My cousin made a post on Facebook a few weeks ago asking her friends, “What does church mean to you?” She got some varied responses:
*Feeling Peace
*Worship
*Hearing the Word of God
*Hearing other’s testimonies
I enjoyed reading all the posts below her own as each person described what “church” meant to them. I took a few minutes then to sit with her question, and really dig into the depths of my mind and soul to ponder exactly what this word, ‘church’, meant to me. After some thought, I typed out this response to her question:
“Church. That’s a loaded word. As humans- we picture that to be a building. As Christians- we understand that “church” is the body of Christ and can’t be contained to a building. So what does the “building” church mean to me?
Nothing. It’s just walls.
Don’t get me wrong, the church building itself is holy, sacred ground. I love being inside those walls weekly, but they’re still just walls. Those walls can be anywhere. A big sanctuary, a living room, a gym. It’s a gathering place for the saved and the sinners alike. A hospital for the sinner. A place to come together and have community. God tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. That is, at least in a small part, including the building.
But there’s a bigger picture there- the church that is the body. That is a people. It’s those of us born again, anxious for Heaven. But we know there’s still work to do for the kingdom here. So, THIS church means the world to me.
God tells us we need community, we need to lift one another up, carry one another’s burdens, and we need to seek to bring the lost to Him. THAT church is the one we need daily to walk through life as Jesus would have us to. And, while it’s so great, and the will of God for us to commune together as believers, sometimes “church” can be had in your car on the freeway. Just you and God. So, what does “church” mean to me? It means making myself available to the Holy Spirit for Him to do a work in me and through me. Whether it’s in a building, under a bridge, or in my car. It’s responding to His holy invitation of spending time with Him.”
So, I wonder… what does church mean to you?
