What Church Is
This is a post from a couple of years ago, I felt nudged by the Holy Spirit to revise and repost, I hope it blesses you. - Jay
What Church Is
My church meets in a building… yep; a beautiful chapel built
in 1856, but still a building with walls and everything. I know that may not be
cutting edge thinking (meeting inside a structure and calling it church) but it
seems to me that a lot of life (at least here in America) happens inside
buildings. Oh, I do realize that just because we are meeting inside a historically old chapel
(however beautiful) doesn’t define us as a church. Also, does 158 years of
people gathering together, in a building,
guarantee our present day “churchness? Many of you are shaking your head no…
and I would agree… it’s not about the building or the history.
It’s about Jesus
I serve (happily) as one of the under shepherds (under the
Chief Shepherd, Jesus), with the title of pastor, which doesn’t define me
completely either. In reality, I am a joint follower of Jesus Christ with about
50 other totally needy (and beautiful) folks. We’re a mixture of introverts and
extraverts, creative and linear thinkers, men, women, children, all shapes and
sizes…all extremely needy individuals.
We all still need
Jesus
To me that’s church, not the place, not the format, not how
we do church…just people, needing
Jesus together. This modern day ekklesia
(assembly) is an organic expression of life with Jesus. To me, church is a
group of ordinary folks trying to express what God is doing in our lives and
expressing our gratefulness (corporately and individually) for that work.
We need Jesus for that
We have some in our small community needing the simplicity
of sitting (even in a pew) and listening, quietly taking in truth and just as
quietly, expressing what it means to them. There are others craving the dynamic
give and take of interactive dialogue, with questions and thoughts expressing
how His truth challenges them. Navigating these needs (and others in between)
and allowing room for growth can be only accomplish by pursuing Him together…that’s
where I see church happen.
We need Jesus for that
My hand is really comfortable holding a pen but my foot
(although capable) is not. And walking on my hands is extremely more difficult
than the normal way of walking using foot power. Yet, when a hand uses things
like a foot uses and a foot uses a thing like a hand uses, things can (besides
sounding like a Dr. Seuss book) get interesting. We have tried new ways to make
community and church more inviting and life changing…sometimes it’s a beautiful
expression and sometimes not so much. But it’s not about trying to reinvent
church…the Church doesn’t need reinventing…just our view of it sometimes.
Man, do we ever need
Jesus for that!
A family, an army, a bride…just a few ways Christ describes
His Church, each a powerful reminder of how diverse His expressions through a
body of believers can be. How do we then teach and reach each other through that
diversity? Can we “conspire” (breathe together) with one another and be the
Church? Is the church present in the 4 walls as well as outside them?
Yes, we need Jesus for
all of that!
“He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” Colossians 1:18
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