What is the church?
Is the church the place you go to ease your consciousness from this week's sins?
Is church the place you have to put a fake smile and hug everyone you don't like?
Is the church a building?
No, the church is actually none of the above.
Over time we have composed a framework around what the church is and the function the church must have in a community. But what exactly was the church in Acts? What did the early church consider the church?
I believe we first must understand what the church is in order to determine whether we can hate it and love Jesus.
Ephesians 3:4-6 “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
In reading this I can understand a few things: I have been grafted into a family, when I accept Jesus I automatically get placed inside a family called the body of Christ, and it is something I can’t “pick and choose” whether I want to be a part of or not.
It’s like the family you were born into. Even if you hate your family you are still a part of them regardless.
In other words, would you say “I love my parents but hate my family” make any sense? How can you love something in which you find to dislike? When we say we hate the church we are actually saying that we hate Jesus. Holy Spirit lives inside all those who have accepted him. That Holy Spirit in us all is the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.
Romans 8:9
“You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
Romans 12:5
“so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
In these few scriptures, we can see how the body is one and the body creates a church. Not a building but rather a group of believers that come together to worship God and encourage one another.
Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Acts 2:42-47
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had a need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
In sharing this I am not saying the Body of Christ is perfect, but what I am saying is that we have been created to be in community, to encourage one another and love one another. Love is an action to which we must be apart of a group in order to love, we aren't meant to be lone wolves. Jesus died for the Church. Church not being the four walls you go to on Sunday or Wednesday but rather the community of God-loving weirdos called you and I. We must fight for that love, because Jesus is coming back for a united Bride calling out for him in unity, not a bitter angry bride pissed at someone's lack of “Christianity”.
Let us learn to love one another and grow as a body of Christ. We are meant for community, let us pick up our pride and ask God to show us How to love the people in our churches better.
Is the church the place you go to ease your consciousness from this week's sins?
Is church the place you have to put a fake smile and hug everyone you don't like?
Is the church a building?
No, the church is actually none of the above.
Over time we have composed a framework around what the church is and the function the church must have in a community. But what exactly was the church in Acts? What did the early church consider the church?
I believe we first must understand what the church is in order to determine whether we can hate it and love Jesus.
Ephesians 3:4-6 “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
In reading this I can understand a few things: I have been grafted into a family, when I accept Jesus I automatically get placed inside a family called the body of Christ, and it is something I can’t “pick and choose” whether I want to be a part of or not.
It’s like the family you were born into. Even if you hate your family you are still a part of them regardless.
In other words, would you say “I love my parents but hate my family” make any sense? How can you love something in which you find to dislike? When we say we hate the church we are actually saying that we hate Jesus. Holy Spirit lives inside all those who have accepted him. That Holy Spirit in us all is the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.
Romans 8:9
“You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
Romans 12:5
“so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
In these few scriptures, we can see how the body is one and the body creates a church. Not a building but rather a group of believers that come together to worship God and encourage one another.
Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Acts 2:42-47
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had a need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
In sharing this I am not saying the Body of Christ is perfect, but what I am saying is that we have been created to be in community, to encourage one another and love one another. Love is an action to which we must be apart of a group in order to love, we aren't meant to be lone wolves. Jesus died for the Church. Church not being the four walls you go to on Sunday or Wednesday but rather the community of God-loving weirdos called you and I. We must fight for that love, because Jesus is coming back for a united Bride calling out for him in unity, not a bitter angry bride pissed at someone's lack of “Christianity”.
Let us learn to love one another and grow as a body of Christ. We are meant for community, let us pick up our pride and ask God to show us How to love the people in our churches better.