Transforming From a Goen to a Be

Churches need to stop encouraging people to go to church. Rather, they need to help congregations become the church. Over the course of my year and a half Christian walk this is a concept I have heard repeatedly and become obsessed with. It's rather important, especially considering the Bible tells us we are the church as a whole. The Greek word, "ekklesia" simply means "assembly" or "gathering". Throughout the epistles we see evidence of this regarding Christ and His followers being the body. We are all part of one. Every church should be moving people from going to being. Just as going to McDonald's doesn't make you a Big Mac, going to church doesn't make you a Christian. It's what is in the heart, the mind, and the act that makes it so.

I know this is a hard thing to do, just as an athlete would practice more and work harder to break records, receive more acclaim, and/or get better pay he probably wouldn't do it if it were just for the sake of the team. The same goes for Christianity. If it makes you rich, makes you happy, makes you stronger, or gives you peace--devotion is easy. However, when it comes to the collective good, people seem to have a hard time. Not only do people tend to live inwardly lives, they forget to spread the love and message of Jesus. This is not a selfish message, this is not something intended to be kept for oneself. It is about living other-oriented in a me-first society. Being the church is a lot more than just singing some songs and sitting in a building for a few hours Sunday morning.

A good analogy for this concept is being unleashed in the form of either a flood or a river. Consider the collective body of Christ in this way. If it is a flood, it is haphazard. It is destructive, wild, and encroaching. It moves very fast but is not pretty nor does anybody any good. If it is a river, it is controlled, it is useful, it is a beautiful sight and it has one solitary place to go. Churches need to preach this message more. The Bible tells us we are each a part of the body, each doing the thing that part is intended to do, but overall it works together and works efficiently to complete tasks. Study Corinthians, particularly chapters one and two. It is a good beginning guide to being the church. As my pastor put it, "A growing church is a group of individuals who are collectively moving from living selfishly to living selflessly for God's purpose."

Be the church, don't be the lizard.