What is the church?

I think on this today when I listen to someone on the phone complaining about their church they attend. It is spiritually dead was one comment. It is lukewarm was another. So my thoughts turn to what is church?

For most people when you ask what is church, you will get the answer, it is a building where people come together to hear sermons from a Pastor.

According to the Bible the church is not a building or a denomination. The church is the body of Christ. The word church comes from the Greek work Ekklesia which means ” an assembly” or “called out ones”.

The church is a body of believers who have been called out from the world by God to live as people under the authority of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. The purpose of the church is to minister to believers and unbelievers. Yes, the church is two fold. We physically come together in a building to gather so we can refuel for the week ahead. We worship together, teach, pray and disciple each other and strengthen one another SO THAT… we are sent out of the doors into the world to be the church. So that… We see a need and meet that need. SO that… We become the hands and feet of Jesus.

God’s people who are in Christ Jesus are the church.

So after listening for awhile my turn came to put my thoughts into words…. If you don’t like what is happening in your church then change it. Be the change you want to see. It is not someone else’s job, it is your job. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, God has not given up the spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self discipline. We need to get disciplined about reading the word of God. It is living. it is powerful and it is stronger than any two edged sword. We need to pray. Jesus prayed continuously in scripture. He is our example. I find the more time I spend in prayer the more it changes me. My favorite writer, Max Lucado said , Our prayers may be awkward and our attempts feeble, BUT,since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it,our prayers make a difference.

Matthew 18:19 and 20 tells is that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. I joked and said maybe you should grab four or five to be on the safe side. Complain and remain or start praising and raise from your circumstances. There is power in unity. The Bible tells us some great stories in the book of Acts when they came together in one accord. Unity is a powerful thing. Unity,the state or quality of being one, oneness, the act, state or quality of forming a whole from separate parts .

Romans 12:5 tells us that in Christ we, though many, form one body and each member belongs to all the others.

We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to cherish each others gifts not be jealous or tear each other down. Know one gift is not greater than the other. Without working together as TRUE brothers and sisters in our gifts we are insufficient in every way for the body of Christ.

Let us ALL start today to be the change we want to see. IT is our job to plant the seed and it is the comforter, the Holy Spirit’s job to water it. IF we do our part rest assure he will do his part.