Read: Acts 2:42-47
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about that word “church”. It is both a broad and personal term. What does it mean when people talk about “my church”? Are their lives tied to a location? And then some people talk about church as a place that messed up their early childhood and scarred them forever. So, many associations can be made with the church. Which is it? Is it a good place where memories are plentiful, and families continue to grow? Or is it the place where nightmares are born and continue to thrive? “Church” is wrapped with all kinds of nuances.
WHEN A CHURCH IS JUST A CLUB
First, let’s begin by understanding which church we are talking about. Many groups call themselves a church when they actually are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15). Thousands of churches do not preach the gospel. Without the Gospel, a church is not the church laid out by Jesus Christ. It is a club.
DISTINCTIONS OF THE FIRST CHURCH
What was distinctive in the early churches? According to Acts 2:42-47, they loved being taught, they existed in community, prayer was foundational, and they shared in celebrating communion. Also, they took care of one another, praised God, and prioritized sharing the Gospel. Churches today may call themselves evangelical, but they don’t preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This makes them a community, but not the church laid out by Jesus Christ.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CHURCH?
When asked, “How do you feel about the church?”, I simply mean the church you grew up in or were taken to as a child. Again, many things caused you to form an opinion about those early years, but I would like to offer some things that should have happened.
MORE THAN A STAINED GLASS WINDOW
Was Jesus the major focus of your time in church? Did you learn all about Him? I know that sounds rather trite, but He must be the central Person in our churches, in decision making, in building relationships, and in our worship. Sometimes, we assume Christ is the center of a church, yet we relegate Him to window dressing. He makes a nice stained glass window, but does not reside in the community of believers.
THE ONE WHO ISN’T HERE
A genuine church loves every child as if he/she were its own. As a Pastor of Christian Education, I hung a sign in my office. It read: “The child who most needs today’s lesson may be the one who isn’t here.” Jesus wanted all the little children to come to Him. The disciples rebuked the parents who were trying to see Jesus, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:13-14). I know how easy it is to overlook that one child, but each needs our love. This is Jesus’ plan for the church.
Maybe you had a bad experience in a local church. Let me ask you a question. Did your church present Jesus as the Savior? The only Someone who loves you and will never leave you? Did you know a believer who reached out to you even when no one else would? I know we can’t change the past, but we can introduce these two items: Jesus’ love and our genuine love for the next person. That’s when one enters the wonderful place laid out by Jesus, called “The Church.”