The church gives us a chance to experience god

Written by Eleanor Hansen

What is the church? Webster’s definition is “a building used for public christian worship”.  Meanwhile, God’s definition is less… concrete (bad joke I know). God’s house of worship was a physical structure, the Temple, in the old covenant, but after Jesus’s resurrection a new covenant was formed and God’s church transformed from a physical space to a spiritual force.  This “household” is still just as real as the Temple in Israel, but it works in a very different manner.

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV

This scripture shares a few important characteristics of the church.  The church is one: one people, one household, one building.  Although many worship in different places, with different languages, music and traditions, God’s Church is one united entity.  Another important aspect is that the cornerstone of the church is Jesus Christ.  There is no getting around Jesus as the base and no human or authority can ever take that position. And the church is made up of individuals, literal separate people. After the death and resurrection of Jesus we were enabled to have the Holy Spirit live inside of us and we become a living, breathing dwelling place for God to move throughout our world and in our individual lives.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:29 NIV

With the church being people and not a building or organization, he uses his people within the church to love and teach us.  As promised in Matthew 19, God will give us “a hundred times
as much” of the sacrifices we make for him.  How does he provide that hundred times? Through his church of disciples.

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 NIV

Jesus commanded this to his followers and his church today.  He calls us to love in a radical and sacrificial way.  He desired this to be the most defining characteristic of the church. Notice its not just love anyone but to “love one another”. He cares deeply about how we treat other disciples and how we engage as a church. Jesus designed the church to be the physical extension of his sacrificial love.  So how do we tap into that love? By living life together as a church that is equally concerned with each other.

“But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:24-25 NIV

He never promises it will be perfect, as all family has it’s faults and each part of the body has it’s strengths and weaknesses.  But as we suffer and rejoice together we can more fully love one another as Jesus loved us and truly connect to not just our eternal reward but a present and current love today.

In conclusion, God’s church is something you can’t touch, you can’t control or fully draw it’s boundary lines.  It is something as powerful and mysterious as it’s creator. The church is God’s way of loving his devoted children and connecting to us in a very real and personal way.

How does your definition of church align with scripture?

How can you choose to love and be loved by Christ’s church?

Reading our Bible helps us to know God
Prayer helps us to connect with God
Fasting reminds us to be humble before God
Meditation slows us to hear God
The Church gives us a chance to experience God