Each other and the church

Barry Maxwell has written beautifully about the Christian's need for the local church. Here's a sample:

Without a local church you can neither know nor believe the love God has for you to the extent God intends. A deeply-entrenched commitment to the local church is necessary to see God’s love manifest in us. God hasn’t left us to imagine he loves us, but to tangibly experience and taste his perfecting love in the Spirit-filled ministry of brothers and sisters in the local church. Those distant from the new covenant community struggle to see, know, believe, glory in God’s love for them. They’re left to imagine what God’s love might be like rather than tasting what it really is. How would Jesus minister to you if he were physically here? He would do what his Spirit-filled brothers and sisters now do in his name.

Amen. There's more at Barry's blog.