When we talk about BEING the church, we are not talking about going to church. Being the church requires taking the light of Jesus into the darkness of our world. It certainly begins with our own darkness but radiates from there into our families, neighborhoods, community, and businesses. 

Luke 22:19 (NLT) He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

The Broken Body of Jesus. Jesus’ body was broken and shared, given to his disciples. Jesus wasn’t really much on ceremony or tradition. But this one thing He made sure to give them so that all of us would remember. His BODY was BROKEN to be GIVEN.

Ephesians 1:23 (NLT) …the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Unity in Our Brokenness. We are the body of Christ. Paul loved this metaphor and used it often. So, If we are the body of Christ, why do we assume that Christ has stopped breaking and giving His body? Wouldn’t it stand to reason that when Jesus instituted communion, He was symbolizing a pattern for how His Church would function?

Matthew 16:18 (NLT) Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 

Jesus Defined “Church” for Us. He claimed ownership. The Church will never be about us or you. It will always be about Jesus. This is really important in a very self-centered culture. Connecting with people at the point of their perceived needs is one thing. Catering to those felt needs is another. If a person’s faith never outgrows their own personal need, they don’t have faith.  They are just self-absorbed and proud, believing that God should serve them, not that they should serve God.

Jesus builds the church. No person comes to the Father unless JESUS calls them. And, He claimed the assembly. He called out the assembly. He calls people together. And there is a reason. 

The Church Is Powerful

Matthew 16:18-19 (ESV) And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Nothing Can Stop Her. The Church was called by Jesus, built by Jesus, and sent by Jesus. She cannot be stopped. She will fulfill Jesus’ mission on this Earth. She will provide good news to the power, release for the captives, sight for the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. She will overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the word of Her testimony.

Whatever you bind, whatever you loose, how might our prayers change if we saw our community, worship, and mission as Jesus saw it? Do our prayers have words like bind or loose in them? If Jesus gave His church the keys to the kingdom and called them binding and loosing, then there should be some of that.

The Church Has A Mission

Ephesians 3:10 (NLT) God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Our mission is to display the wisdom of God. We are here to show the evil powers what God can do with people. We are here to demonstrate the goodness and mercy of God. We are here to torment the tormentors! To teach demons and demons princes a lesson in the ways of the supernatural. We, who are mostly ignorant of supernatural things, are here to teach beings that have only ever known the supernatural realm about supernatural things. This is the wisdom of God. This is one of God’s many wonderful ways.

Little Lights In The Dark

Christmas Lights. I love/hate Christmas lights. When we pulled our tree out this year, only about half of it was lit. Christmas lights are like that. You pull out a string, a few bulbs are burnt out. Some need replacing. Maybe half the string isn’t lit. Maybe some are flickering like they could go out, but they keep hanging on. But, you string em,  you hang ‘em, you display ‘em. And, pretty soon, all of those strings, which by themselves look a little pathetic, begin to light a dark night in such a beautiful way that strangers will drive by with their starry-eyed children and will celebrate, one way or another, that Jesus has come.

Philippians 2:15-16 (NIV) …Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life…

Be The Church. Accept that it is Jesus’ Church. Hold on to Jesus, the word of life, and shine. Shine with some others. Hold back the darkness. Stand against evil, sin, and shame. Accept that the very nature of the church requires a community with others. And, with those others, take the light of Jesus wherever it can go!