Which Church Are You?

One of the things many people do each Sunday is “go to church.” This has been something that has taken place for over 2000 years, once the shift was made to “go to church” or attend worship on Sundays as a result of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul makes the statement about giving in the “church” and says that we should do so “upon the first day of the week” which is actually Sunday. I believe the body of Christ is due for a paradigm shift in its thinking concerning “church” as we understand it, because going to church is not what we do; being the church is who we are! When Jesus was talking with His disciples one day, He asked them in Matthew 16:13, “…Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” The disciples responded in verse 14, “Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.” He then went on to ask them in verse 15, “But whom say ye that I am?” It was then that Simon Peter responded in verse 16, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Once this revelation came to light, Jesus talked about the formation of the church when He said in verse 18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” What was Jesus talking about here? It would appear to me that the Lord was not referring to a building where people assemble, but rather the people who would come to the knowledge of who He is that assemble in the building. He was talking about building His church on the “rock” or “foundation” of the knowledge that He (Jesus) is the Son of God and that those who confess Him as Lord and Savior would be known as the “church.” So the question I believe we need to ask at this point is “what is the church?” The word church comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” and is defined as “a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both).” I like the think of the church as the “called out ones” or those who have been removed from the “wages of sin” and have gone “out of darkness and into His marvelous light.” It’s not a building, but a living, a lifestyle, a way of life for those who have accepted Jesus the Christ as Lord and Savior. One day soon, Jesus is coming back for His church, the church that He purchased with His own blood, and we need to ask ourselves the question, “will I be ready when He returns?” and if so, “Which Church Are You?”