And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, nor forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as it is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
If I asked you what kind of building you see in the image above, you'd probably say, "it's a church!" And you would be right.
Multi-level roof....
Steeple on top...
Cross on the very top...
Yet what you see is just an outline. The church itself hasn't been filled in.
It has no color to it....
It doesn't have a door....
No windows.....
Kind of be hard to be a member of such a structure...
In fact our way of thinking has robbed us of the true definition of what a church is.
As you probably already know, church isn't the building. It's the people.
The people gather IN the building to BE the church.
Building's take on various shapes and sizes....
Brick...wood....I guess somewhere in the world there is a sod church.
Some churches meet under trees in the open. Yet they are just as important and viable as those who are a part of the MEGA church...
As a pastor, I have been "doing" church for the last 16 years. I started with a small morning service at Gadsden Vineyard Church, which had been birthed by Brook and Jennifer Finlayson. There were perhaps 15-20 of us that would gather on Sunday morning to be with God and see what He wanted to do that day. The worship wasn't always very good....but it was very "God" as we sang and played from our hearts and not just the music sheets. We grew close as a family and it became a place where those who didn't seem to fit in with other churches found a home. We were being grown, matured and changed by God into a community of believers.
Ephesians 2:19-22
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
That small group that began to meet at the Vineyard, back in 1997, was being shaped and formed to become a dwelling place for God. A place where He could manifest His presence, and extend His kingdom rule through the changing of our hearts and the empowering of our lives.
We learned how to "hear God" and to minister to each other. We welcomed new people each Sunday to our group. Some stayed, some didn't...but we loved everyone who came through the door. I was learning how to pastor (may not seem like the thing to do..but it was the best school or seminary I could have ever gone to). Our church took on a flavor of it's own that was unique. Not that we set out to be different...what took place was a by product of who we were as God was at work changing us and growing us up.
Our church became a place where everyone was important. Where everyone was encouraged to "do the stuff" or engage in the works of Christ. It wasn't just about the pastor or the leadership...everyone "Got to play" as John Wimber used to say. We prayed for each other...We ministered to each other, all the while growing in God's Spirit. Everyone who came could pray for folks and see them be healed. Everyone who became family was able to cast off demonic spirits from others who were demonized. We fed the poor....we visited those in jail....We interceded for friends and family during our prayer time. We were the body of Christ. We also made a lot of goof-ups as we were learning. Sometimes I did the wrong thing or said the wrong thing....hurt peoples feelings. The more I was a part of this community, the more I realized how much I needed God. I saw that when I acted out of my flesh (sin nature) or my feelings (which sometime weren't very good) I became a super-pharisee. I never really liked that old fellow.
Today's postings is the first of others to follow which will be about the importance of belonging.
We are not called to "lone ranger" this thing...
We were created for community...
God on you...
mb
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