It is all about Jesus. Period.
The purpose for gathering, as the church, is to meet with Jesus! The actual risen, crucified, Jesus. Jesus promised his followers…
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
Matthew 18:20 (NIV)
What difference would it make if we gathered with this expectation? Instead, of asking questions like, “How did the service go?” Or, “How was the sermon/music today?” (Performance focused questions) What if we began asking each other a different set of questions... “Where did you see God?”, What did Jesus say to you today?”, “Did you receive any gifts from the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.)?” (Spirit focused questions)
One simple practice that has changed my life is sharing a meal with others and asking each other the question, “Where have you seen God?” Not only are people sharing where they’ve seen God at work in their lives, but it invites Jesus to be present with us as we share. (I wrote something on this a while ago. You can read more here:https://anthonyw10.wixsite.com/wattsfamily/post/a-life-changing-question)
One of my professors at Asbury, Dr. Craig Keener, poses a challenging question, writing,
Were the Spirit to be withdrawn suddenly from the earth today, most of the church’s work would continue unabated.
(Gift and Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today)
I’ve thought a lot about this quote, and it honestly saddens me, but I believe Dr. Keener is right. We have made church into many other things than simply meeting with Jesus. This is not to say that everyone who attends a church service does not meet with Jesus. But it does beg the question if anything would change if the Spirit “left”.
What in the world is church? It is a community (family) of disciples that meets with Jesus as it gathers.
[Just so you know, I’m not writing systematically with these post! HA I’m just throwing out my thoughts on what it means to be the church!]
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