Biblically there is no such thing as my church or the local church. We are all part of THE CHURCH-THE BODY OF CHRIST. Fruit of having my church is that we focus only on MY and OUR and we only focus sometimes on building this church. And we want to build the Kingdom but the only way we can see to do that is to build this. How can this attitude not bring division?
God is saying that my church of America has become a narcissistic church. Narcissism is a morbid love and admiration of self. Comes from Narcissus (Greek mythology died from hopeless love of his own reflection in water and was transformed into a daffodil). Church has become so self focused and enamored with ourselves that we died. We are irrelevant and in many ways dead. We are changing nothing in our nation. Thing about daffodils is this…they are beautiful but they have NO FRAGRANCE. Says in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 how we are supposed to bring forth the fragrance of Christ. No one can say if they are honest that the church in America has mirrored to the world the reflection of Jesus Christ for when they smell us the fragrance they smell is of Him.
Sometimes in our thinking everything we do for God has to flow out of the local church to build the local church. Because we only focus on the local church we only focus on our success.
Not against corporate worship but against an, in some ways unbiblical human centered, need based, self centered organization that is the focal point. Something that was built to satisfy people, not God. Doesn’t mean you don’t have nice facilities it means you don’t focus on the “sheep pen.” It is just a place where God houses His people to help them extend His Kingdom into the earth. Becomes much more than a gathering center, becomes a sending center. The goal is not to be how many we can gather, but how many we can send. Yes we will have facilities but facilities will be used for the vision, vision won’t be to have the facilities. They are to equip the church, not to draw or impress people to build a church.
Never in the scripture is the standard for success built on speed or size. Our responsibility is not to help build a local church. Our responsibility is to help extend the Kingdom of God into the earth.
We don’t go to church to worship. We are the church so we gather to worship and we worship everywhere we go every day.
We don’t go to church to pray. We are the church so we pray everywhere, everyday.
We don’t go to church to be taught. We are the church so we gather to equip and disciple so that we can send and equip and disciple elsewhere and we disciple nations. As a church we are to gather but we are also to send.
We don’t go to church to be pastored and to be ministered to. We are the church so we pastor everywhere and minister everywhere.
We don’t go to church to fellowship, build relationships, etc… We are the church so we fellowship in many places and we not only gather but we are the church so we pastor everywhere and we minister everywhere.
We don’t go to church to get people saved and healed. We are the church so we save and heal everywhere we go and then people can get saved and healed more than two or three hours a week.
We don’t go to church to minister our gift. We are the church so we minister our gift everywhere we go.
We don’t go to church to build up the church. We are the church so we build up one another and He builds the church. That is what He said…”I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH.” No verse in scripture anywhere that says a person is supposed to build a church.
We don’t go to church to hear from God. We are the church so we hear from God all week, anywhere and everywhere.
If anyone knows Melissa... 