What is
church? No, really, what is it? Is it the buildings where we meet a few times a
week to have someone talk about God? Is it simply the gathering of fellow
believers in an attempt to draw closer to God? In my opinion, yes, it is both
of those. But It is also so much more.
Two
weeks ago I had a huge group of people in my home. This was an interesting experience
for me because I was the only host since my parents were in Florida. This is
the first time in my life where I have such a large and diverse group of
friends. I count them as more than friends too. They are my family. They are my
church.
We had
a blast that weekend. All three days there was a different group of people who
showed up. Some of them new friends some of them old friends; I even had my
sister and brother-in-law over. I cooked for everyone and we played games and
laughed and watched movies. We bonded. We relaxed.
I have
to confess, I did feel a little overwhelmed at times, a little bit of sensory
overload if you will. But it was ok because I was with people I love. By far,
my favorite night was Saturday. Saturday night was what got me asking this
question of church. I think it is so much more than most Christians realize.
After
the food had been eaten, the kitchen cleaned and a movie finished, the large
group of people that had come to my house began to dwindle down into a much
more intimate group of friends. We then decided to take some time and just
reflect on everything God had done for us and was still doing for us. We shared
things that we disliked about ourselves and stuff that we struggle with. We lifted
God up and thanked Him for all He had done. We told each other why we loved
each other. We simply bonded. We held a miniature church service at 2 A.M. on a
Saturday night.
This is
why I ask this question. Christians seem to get lost in the routine and
traditional. For me, I have always felt God more when I am with a small group
of friends than I ever have in a traditional church service. I felt God that
night and it felt amazing.
Now,
don’t get me wrong. I still believe that the more traditional view of church is
an important aspect of Christianity. We need a man (or woman) of God in our
lives who is used as the mouthpiece of our Lord. What we need to remember is
that the church is not just a building. The church is the people. The church is
a small group of friends struggling through college and sharing their hurts and
praying together. The church is a pastor preaching to his flock the words God
has laid on his heart. The church is so so
much more!
The Bible says, “For where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Mathew 18:20
We need to keep this in mind. We
need to stop trying to keep God in our traditional little box.
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