There is no purer feeling and experience for a Christian than to get outside the church walls and “do Jesus stuff.” No Christian has ever experienced the true nature of Jesus in their life until they go beyond the safe church. When a believer walks beyond church walls and dare demonstrate their faith in public, then that believer will see, hear and feel the real Jesus in action. Your faith will soar. Your spirituality will erupt. Your anointing will pour out like a summer rain. The glory is like nothing you’ve ever felt.
I’m afraid that centuries of doing faith behind church walls have turned Christianity into a club for religious people. Church is not supposed to be a building we attend, but a life we live. Salvation is not something we believe, but a way that we live. We must do more than believe IN Jesus, we must be LIKE Jesus. The Bible is not supposed to simply be a book we read, but an example we mimic. Church is supposed to be the metaphor of the actual, living, breathing body of Jesus Christ.
After two millenniums the church has become known more of a building with stain glass and a steeple than a living body of Christ. Where did we get this building worship? Don’t get me wrong, we are commanded by Christ and the Apostles to assemble weekly to worship, but Church must be more than simply getting together. Yes, we are “not to forsake the assembling ourselves together and so much more as you see the day of God approaching” (Heb 10:25). Please tell me that the church has become no more than a religious Adult daycare. I cannot believe that the church was supposed to be a religious museum.
The gospel is meant to be “preached” (shared) with those who do not believe, not merely those who already believe. I don’t believe the church was meant to be a “Cathedral” or a Solomon’s Temple where only a select few Levi priests can enter and perform their day long ritual that 99% of the world never can see or experience. I see the church assembly to be modeled after Jesus and his followers. He would go to a place and mostly unbelievers would come and stay a while and hear him teach only to come back again and again until they either rejected or accepted Christ and his teaching (Matt 5-7).
Yes, Jesus would attend the Synagogue weekly, but in every case, the religious “Pharisees” would give him fits and sometimes try to kill him. I like to look at the church “building” as a “school house” where Christians hear the Word preached / taught in order to renew and build their faith, and learn how to share it. Jesus would teach daily saying, “Come learn of me” (Matt 11:29). Paul even explained that “we have so learned Christ” in order to know how we are to live (Eph 4:20-24).
After we attend a “school” and learn a trade, then we are to go out into the “real world” and put what we learned to practice. The same is with church. We are to first learn how we are to live and then go out and “demonstrate it” (1 John 2:6). Surely the Lord did not mean for we Christians to go behind church walls and sing, pray and preach to each other then keep it hidden behind church walls. We must take church out of church and practice what we preach.
More than ever, today is the time to for we Christians become “the temple of the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor 6:19). Getting Church out of church is a way of saying let us get what we have learned in the school house out into the work force. Let us take the grain out of the barn and sow it in the fields (Matt 13:38). The church was never meant to be a Cathedral where we relic the holy. The church was meant to be the extended body of Christ where we go out and make people whole-ly. Let us take the cross off our steeple and put one on our backs and go save someone.
By Dr Tim McClure (from Beyond Church Walls, coming soon).
(for more articles, see my blog): http://drtimmcclure.blogspot.com
David & Goliath Story
Angela, my daughter in law had bought a new Children’s Bible story book for Amiley, her 3 year old daughter. Sitting down with Amiley, Angela begin to read the story of David and Goliath to her. As she read about Goliath, Amiley said, “He’s the bad man, isn’t he mommy?” As Angela read onto the next page where David threw the rock and knocked Goliath down, Amiley paused and thought. She turned the page back to see Goliath. Seeing the picture of Goliath with his armor and big shield, Amiley asked, “What is that Mommy?” That is Goliath’s shield” Angela answered. “What is it for?” Amiley asked. It’s to keep from getting hit by things.” Amiley turned the page back to where Goliath was lying down on the ground and simply said, “It not work for him.”
COMING EVENTS
May 2011 – Multiplication – Theme for May, 10:30 AM Sunday’s
May – Wednesday nights – Mind Control- controlling power of faith 7-8 PM
May 8 – Mother’s Day – Promiseland 10:30 AM
May 20, 22 – Fusion groups – @ a place near you – call 321-216-8030
May 23 – Last day of School
May 29 – Sacrifice Sunday – Memorial Tribute- Promiseland @ 10:30 AM
June 2011 – Ministry – Theme for June, 10:30 AM Sunday’s
June 6 – July 29 - Surf Camp – for Kids 6 & up: www.grdesigns.com
June – Wednesday nights – all New Learning environment 7-8 PM
June 10 – Youth JAM Night – Friday @ Café 7-9 PM call Kent 321-750-9925
June 17, 19 – Fusion Groups - @ a place near you – call 321-216-8030
June 19 – Classic – Father’s Day celebration @ Promiseland 10:30 AM
Promiseland Church
1855 Lansing St. Melbourne, FL 32935
www.promiseland.org
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