One of the most essential and enduring aspects of church is that it provides us a place to fulfill the two great commandments Jesus identified to his followers—to love God and to love one another (see Matthew 22:35–40). As we do so, it opens to us the kingdom of heaven on earth—that is, the practical understanding and application of spiritual laws to bring healing and hope, and the redemption of humanity from all that divides and plagues us.

No one said this would be easy. Or convenient. Or something that we can just log on to now and again. 

Vital church is more than a passive place where we simply get inspiration and go about our lives. As many are rediscovering, the full blessing of church involves giving—and continuing to give even when it is resisted or rejected. Right in all the messiness and friction of face-to-face human interaction, the transforming power of the eternal Christ brings what is needed for healing and salvation.