What Is The Church?

Dear friend,

If you regularly attend a church building service or ritual,
please don't feel any condemnation coming from this post.
Please, don't feel defensive.
I love you and I bless you and I want only to encourage you in your walk with our Lord.
You might be perfectly happy in your church attendance and you might not be sensing that anything is missing in it for you.
If so, rest in His love and know that this post is *not* for you.
But if you are sensing that the Lord is calling you to do something different,
then this post might be for you and I pray that you read it only if you feel led of His Spirit to do so.

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What Is The Church?



In these days, many precious people are going home from their traditional church services feeling like something is missing... What is it? Some stay home and feel more edified for doing so but then they fight the guilt of tradition because they feel the "right" thing to do is to "go to church". What's going on here? What is God doing? I believe it's our spirit crying out for something more! And I believe what we really want is more of Him!

Today, the Spirit of God is speaking to many about leaving religion and traditions behind and entering into a relationship with God alone. He's also speaking to many about true fellowship and relationships with one another. The light of His presence is shinning into the hearts and minds of His people in a new way! I think it's exciting! This shinning is leading many to ask, "What is church all about anyway?"


First off, the Lord is showing me what the church *is not*.

Is The Church A Building?

Multitudes of people the whole world over equate the word "church" with a building. It could be a grand cathedral or a white building with a steeple on top but either the architecture of the building or the sign up front will lead people to think, "There's a church". Christian people will say such things and atheists will say them, too. Even in Sunday school literature, you might see a picture of one of these buildings and children are told, "This is a church."

But is the church a building? No, the church of the living God is made up of His precious people! God's presence once dwelt in Solomon's Temple but now He dwells in us! Most of us know this truth but the reality, mystery and clarity of this fact is still unfolding for us. It's awesome! What the church *is* and the glorious purpose *of* the church has been innocently clouded by many misunderstandings. But that's okay. Misunderstandings happen daily and they don't hinder our God. His light, and His glory can penetrate the densest fog!


Did you know that history shows us that the "building as the church" concept did not take hold in the minds of the people until buildings began to be erected for the sole purpose of the church to meet in? Repeatedly in the book of Acts we see the church spending time together in each other's homes and throughout the written history of the early church we read such things as, "The church in your house and the church in his house." I believe the apostles knew that God's heart was to have His people continue to gather in homes or in the open air. Not as a law but as a natural out- flow of God's Spirit. Since we are to be His temple, what need would there be for a special building to be set aside?

Some well meaning people have thought that "house church" is the answer to our cry but Jesus already gave us the answer. When the Samaritan woman asked Jesus *where* the proper place to worship was located, He told her that a day would come when it wouldn't be a physical *place* but a worshipping in spirit and truth. I think that is very significant! My friends, that day has come! Thank you, Lord!

Is The Church Something We Do Or Go To?

Don't you love to read about how Jesus traveled, preached and healed everywhere: On mountains, in the plains, in homes, and in the temple. Do you think it was ever boring? Do you think people ever fell asleep? :> Our Jesus went to the people and He's still going to the people- in and through you and me. Although the people were known to go *to* Jesus at times, He didn't raise up a building for people to come and hear Him and He didn't "hold services" either. He seemed to live in one place for a while and then move on. Of course the key is that Jesus did what the Father told Him to do and obviously, the Father told Him to move around. What is the Father telling us to do? What if each and every one of us reached out to all the people that our Father told *us* to reach out to? The poor, the sick, the lonely, the adulterous woman? What would happen?


Do I think any good comes from having church buildings or services? Sure! Wherever God is, good will follow! Do I think church buildings and services are *bad*? Dear friends, this is not a bashing of the modern day traditional church! We are all called to different places at different times. God is not hindered by the period of history that we are in. He worked through people in the dark ages and He's working through people now. God can work through anyone and any system. But what if He is calling me to something more? What is He saying to you? That's what I want to know.

Lord, we bless you in whatever you are wanting to do. Your will be done.
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If the topic of this post was of interest to you, you might want to read my post "Let's Fellowship" from 1/1/08. You might also enjoy reading the book, So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore. This small book is available to read online and can be found in my side bar. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me in a comment or an email. But let's remember that the main thing is not what's right or wrong. The main thing is Jesus!