We’ve heard it and said it. “The church is not a building.”
We can also add, the church is not a denomination, an institution, a social club, etc. Of course, all these descriptions contain some truth about the earthly nature of the church, but is that all we are? What was Jesus thinking when he created this entity we call “church?” The Greek word for church, ecclesia, means, “called out ones,” which denotes the church is first and foremost, people. That is, the people God calls out of the world to be God’s presence in the world. In 1 Cor. 12 and Romans 12, Paul inferred that the church is the Body of Christ which means we also have a heavenly nature.
Last week I said the church should be an “outpost of heaven” where people get a glimpse of God’s love and purpose for all creation. Jesus proclaimed that even the gates of death have no power over us (see Matt. 16:18). And yet, we live in a culture where fewer people, including professed Christians, think being part of a church is all that important.
So is the church still relevant? If we are really the Body of Jesus offering God’s healing hope to a hurting world, I’m thinking we’re part of a pretty relevant organization. Don’t you?
Come and see, Pastor Rob
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