The Loop

Beyond Buildings

What if everything you thought you knew about church was only half the story? What if the very word we use has been pointing us toward buildings and programs when God had something far more revolutionary in mind? 

"What is the church like? What is it?" I recently asked our congregation, and the answers were as varied as you'd expect. But here's what's fascinating: The English word Church comes from a German word Kirche (pronounced KIr-khuh) that "literally has to do with a location." For centuries, communities were built around church buildings, with church bells marking prayer times and the church calendar governing community life. This created a dilemma: the church became about a location and not a movement. 

Jesus used a completely different word. 

The Revolutionary Difference: Kirche vs. Ekklesia 

The word kirche church describes a location, but the word that Jesus used is the word ekklesia. And it wasn't about a location; it was about a gathering. And that gathering could happen in a family room; the gathering could happen in a hospital room; the gathering could happen in a car; the gathering could happen in a building. But it was supposed to be the gathering of the called-out ones. 

This distinction changes everything about how we understand our faith community. 

Jesus Redefines Sacred Space 

When Jesus entered the temple courts in Luke 19:45, "he began to drive out those who were selling. 'It is written,' he said to them, 'my house will be a house of Prayer. But you have made it a den of robbers.'" Jesus was passionate about the temple being a house of prayer, but He was about to revolutionize what that meant entirely. 

In John 14:2, Jesus tells His disciples, "My Father's house has many rooms. If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?" But then in John 14:23, He says something that seems contradictory: "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." 

Wait - is the Father's house in heaven, or is it with us? The answer is yes. 

You Are the Temple 

Here's the revolutionary truth that changes everything: You are the dwelling place of God. If you have received Jesus as your Lord and your Savior, you are now the temple. A walking, breathing, literal temple. 

Paul builds on this in 1 Corinthians 6:19 when he says, "Do you not know that your bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit?" This isn't just poetic language - it's the fundamental reality of what happened at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. 

The Wind of the Spirit 

In Acts 2:1-2, "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting." 

"The Hebrew word for the holy spirit is the word ruach. And the word ruach literally means “wind or breath or spirit." Just as "the ruach of God was hovering over the waters" in Genesis 1:2, ready to birth creation, the Spirit was about to do a new thing in the disciples. 

The Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples, and now every single believer who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior gets the Holy Spirit as a gift, as a down payment. You now have the guidance inside you to lead and direct your life as God sees fit. 

The Church Defined 

So what is the church? It's the place where God dwells with His people. That's what the church is. It's not a name on a building. It's not the size of the building. It's not the amount of property that it has. The church is the place where God dwells with His people. 

There are no neutral encounters with God's people. This is the gathering of the people in whom God dwells. So whether you're at work or at sports or at school or whatever you do, God is literally in you, with you. You are the temple of God. 

Putting It Into Practice 

Live as the Temple You Are: "What would change about your life if you believe that God is dwelling here right now? What confidence would you have? What fear would go away? What would you live out of if you really believed that you were a walking, breathing temple of God?" 

Listen for the Gentle Whisper: When the Holy Spirit comes into your life, there will be a gentle whisper to guide you." Isaiah 30:21 promises, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it.” 

Embrace the Mystery: Like wind, you aren't going to be able to predict Him. You aren't going to be able to understand Him. You are going to be able to follow Him, because He's going to be doing a new thing inside you. 

The church isn't primarily about buildings or programs - it's about God dwelling with His people. And if you've received Jesus as Lord and Savior, that means you're not just going to church; you are the church, wherever you go.  So, go BE the Church. 

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