Kingdom Chat Week 48: What is the church?
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “church”? Is it Sunday morning? A church building? A pastor preaching a sermon? A sanctuary filled with people worshipping God? I often remind myself and others that the church is not where we go, it’s who we are.
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:4-5 (ESV)
The Bible teaches us that church is not a physical place of worship; it is in fact a spiritual house of worship made up of individuals who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. In the midst of our church programs and meetings, it is sometimes forgotten that the body of Christ is truly a spiritual family before anything else. The spiritual connection we have as the body of Christ is ever present. The times we make out to congregate (as we should, see Heb 10:25) are a physical expression of what is already happening in the spirit. Meeting together gives us the opportunity to experience God’s presence together (Matt 18:20) and build one another up (1 Cor 14:12-19; Eph 4:11-16). But we are always connected as God’s people, a spiritual family.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV)
As the passage in 1 Peter 2 continues, notice the reference not only to who we are, but also to key aspects of our purpose – to proclaim the excellencies of God (v9) and to maintain honorable conduct in the world for the glory of God (v12). In other words, there is divine purpose to this spiritual family. We as the church ought to be seeking out opportunities to make God’s Kingdom real and tangible to the world around us. We exist as a spiritual family so that we can support, nourish and embolden one another to do this more effectively.
Lastly, I want to acknowledge that the virtual platform we have here is unique. At KLCC, we encourage everyone to be a part of a local assembly, but in this virtual space, we are a global community that is not confined by a building nor any geographic barrier. Therefore, it is our prayer for the church to be equipped and encouraged here in a unique and powerful way, in order to become change agents who are effective in extending God’s Kingdom all across the earth.
Take a few minutes to respond to this week’s Kingdom Chat by answering the following question either in a brief written response or by uploading a 2-3 min video.
As you reflect on this post and refer back to 1 Pet 2:4-12, what stands out to you about the meaning and purpose of the church?
- 12 Replies
Yess yess yess!!!
The reminder is clear, the church is not where we go but who we are!
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Thanks @purposefaith for this insightful exhortation. The church is not where we go but who we are. It is a truth that cannot be overstated and I pray that the body of Christ will recognize this truth and live it.
For me, the part that stands out about the purpose of the church is that we are called to conduct ourselves honorably among the gentiles. It means we are to be of the best behavior every time and everywhere not only when we are in church on sunday. We Christians have perfected the act of being nice and good when we are in the church building but we live totally different life outside the building and that is because we don’t recognize that we are the church regardless of where we are. So let’s us walk in consciousness of this truth everywhere and at all times.
True, thank you for emphasizing the point about living honorably among gentiles. Like you said, Kingdom consciousness is at the root of that. Consistency of that Kingdom consciousness is key, whether is in public or private, in a church building or at work or anywhere else.
We are the church not a building. As we all come together we become a spiritual house. Thanks Pastor Nia for this reminder. God bless you
Hello how are doing?
Yes, true.. Church is the Body of Christ and that is Us… with Christ as The Head, Glory to God!! 🙌🙌
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