The Power of the Towel

"Come on kids! Time to get up and get yourselves ready to go to church!"

"Oh, I'm sorry we won't be able to make it. We have to go to church Sunday morning."

"The leak in the roof of the church needs to be fixed."

"Why don't you come to church with me on Sunday?"

These phrases are all very common in today's Christian circles. However, do any of these phrases, or others like them, use a proper definition of the word, 'church?' Though few of us would, when asked, define the church as a building used for Christians to gather in for worship, our mindset has certainly taken on this definition. Because of this shift in understanding, the way has been paved for many false concepts to creep in to the hearts and minds of Christ-followers, and the consequences are far reaching; in fact, eternal.

So if it's not the building, what is the church? I'm amazed by this question, and here's why. Most followers of Christ will get the answer to this question correct by saying that the church is the body of Christ, with Christ as its head, or the bride of Christ, whom Christ loved sacrificially; so much so that he died for her. Paul backs this up in Colossians:

1:18b - "[Jesus] is also head of the body, the church;"

1:24 - "...I do my share on behalf of [Christ's] body, which is the church..."

And in Ephesians 5:23b - "...as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body."

What amazes me is that most Christians will answer this question correctly, but it doesn't change how we think of the church on an everyday basis. While we know what the church is, we don't talk like we know it. In fact, we don't act like we know the definition either. Our actions show that we believe the church is something that it is not. We know the Sunday School definition, but we live differently. We are so focused on going to church that we forget to be the church. We are so concerned with being fed that we forget to feed.

Now, don't get me wrong. We have a command to not forsake that gathering of ourselves together (Heb 10:25). We must gather together. It is important for exhortation, fellowship, discipleship and coperate worship, among other things. But we've got to stop seeing church as a once- or twice-a-week activity, and starting to see it as a lifestyle.

Our thought process leads us to go to church in order to hear the Word and be fed, and church stops there. We go home, carry on with our week, and do it all over again the following Sunday. Instead, we need to see church as something we are, having been given the means by which we can be doers of the Word, feeding those we come in contact with every day, not just one or two days a week.

Let's stop going to church and start being the church.