Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with once accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2: 44 - 47 NKJV
I heard a radio pastor this week proclaim that the nation of Japan was in the midst of raising up thousands of Christian churches in the wake of a few natural disasters. Now, while many believers might see this as a good thing, I would suggest caution. Take a look around your town and see just how many churches you see. If your area is anything like mine, there seems to be a church on every corner. Yet, our nations spiritual needs now seem greater than ever. Why is that? I believe that the answer to this is the decline of the traditional church as we know it. Sure, the virus epidemic has drawn a few people together into churches, but that's because almost all of our social gathering places have been locked up for various periods. I believe that there is a reason that we begin to see a decline in church attendance even before the pandemic began. That reason is that people began to feel uninspired by the traditions of the institutional church. I've always said that I could walk into any church expecting what is going to happen. Indeed, many of the traditional worship services follow the same template. However, what is interesting among this exodus from our churches is that those who are leaving the church are more often than not finding a alternative in home groups and home churches. It is here, free from the worship bands and strict service schedules, that people are free to interact and truly learn about our reason for coming together in the first place. One thing I've all too often heard from people who have walked away from the church is that they longed to hear about Jesus. Imagine that, a church that seldom teaches about He who is the head of the church {Ephesians 1:22}. The issue which far too many people get tangled up in concerning home grown groups and churches is the belief that these gatherings are somehow not under the "covering" of a local church congregation. That is, they are not sanctified by the church. Well excuse me, but if my desire is to attend a home gathering where I can hear and learn about Jesus then sanctification be damned!
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you. God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and has determined their predetermined times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."
Acts 17: 22 - 27 NKJV
There are those who believe that the Lord actually dwells in the church. That the church building is His domain. I used to get hung up on this as a young Christian, thinking that I could never be close to God without being in church. This, of course, is a false belief that has managed to survive over the years. The apostle Paul preached to the city of Athens that God does not dwell in temples made with hands {Acts 17:24}. I've said for some time now that the truest church I have ever seen was the home churches of the original followers of Jesus which we see described in Acts 2. This is the very definition of church community. People, whether they are believers or not, gathering together in the course of their daily lives to hear and learn about Jesus. No worship bands. No sermons. Yet, what do we see among these believers? That the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved {Acts 2:47}. In other words, this was a growing, vibrant group of believers who were meeting amongst themselves. There are many modern churches that have attempted to model this early example of community through home groups, with minimal success. For at the end of the day, these home groups are still beholden to the church as well.
It's been some time since I walked through the doors of a church for a worship service. That doesn't mean that I've turned away from God, just man's rendition of how we should view Him. I don't see God as one who stokes His ego by the number of people who walk into churches each Sunday. God is not somehow keeping score in this way. Instead, I put aside time each day to listen to what the Lord is telling me. On Sundays I get together with a group of people who gather to learn and hear about Jesus. After all, isn't that what church should be about?
~Scott~
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