I know you've all played the game, join in. Lace your fingers inward then fold your palms around them...here we go. Here is the church, here is the steeple (point your index fingers and touch to a point). Open the doors (open up your palms), and here's all the people (wiggle, wiggle, wiggle). To allot of people this is their view of the church that it's where all the Christians hide and only come out to live their sinful half. The church is where people go when they want to justify a wild partying lifestyle or to make them feel good about their life. There is some truth is this. The church is a place where people can come to find help, spiritually and physically. The church is a place of protection and comfort. Maybe I should point something out, the church has nothing to do with the building. The church building is only a place where people gather to worship and serve. I'm starting to sound like a broken record "the church is, the church is, the church is".
The truth is, we are the church. The church is not made up of brick and mortar; it's flesh and blood. The church is not confined to one location; it's world wide wherever people confess His name and seek His will. It says it best in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." That's a mouthful, but I think what it's trying to say is this. God put us in a place where He needs us most. He knows our talents and our weaknesses. He knows where we'll make the greatest impact on His behalf.
There, now that I said that, I want to say this. Don't you hate it when people go "Church Shopping"? Have you ever heard that term? Church shopping...when people or families go from church to church because they're looking for a place that they will get the most out of it. I think they're looking for a place to hide. The thought of involvment scares them to death, but, they want all the benefits that come with holding down a pew for an hour a week. A wise friend once said, I'm sure he heard it from somewhere else. Sitting in a church building doesn't make you a Christian like standing in a garage doesn't make you a car. I looked and found nothing where is says to kick back and let God serve you. Ok, it does say in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This isn't talking to the ones who want to come and do nothing but the ones who are being too busy to take time for God (and that's another topic).
Let's go back to the original statement, "Can't see the Church for the people". I hope now you understand why I said it that way. The church isn't hiding behind the people...the church IS the people. I'm so lame.
Peace...
totalheel
The truth is, we are the church. The church is not made up of brick and mortar; it's flesh and blood. The church is not confined to one location; it's world wide wherever people confess His name and seek His will. It says it best in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." That's a mouthful, but I think what it's trying to say is this. God put us in a place where He needs us most. He knows our talents and our weaknesses. He knows where we'll make the greatest impact on His behalf.
There, now that I said that, I want to say this. Don't you hate it when people go "Church Shopping"? Have you ever heard that term? Church shopping...when people or families go from church to church because they're looking for a place that they will get the most out of it. I think they're looking for a place to hide. The thought of involvment scares them to death, but, they want all the benefits that come with holding down a pew for an hour a week. A wise friend once said, I'm sure he heard it from somewhere else. Sitting in a church building doesn't make you a Christian like standing in a garage doesn't make you a car. I looked and found nothing where is says to kick back and let God serve you. Ok, it does say in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This isn't talking to the ones who want to come and do nothing but the ones who are being too busy to take time for God (and that's another topic).
Let's go back to the original statement, "Can't see the Church for the people". I hope now you understand why I said it that way. The church isn't hiding behind the people...the church IS the people. I'm so lame.
Peace...
totalheel
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