Acts 2: 44 - 47 NKJV
I was sent a article this week by a friend which argued the point that church without the church building was not church at all. That church without the traditional trappings of the church, was not church. Of course, I disagreed with the main points of this article as I believe that our Lords church is not made up by brick and mortar, but by we who are the body of the church {1 Corinthians 12:12}. Also, contrary to what the article claimed, it is not the unelected church leadership which is the head of the church body, but Christ Jesus Himself {Ephesians 1:22}. However, according to this article, we cannot possibly engage in church unless we are in a proper church building, with proper church leadership claiming proper church theology. Then and only then can we consider ourselves as being in church. Does anyone else except me see the ridiculousness of this way of thinking? We're told in Acts 2 of the growing church of the early followers of Jesus who contradicted the very belief of organized church. I see this scripture as the very model of what the gathering of the church of Jesus should be. After all, that is what we are, the church of Jesus. Can we not gather in His name unless we are properly led? Can we not gather unless we are in a proper building? I can honestly say that Jesus is not not a big fan of this idea. Why? Because when we adhere to this line of thinking we are placing conditions upon Gods children. This was something Jesus spoke out against vehemently {Matthew 23:13}. Why did Jesus speak His "Woes to the Pharisees?" Because the Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day, were notorious for burdening the children of the Lord with traditions. Jesus saw through all of that and called them out for it. Of course, that was one of the reasons for their dislike of Him. The church of the Pharisees was indeed conditional church.
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have preeminence.
Colossians 1: 18 NKJV
I am not afraid nor embarrassed to admit that I have not stepped inside a church in over ten years. Why? Because I had grown weary of the same old traditional song and dance. Like watching a rerun for the umpteenth time, church for me had become non inspiring. My heart was not lifted when I stepped through those doors. On the contrary, my own heart felt burdened by the requirements we find in the institutional church. Yes, you could say that I was one that got away. However, every now and then I come across a story or article telling of those who are leaving the church. I can relate. In my heart, I do not believe that Jesus desires for the body of His church to be burdened with traditions and conformity. I will never believe that it is the desire of Christ that we cannot gather in His name unless we do so in a appropriate way. In fact, I say that Jesus is at His very best when we come to that realization that we don't need to seek Him, but to realize that it is He who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}. Why would I need to go to a church building in order to celebrate Christ Jesus who is in me? For if Jesus is indeed with me wherever I go, then wherever I go can certainly end up being akin to a church service (albeit without the band and offering). If we are all members of the body of Christ, why do we claim that unless we worship in a certain way that all of a sudden our membership in the church of Jesus is no more? For when you claim that worship without the traditions, leadership and trappings of traditional church is not church at all, you are not seeing church for what it truly is in Jesus. I would say that conditional church...is no church at all.
"And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."
Matthew 23: 12 - 13 NKJV
~Scott~
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