The Church Part One

What is the church? The building, the programs, the ministries? Well, the word translated church in the New Testament means a gathering of the called out ones. That indicates to me that the church is the people. Then we have to ask what people? Ninety percent of the time church is used in the New Testament it refers to the local church. So the church is those followers of Christ who week after week meet together for worship, study, and fellowship and who work together in ministry and evangelism.

When God gave me the idea of Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls part of it was to emphasize to our church that the church is not the building, but that the church was US. In reality we never go to church we are the church. The church is not a place or thing it is a who. I ran into a big obstacle a few years ago when I attempted to have a Sunday evening worship service at some place other than the "church building". I was told that if we didn't have the service at the "church building" it was not really "church". I remebering thing at that time how unbiblical and sad because in the New Testament their were no "church buildings".

Now, I am not against church buildings unless they interfere with the church doing the work that we were called to do by the Head of the church - Jesus. The bulding that a church meets in can get in the way of what God wants to do. It can do that in several ways.

One way the buidling can get in the way is if our view of what the church is has more to do with the building then with Jesus. If we see the church as the building and are not willing to get outside the four walls of that building and minister to people where they are that goes against who Jesus is and what He has commmanded us, the church to do. If we think that if it doesn't happen in the building and we can't count it on some form, it is not really church than that is hindering what Jesus' mission for His church is.

A second way that the building can get in the way is if our view of the church is a fortress mentality one. If we view the building as what protects us from all the terrible people and things out there (in the world) and are not willing to go outside or invite some kinds of people inside than it hinders what Jesus has commanded us as His church to do.

Another way that the building can get in the way is if so much of our resources are poured into the building and stops us from putting resourses into minsitering to and sharing the Gospel with lost and hurting people. God didn't tell us as the church to maintain, He told us to grow and He didn't mean to build bigger buildings. Jesus told us to grow by making disciples. If large portions of our church budgets are about building payments and building upkeep to the detriment of money going to help the poor, to share the Gospel, or missons that is not honoring to God.

So buildings are not wrong, but I do believe that God would have us to let Him Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls of His church so that the world can see the glory of the One who is the Head of the church - Jesus!

Joe