No More Usual Church

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10

What is the true definition of “church”? Big screens? Best logo design? The newest technology? Let’s drop the “well, my grandparents did it this way back in the 1950′s” saying. What is the church to you? 

The more I think about church, the more I see how astray church has become. Church isn’t about red back hymnals. Church isn’t about singing the latest song that has the most hits on iTunes. Church is about Jesus…and Jesus only. 

I am talking about the church that was birthed in the Book of Acts. I am talking about the church that was birthed at a crucial time in history. Jesus has just ascended into the Heavens and has promised power by the Holy Spirit. Let’s think about this for a minute… Jesus, God in man form, had just died and rose again. The Disciples witnessed it, saw His miracles He performed, and Jesus leaves to go to Heaven. I sense loneliness and darkness filling the Disciples’ hearts. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to see the church start a new revival again and pray for this nation to turn back to God! 

I remember at Passion 2011 hearing David Platt (Pastor of Church of the Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama) speak on his travels to foreign countries who have never heard of the name of Jesus before. He would go to these dark, dirty places to spread the Gospel and one night, he said, as he was sleeping, he was awakened by a door slamming open to his room. People grabbed him, he thought he was about to go to jail. He was thrown into a white van and driven a couple of miles down the road to a small village. As he gets out of the van, he walks into a small room, probably the size of a small bathroom. The room had 70+ people in there and there was one light hanging from the ceiling. The translator said to him, “these people want to learn about Jesus.” For the next few days, they begin this journey through the entire Bible. In a weeks time, they have read the entire Bible together and people are becoming more and more hungry for God. This is church. 

We live in a crucial time here on Earth. It is time for church to step up and be the church. It’s going to take a lot more than the people of God posting their opinions on Facebook or Twitter for a revival to begin. It’s going to take prayer, fasting, and seeking God…the ONLY God…just like the church did in the Book of Acts. 

If church continues to do church as usual, we have failed in our calling and obedience to Jesus’ commandment. 

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” – Matthew 28:18-20

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

The way to change this world is to start with one act of random kindness at a time. Don’t just go to church. BE the church!