being the church.

in our modern world we "go to church" the church has become known as a place we go to worship, socialize, and meet with other believers. nowhere in the new testament do the followers of Jesus "go to church". what you do see is where the church gathered together. believe it or not, there's a big difference between the two. that difference still exists today.

anyone can go to church, but being the church is much different. i don't believe God ever meant for church to be about buildings, services, or filling pews. 

in the bible jesus sees the church as His bride. i don't believe Jesus sees a building as His bride, but the people. that is what the church is supposed to be. it is people. people who love Him, seek Him, and go to tell others about Him. people make up a church, not a building.

i believe being the church is about serving, missions, and loving those who need love. that is what Jesus did. He showed grace, love, & compassion. Jesus didn't go by cliques or social standings. He loved every single person He came in contact with. He loves the broken, the orphan, the sinner and the saint. and that's exactly what the church is supposed to do, yet most of the time the people inside of a building they call a church do nothing of the sort.

i think as Americans, we've gotten this idea that the only way we can have "church" is by going into a nice building with comfy chairs and good music. that's hardly the case. the best church i ever went to was in the middle of a village in Uganda. the church was just a few walls and a roof. the floor was dirt. there was no bathroom or a/c. the music was a guitar and two singers. the chairs were plastic. but there was the church. and it was beautiful.

we've allowed four walls to amount to something much greater than anything we posses on this earth. most of us have lost what it truly means to be the church. we think that by going to church every sunday we are fulfilling what we are called to do as christians. 

Jesus says this : pure and faultless religion is this; to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and to not become polluted by the world. [james 1:27]  

pure religion isn't a nice building. it's caring for those in distress and not being polluted by the greed, power, and sin of this world. that is serving jesus. that is church. 

don't get me wrong, churches are great. and not all churches have the wrong idea. church is a wonderful place for people of all kinds and churches bring many people to Him, but we don't need to leave church in that building at 12pm on Sundays. We need to be the church. at work, at school, at soccer practice, at the doctors office. we are on a mission field every day of our lives. 

You don't have to go to Africa to be a missionary. you were called to be a missionary right where you are at this moment. every single person is called to be the church. it's not a special calling just on my life. it's a call on every single one of our lives. 

We can't afford to become distracted from God's original plan for the church. there are souls at stake. God has made the church to be His body, which is made up of believers in Jesus-to reach the lost for His glory. 

we have to step up as the church, today and everyday, and go after those souls that are lost. because as Christians, that is what we are commanded to do. 

we are to be living, breathing examples of God's love. when God said to "Go and Make Disciples of all the Nations" i don't think it was a suggestion. it was a command. and one that we are called to live out daily.