Church

“Nowhere in the New Testament does it say they ‘went to church’” -- Dan Kimball

Our palms were sweaty, our hearts were beating, and we wanted to turn around. At the last minute my wife said let’s bag this and go shopping. The second week of February was one of the rare opportunities that Lynsey and I got to attend a church other than the “Grace Place.”

This church was different from any church I had attended before. It was in a warehouse, but it seemed uncomfortably smaller than what I had expected, and we were obviously overdressed. Imagine that! Me? Overdressed? Questions raced through my mind; will I stick out like a sore thumb? Will anyone care that I am there? Will I have a spiritual experience here? Will I be accepted?

I left with different questions. How funny is it that a pastor is nervous to go to church? If I am a spiritual leader and get nervous going to church, is it even remotely possible that someone from our community without any church background would actually come to church?

I began getting depressed thinking our task to reach our community is unrealistic, until I remember words from Dan Kimball, “We can’t go to church, because we are the church.” If you are in the habit of rereading statements, that one is worth reading again.

The church is not a building, nor is it a place of worship. In the Bible the church is always the people of God, who worship Him, and have a sense of mission—God’s mission for them in the world (Acts 14:27). “How do we get people to come to church?” couldn’t be a more backwards question. A more helpful question is: How do we get the church (you and me) into our community to impact them with the love of Jesus?

I was convicted as I was driving to Prime Time that I talk about reaching the community and sharing my faith but I have hardly any deep relationships with people who aren’t Christians. I asked God’s forgiveness, and in faith told God that I was ready to be used, I just didn’t know how to go about it. I felt like I was back in elementary school just wanting to make friends. Please help me God, was my prayer.

The next day as I was working out at the YMCA when someone came up to me started a conversation, and I was able to share my faith with them. I wonder; are there opportunities all around me that I am missing because I am too busy, or too focused, or too tired? Am I more concerned about getting to my next “church” activity than taking the time to build a friendship with somebody who needs Jesus?

This last week I was touched as I heard Jesus praying for us. John 17:15, 18, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one . . . As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” Why have I taken myself out of the world, and how do I get back in?

Before I close, let’s stop and dream a little. We are a church of just over 400. If each of us would be the church to a least a few people in our community, how much of a difference could we make in a culture that is falling apart? With God guidance and help we could become an unstoppable force for God’s Kingdom in our area. But let’s remember, it is not our knowledge that will change people’s lives; it is Jesus’ love through us.

With a heart to change, and a passion to reach the emerging culture,

Pastor Jon