Have you ever heard someone say, "Don't just go to church, be the church"? I have heard this phrase from keynote speakers and read it in books or articles over my years in ministry.
We all take time to go to church to worship, learn and grow in our faith on a regular basis. But, what does it mean to you to be the church? I believe that a church is not the buildings it gathers in, but the people that gather together. Most of us have likely thought that we need to go to a church that meets our needs and will help us. While that is true, it implies that church is a destination and we simply go to it. The church is actually God's chosen vehicle to meet-through other human beings-people's true needs. Did you catch the difference? It's us that God uses to meet one another's needs. We are the church, God's hands and feet here on earth.
How is God calling you to be the church in Johns Creek, GA and in this world?
I believe that being the church, means living out God's call for our lives to share the love, grace and forgiveness with the world. God so freely gives these to us, and the only way I can find to express my gratitude is by sharing these gifts with others.
This passage in 1 Peter reminds us that, "as you come to him, the living Stone- rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ... But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises to him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9)
We are the living stones that join together to become the church in this world.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, Thank you for bringing us into community to worship, grow and serve. Guide us as we seek to be "living stones" ready to be used to meet the needs of others. Open our minds and hearts to the ways that you need us to share your love, grace and forgiveness with everyone that we encounter. In Christ's Name, Amen.
