Church = A Collective Representation of Christ
In my last post, I talked about what the Church in America needs to be successful. It needs only to BE a collective representation of Christ to the communities that surround.
It doesn’t need to be another entertainment venue or concert hall.
It doesn’t need to be a comedy club or a dramatic theater.
The Church is God’s. We are His.
If we focus on building facility, instead of being facility we’ve missed the point. God uses us to facilitate His move in the earth. The Holy Spirit works in and through us to influence and impact the lives of INDIVIDUAL people we come in contact with.
We cannot and must not rely on the pastor’s 52 “lifechanging” messages to bring people to Christ. We shouldn’t put our trust in our worship bands’ and choirs’ sweeping interludes and choruses to bring people to Christ. We cannot and must not lean on money and the latest gadgetry to bring people to Christ.
What then must we do?
BRING CHRIST TO PEOPLE
We do that by BEING Christ to people. The church has become a big net that we cast weekly hoping to snag just a few more families for the Kingdom each week. Personally, I think this is great, but not the wholly fulfilled purpose of the Church. Not only are we to come together to celebrate with, worship with, edify, and encourage one another as a group, but we’re also supposed to BE JESUS to our world – AS A GROUP.
How is that possible? It’s basic. Simple, even. We turn our eyes upon Jesus. How can we BE Him if we don’t KNOW Him?
Is it possible that the day of the individual ministry is over? The days of So & So Ministries. Is it possible that the world needs Christ and not our church service? Is it possible to accurately represent Jesus to the world outside of the framework of institutional “church” that we know and love?
I believe it is. I’m not advocating the end of all things church service. I’m advocating the REVIVAL of all things CHURCH SERVICE! Our communities should SEE Christ in us.
Our “hour” here on earth will be over before we know it. When we stand before God and look back upon the tapestry of the history of our lives will we be saddened when we realize we’ve misplaced our hope and trust? Or will we rejoice that we’ve truly used every breath to live, move and be IN CHRIST? Not only for us, but for the hundreds, if not thousands of people that we could influence in our lifetimes?
God help us all, me included, to look beyond the facility to the place of facilitation. Let our gatherings be a facilitation of the moving of the Holy Spirit, but also let our daily interactions within our communities represent Jesus. So much so that EVERY church group in our regions are not only filled with people coming in to be saved from sin, but also filled with people who are going out to be workers in the Kingdom. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray this, let me represent Him fully today in and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
