What's the Big Deal About CHURCH?

Half way through Bible School, in the middle of my training to be a church leader, I found myself asking this question. It seemed odd to me that out of all of the opportunities I could choose to pursue with my life, I would choose to be one of those guys who puts together a two hour service where people come once a week to sing songs, listen to me talk, and then talk with one another before going home again. I asked myself the question, why is this so important?

It's easy to fall into the mental trapping that this is all that church is about. We get so busy with life that it is easy to simply go through the motions of each week without thinking about what we are doing. It's hard to remember what “religious” people have died for in the past, and why still more choose the same fate today.

When I was a little boy, I would often think about what I wanted to be when I grew up. At first, I wanted to be a veterinarian because I love animals, and wanted to help them. As does every little boy, I also toyed with the idea of being a policeman, or a firefighter, though I knew that neither of those were my taste.

As I grew older, I realized that there is more than what is before me in the physical realm. I understood the concept of God, and that He lives in an eternal realm where people never die. My understanding of eternity was fuzzy as a child, but as I grew older, I found myself more and more fixated on these ideas of God and eternity.

At a young age, there was something within me that lay hold of the need to live for purpose, which was the reason I wanted to be a veterinarian, but as time passed, I began to realize that though animals are important, people are more important. I wanted to live for people.

Once I understood this, I could not let go. I was captured by God, with the need to help others. Around this time, entered a dramatic shift in my life.

I grew up in the religion of my father, and my mother was not religious. Had you asked me what do people believe who are not from your religion, I would have probably answered that they would be like my mom, who believed in God, but didn't know much about Him. Then came the day that my mom became religious. She began going to another church, which confused me because I didn't even know there was another church. Interested, I went with her.

I remember well the first time I entered another church. Everything was so weird and seemingly out of place. I was a bit frightful when they began to play the music because it was so loud and different from what I was used to. What scared me the most was that they sang about the blood of a lamb. I wondered what my mom was doing, going to a place like this. Despite the insecurity and questions I had, something compelled me to keep going. So I began switching between my parents churches on Sunday.

Eventually, my brother and sister, who are older than me, began to come with my mom too. With this began the battle that has not stopped ever since (though we have become wiser in our approach). My brother and sister, were confused like me, and in their confusion, many fights broke out. These fights were not about church, but about God, and what my brother and sister had learned in these conflicting churches. I, being the youngest, did not fully understand what was being said and kept silent.

In time, I began to understand that this fight was not just because my brother and sister wanted to argue. They were sincerely seeking to know what was true. I eventually understood that I too must enter the ring and make a decision about what I believed. This scared me.

My story plays well into this question about why church is so important because although it is easy to go and sing a few songs, learn how to stay still while a guy talks for an hour, and tell a few jokes with friends before you leave, this is not what church is about. The church was established to exalt truth. According to 1 Timothy 3:15 the church is a pillar and ground of truth.

When I asked myself in Bible College why I chose church to be the pursuit of my life, I stepped into a snare that captures many people. Engrossed in the programs, I forgot what church is about. I lost sight of the fact that church is not about wowing people with great music, with excellent speaking abilities, and with the funniest jokes, it's about God and our purpose in life, to glorify Him through building up others in truth.

The way that I escaped the snare of misunderstanding church as an end itself rather than a part of the path by which we pursue the God truth, I had to refocus my attention on what led me to Bible College in the first place.

As I said, it scared me to be faced with the fact that I had to choose sides. I didn't want to disappoint anyone, or play favorites. Because of this, I put off making my decision for some time. However, God moved in me to bring me to the point where I had to make the decision. This is how He did:

I mentioned earlier that something within me lay hold of the need to live for purpose. I believe that was God. He used this desire, to live for purpose, to bring me to the place where I had to decide what I was going to believe.

As a child, I didn't understand a lot of what was being spoken by the pastor, but I did understand that he was helping people, not only in this life, but in eternity as well. The thought of God and eternity captured me, along with the desire to live for purpose, and help people. All of these virtues find fulfillment in ministry. I could not deny it – God was calling me to this. I wanted to be a minister.

The question of how could I minister without knowing what truth to minister to people was brought to me at once on the night I received Christ as my Savior. I put all these thoughts together, and realized I had been putting off the all important decision of which church was true.

At that time, God gave me confidence that I could make my decision in peace, because when I am in line with truth, nothing can raise up against God's arm which protects those who administer truth. I knew what was true. All I needed was a push, and confidence to make it personal. God guided my thoughts that evening, and I could not delay any longer. I marched into my mothers room and said, “Mom, I want to accept Jesus as my Savior!” It was such a relief to no longer worry. I had peace with God.

God has set forth His church to be the main vehicle through which He brings peace to the world. Once I recaptured that event, which brought the peace of God overwhelmingly to my soul, I remembered what the big deal is about church, and why it has become the pursuit of my life. If God decided to use science as the main vehicle to bring peace into this world, I would be a scientist – no doubt.

When most people think of church they think of a building, but this is not church. Others think of events, but this is not church. Others think of the Sunday morning service, but this is not church. Still others think of a sermon, or lesson, but none of these are church.

Notice, in my story, God used some of these programs to bring me into the peace of God, but these programs do not make up the church of God. The church is people. When my mother believed in Christ, she became a part of the church. She brought me to “church” – that is to say a program in a building where we sang songs and heard a guy talk for an hour, but this is not what the big deal is about church. The church is the people who were there, the one's who sang the songs, listened to the sermon, and told the jokes. The church is the people of God, who use these programs to administer the peace of God, in an official capacity or not.

It was when I got caught up in the many programs that I asked the question, What's the big deal about church? There are a lot of these programs in some of our individual churches that have no purpose, and these should be cut out make room for what is important, which is to bring people into the peace of God. The writers of the book, The Trellis and the Vine, said it well when they said that we use programs to give us opportunity to speak the Word of God to one another when we cannot do it organically. That doesn't mean that we have to quote it. It simply means that we speak the truths of the Bible to one another and so encourage one another, and that we love one another in truth, whether that be through jokes or tears, in the structured programs or organically. Beyond that, programs are meaningless because it is the truths of Bible that will pierce our hearts to bring us to conviction and ultimately peace. (Hebrews 4:12)

I pray that we, the church, will not forget that it's not about programs, events, or anything else. It's about diving deeper into the peace of God as we love and encourage one another with the Word of God and in so doing fulfill our purpose in life, to serve God through serving people. All of us can do this, whether we are a leader in the church or not. You are the church! Fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5)

But you are a chosen race,

A royal priesthood,

a holy nation,

a people for God's own possession,

so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him

who has called you out of darkness

into His marvelous light.

(1 Peter 2:9)