When I was a tiny child, I often sang a little rhyme –
Here is the church and here is the steeple.
Open the doors and see all the people.
The rhyme was meant to amuse a small child for a moment by an elderly great aunt or uncle and made me feel as child feel very loved and accepted by the adults in the room.
It brought peace, comfort, and much love because it often came with a little hug.
Moving forward almost sixty odd years later and as I look at the poem, I see it also set me up for false doctrine and a real misconception of what the Biblical church really is.
Church became somewhere you go as opposed to who you are.
Church was associated with or the very building that housed the people.
The building then became the center, and everyone was encouraged to go to the building.
“Come to my church.”
“Come here my preacher.”
“Our church is so loving.”
“Our church is the only place to get saved.”
But is that what Jesus meant when he said…
New King James Version
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
The word church there comes from a Greek word meaning –
Word Origin: [from a compound of G1537 (ἐκ – among) and a derivative of G2564 (καλέω – called)]
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(properly) a “calling out”
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(concretely) a called out assembly of citizens
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(specifically, of Christ) the community of the Redeemed of Christ whether being on earth or in heaven or both {used only of people, not a location, structure, etc. Of Christ, used only of the Redeemed, not of the unredeemed in their midst}
Did you catch that? Used only of people, not a location or structure.
The truth is that the church is the body of Christ, a group of people callout out of darkness into his marvellous light, Called out of the kingdom of Satan into the Kingdom of God.
HELPS Word-studies
1577 ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, “out from and to” and 2564 /kaléō, “to call”) – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.
When we understand the church is not the building or the steeple, but rather the people; things change, our thinking changes, people then become the most important thing, not buildings or meeting halls or any structure, although having a place that is dedicated to the Lord for worship and fellowship is nice, but it is not the main thing.
The key is the gathering together of those who love the Lord Christ, wherever that may be, in a home, in a library, in a building, online – the place does not matter- what matters is that the called out ones gather together, for worship, for fellowship, for teaching, fulling the New Testament role as an Apostolic church-
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
This question of where and how to worship and how to become a true worshipper of Almighty God is not a new one – the woman at the well asked Jesus that very question…
John 4:19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus very quickly dismissed the place of worship, to the qualifications of the worshipper themselves. He quickly outlined what a true worshipper was… bit where they worshipped.
True worshippers are those who worship Almighty God in spirit and in truth, the Lord even going as far as to seek for those who will worship him in that way.
So, the church, the called-out ones, the ones the Lord is seeking for are those who will worship him in within their spirit – their very life , breathe and being- going beyond mental assent but down deep past their souls into the depths of their spirit; and they will do it with reality and facts and truth.
Their relationship with the Almighty begins with who he is – as Jesus declares – God is a Spirit – that eliminates, all false gods, man made idols, crystals, etc. what ever man may worship and adore.
It starts with knowing who God really is, what is his character like, who is he?
It is impossible to worship and adore an entity you do not know.
So many people try to make the Lord into an entity of their own making, but the only way to know him to find out about his character, his attributes and what the truth is, starts with the book he authored, the Bible. It is in those sixty-six books we see the revelation of who he is, from the creation of the world, until he sits on the throne at the end of the ages, the Bible reveals this invisible, spirit to us,
Truth is bound up in the pages of the Bible.
True worshippers start there, reading and finding the Lord who is not just Spirit, but life itself, a God who is love, who is a consuming fire, who is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present. A saviour who knows you intimately, knows your thoughts, your fears, and your pain and who longs to comfort you with his presence and fill you with his spirit. Who longs to take away your loneliness and sorrow and share your life with you.
If you would like to begin the journey to become a true worshipper and then join with other worshippers – feel free to start here with one of the many online Bible studies or join a local Bible study with those who worship him in spirit and in truth.
It only takes two or three souls who want to worship the Lord in spirit and truth.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
Start by knowing who God is…
