Stop going to church
When the word “church” comes up in conversation, the first thing we think of is a building. We have this mindset that church is a place we go to on Sundays. As we get our family dressed, fight through traffic and get a good seat, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we aren’t just going to church; we are the church.
In 1 Timothy 5, Paul describes the church as people dedicated to doing whatever it takes to reach out and help others. We have a responsibility to serve and help others in need as the church. Caring for each other as well as those outside of the church is the quickest way to see Jesus change lives. Too often, church has the mentality of “If we build it, they will come!”, but that doesn’t happen.
We see church not as an event or program but a family caring for those who are broken, exiled, disconnected and lost in our city. We see the best way for the church to be the church is to pickup and go to them. Imagine if church came to you! Remember Jesus left everything to come walk the streets, feed the hungry, and love the unlovable. Jesus didn’t wait for those in need to come find him. What an amazing picture of His church doing the same today!
Philippians 2:6-8 NLT
“Though he was God,[a]
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges[b];
he took the humble position of a slave[c]
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,[d]
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
The best part of being the church is the ability for everyone to use and apply the gifts and graces God has created each of us with. Each of us has been given skills, abilities and opportunities to serve. Think about all the untapped gifts and abilities sitting around in churches today.
In Timothy’s church, for example, the women ran a widows ministry (1 Timothy 5:16), and elders directed church affairs while others were devoted just to teaching and preaching (1 Timothy 5:17).
In the Bible, church is always a reference to people, not a place. The church is a body of believers that live out the Gospel in their words and actions. The church is at its best when we belong as a family and serve those around us.
As Red Door moves into the Union Gospel Mission, we see church as a family. This means we commit ourselves to belonging to the family by using our gifts and talents, being available, placing others needs above ourselves, sacrificial in our time and finances, and living in such a way that our lives are God-tangible, God-approachable, and God-Discernible.