What a Church Is Not
What is a church to you? Do you know what the Bible teaches? Do you know the real purpose and benefits of a church? The church of Jesus Christ is very important in the Bible, but many are confused about it, so they lose the great profit of a church.
A church is not a building. A church is a group of people committed to Jesus Christ, His ordinances, and each other, no matter where they meet. This simple point helps direct attention away from a building to the people that are the church. Only once is “church” used for a building in the N.T., and then it was pagan temples (Acts 19:37)!
Church is not something to do on Sunday. This may be expressed, Let’s go to church. Going to an address and entering a building for religious activities is only part of the function of a church. A church is a group of people related to each other in the strongest terms with duties to each other that extend far beyond public services.
A church is not for Sunday networking. Professionals connect with others in their industry during the week at meetings, on LinkedIn, and by other means. But church members have a religious and spiritual bond, not just a career, financial, or marketing relationship. Church services are not just for social interaction. There is much more.
A church is not a religious club to follow a popular man. Some churches are known only or primarily for their pastor. If he were to leave, the church would shrink in size and influence quickly. A church is about a Man, but it is the Man Christ Jesus, and everything done in the church should minimize the pastor to exalt the Son of God.
A church is not a mere organization. While a church is a group of people joined with each other as a unique unit for religious purposes, it is much more than a human organization. It is a living organism made up of individual believers in Jesus Christ that God brought together, formed into a body, and dwells in by His Holy Spirit.
A church is not an auditorium for presentations. Most today go to a church building of some kind to be entertained by charismatic leaders, loud music, light shows, etc. Catholics visit a church building to watch the spectacle of the Mass. But a church is much more than just a visual and/or auditory presentation to comfort or entertain.
So then what is a church? If you grasp the points above about what a church is not, then you are ready for the real purpose and profit of a church that the Bible teaches.
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