonder if those on the outskirts of God's grace are looking envyingly at the bride of Jesus and longing to soak up the same rays of Christ's joy?