Church hopping, church skipping and church judging is all too common these days. It seems that many people are struggling to find the “right” church with the “right” pastor who has the “right preaching style.” Maybe you struggle with this in a less overt way. Perhaps you go to church and feel bored or disillusioned. Or maybe going to church is just a part of your Sunday routine that you don’t think about when Monday comes along.
Today I’m here to tell you that life in the Body of Christ is so much richer than simply showing up on a Sunday to consume. What if finding a church was less about showing up to be taught something, and more about being a blessing to the people around you? I want to encourage you today with a fresh perspective on the real point of church. It may be different than how you’ve been approaching it. Check out this Flashback Friday video for more:
• Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
• Whatever you do after you meet Jesus is spiritual. There’s no such thing as secular when you receive Jesus.
• If you’re saved, you’re in the royal priesthood.
• You don’t come to church to be ministered to, you come so that you can be equipped to minister.
• Banning Liebscher spoke at Bethel and shared stories from planting a church in Sacramento. He said that people would come to him and ask “what do you guys do for the poor? He would respond, “I don’t know… what do you do for the poor? You’re the church!”
• I understand there’s another side to this. Often times we have beautiful corporate expressions of ministering together. But we can’t forget that the church isn’t an organization…it’s a body of people.
• We are the church. The church can’t start with the organization, rather it has to be in our hearts.
• When you know you’re a minister, you’re not waiting for someone to minister to you.
Instead, you go to church to be equipped, so that you can minister to the people around you.
• If you work in a nail salon, you’re a minister at a nail salon!
Hallelujah! You’re bringing the kingdom wherever you go.
• Some people say, “I work in a dark city…” and what I’d say to you is it’s not dark when you’re there! Before you got there maybe it was dark, but it can’t be now because you’re there. And you’re the light of the world so wherever you show up, light shows up. And beyond that, darkness flees when light shows up.
HOW WILL YOU SHOW UP THIS SUNDAY?
So as we approach the weekend I want you to take some time and think about your perspective on church. Do you usually go as a consumer, waiting to be ministered to? Or do you go with open eyes and an open heart to Holy Spirit’s moving? Picture going to your Sunday Service as a minister of the gospel. How will you be equipped? How will you serve? How will you pour out?
I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below! If you struggle with seeing yourself as a minister of the gospel, how can you move away from that and into an empowered life as a saint? If you’ve been going to church for years, feel bored and like you’re going through the motions, how do you plan to allow God to breathe fresh fire in and through you?
My biggest challenge to you today is to pick one thing, anything, and do something to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. Whether that’s at church serving, or in your job, you are called to be a royal priest!
