If we are the church...
Can one man really make a difference? I wonder if Martin Luther asked himself this question before he nailed his papers on the door of the church. Over the past several years the Lord has put a message in my heart for the church. I love the church and don’t want to be critical, but as I’ve considered this message, I truly believe it is from God. As a result, I have decided to nail it to the door of our modern church by sharing it with pastors, church leaders and people who might be difference makers, and here online.
For those who received Martin Luther’s message, those who were open minded and willing to ask questions, Luther’s words took root in their hearts and empowered them to change their world. It is with this same hope that I share my thoughts. These pages do not contain a sophisticated theological work but simply pose a few practical questions primarily about how we “do church”. These questions will perhaps be like seeds sown into the hearts of those who are open minded, who are really looking for God, that they might be empowered to somehow bring change to the current state of our church and to our world.
The questions posed herein are built around the foundational truth that the people are the church. In our religious culture we sometimes refer to the building in which we meet as “the church”. However, it is commonly understood that “the church” is really the people who attend the meetings that take place in our buildings. The premise of this message begins with the simple truth that “the people” are “the church”, and “the church” is “the people”. With this in mind, several questions arise about how we currently do “church”, especially regarding our congregational meetings. Perhaps it is time we considered redefining what we do in our modern congregational church services.
If we are the church, why do we go to a building to do church?
The mindset reflected in this question suggests the belief that there is a spiritual activity that takes place once a week, held in a particular building, that represents our activity as the “church”. If the people are the church, wouldn’t we be the church every day of the week? Not just for one day on the weekend in a congregational service?
If we are the church on Sunday, what about on Monday? Tuesday? and Wednesday?
The current paradigm of our corporate service is that we have corporate worship or song service and a corporate word or sermon. However, is this what we typically do as the church on Monday, or Tuesday? Here is another good and very important question: How does our Sunday activity prepare us to be the church on Monday? How does our corporate song service and sermon prepare us to be the church on any weekday? Does it really? If we had no preconceived plan, no traditional service order to follow and we asked God, “What could we do in our congregational meeting that would use our time together in the very best way to prepare the people to be the church 7 days a week?” Would God’s response reflect our normal congregational service?
If we are the church, shouldn’t Monday be like Sunday, or perhaps Sunday be like Monday?
Isn’t Monday about living the Christian life, walking with God, loving Him and following the leading of the Holy Spirit? Should Sunday be any different? The truth is that if we changed the Sunday morning meeting from a song service and a sermon to something else, a lot of people might be uncomfortable. As leaders we have conditioned people to expect a program on Sunday, one they consider and call “the church service”. If the normal church service was changed, some congregants might even be upset because their customary expectation would not have been met. Yet the question remains, if we are the church, isn’t being the church about being in the Presence of the Father and following the leading of the Holy Spirit? Is what we are doing on Sunday causing people to learn how to be in the Presence of God and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, or is it to have an expectation of a song service and a sermon? Following the leading of the Holy Spirit is not about doing the same thing in the same way every time. It is not about a ritual, a rut or a program. Yet most of our church services never vary from one Sunday to the next.
If we are the church, are we the church on some days but not on others?
Some would argue that Sunday is to be set aside as a corporate time of refreshing, a corporate time of encouragement, a time of rest from our labor. Is the normal activity of the church on Monday and Tuesday, etc., suspended on Sundays? Are we not the church on Sunday like we are on Monday? I am not against coming together for corporate worship, corporate refreshing, or a corporate word. In fact, I love these things and believe each has a place in our weekend meetings and our every day lives. We should worship every day, be refreshed and in the Word daily. Our activity as the church should not be different on Sunday than it is on a weekday, nor should it be different on any weekday than it is on Sunday.
If we are the church, isn't Sunday our time to be fed?
Isn't the weekend congregational service supposed to be about feeding the flock? Many congregants echo this viewpoint, “Isn’t church supposed to be about what I get out of it?” Now if we are the church and the church is the same everyday, and if on Sunday the mindset is “what can I get out of it?”, doesn’t such a mindset produce a mentality on Monday that life is about “What do I get out of it?” What do I get from the church? How do I get fed? The purpose of our Christian life becomes “How do I get fed, what do I get out of it?” It is a very selfish and self focused mindset or mentality. However, the Kingdom of God is about Jesus and others. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself." Those are the 2 greatest commandments. Neither one is about putting ourselves first. Yet we foster a mentality on Sundays, in our corporate meetings and gatherings, that puts people first. Is the Christian life primarily about giving or receiving? Does our weekly church service better prepare us to receive or to give?
If we are the church, what about Sunday being our day of rest?
One might ask, “Aren’t we supposed to rest on Sunday?” Again, is life supposed to be different on Sunday? The scripture does speak of a day of rest from our labor and work. Is that really talking about resting from being “the church”, or from the job we have? What about the concept that one day per week is set aside for the Lord? If Sunday is a day set aside for the Lord, are the rest of the days meant to be lived for ourselves? Don’t we belong to the Lord every day? We are called to be living sacrifices not just on Sunday. We are supposed to be the church everyday. So the question is, if we are the church, what does the church look like on Monday and Tuesday and how does our corporate meeting on Sunday prepare us to be the church every other day of the week?
So many questions: Are there answers?
If we the people are the church that should mean something. How can we say we are the church if we go to a building to do church? How can we say we are the church if we don’t do the same thing on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday, etc? Does the church change on Sunday? Are we the church everyday? If we are the church on Sunday does that mean that we should do the same things on Sunday that we do everyday? Does that mean that every other day we should do the same things we do on Sunday? There are many questions. Here is another. If someone does something on Sunday that they don’t do every other day is that hypocritical? What if Sunday is the only day I stand and lift my hands and sing a worship song to the Lord? If that is the only day of the week I worship and honor Him, am I doing so because of a program rather than something I do because of who I am? If we are the church, shouldn't there be something in us that defines who we are and produces what we do every day?
Is the activity of the church the same as the Sunday activity of an organization, or is the activity of the church the everyday activity of the people? We talk about church activity and we think about organizational activity like church picnics, training sessions, gatherings and meetings, worship and choir practice. If however, we are the church, real church activity is about what we do all week long at our jobs, at our workplace, at stores, at restaurants, in our home, as we recreate, and when we are with our neighbors.
If we are the church, why do we sit and watch?
Unfortunately, the church has produced a spectator mentality where we can go to a building on a Sunday and we can watch a program. We can sit in our seats, or occasionally stand, and watch a few select individuals carry out the activity of the service. If we spectate on Sunday, does that not produce a people who spectate on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday? Church becomes like a spectator sport. Being the church on Monday and being the church on Tuesday is very interactive. It is something we do, not something we watch. Yet for some reason the religious organization that we call church, leads us in programming where we basically sit in big rows of chairs, watch and listen while someone tells us what we are suppose to do. Surely there is a place for teaching, but there should also be time for doing. Surely every time we get together God is not saying to us, “Have a song service and a sermon.”
What if on a given Sunday we spent 45 minutes as a congregation praying for the needs of one family and ministering eternal life to just one family? We could, on the other hand, listen to a teaching that we will have mostly forgotten by the following Sunday. Which is closer to the heart of God? These are the kinds of question we should be asking, "What does God want us to do when we come together as a congregation of believers? What can we do while we are together that best equips and prepares us to be the church on Monday, on Tuesday and on Wednesday? Is it a song service and a sermon?"
If we are the church, what about worship?
Here is another good question, “What is worship?” I am sure there is a proper theological definition, but I don’t think one is necessary for our purpose here. Perhaps we could just use a simple definition that for the church, the concept of worship is the wide range of activity having the goal of glorifying, honoring, praising and exalting God and Jesus Christ. I think everyone could agree that there is much more to worship than just singing songs. Worship is a much broader topic and a much broader subject than just singing songs. Why is it then that in our worship service all we do is sing songs? If worship is more than just singing songs and we want to have a worship service then why do we only sing songs? Why do we call singing songs a worship service instead of just a song service? Most churches would feel like we are demeaning their worship service if we just called it a song service. But if all we do is sing songs, why not just call it a song service? Why don’t we read scriptures during that portion of the service? Why don’t we make declarations during that portion of the service? What else do we do that glorifies the Lord? How about praying for the sick? How about stepping out in faith following the leading of the Holy Spirit? Does that not honor God? Does that not bring Him praise? We sing songs written by people we don’t even know. We read the words off of a screen or out of a book. How about a new song that comes out of our own hearts? Which is more meaningful to Him, that we would sing a song written by someone we don’t know, read off a page, or somehow out of our own heart we respond to His Spirit? Why don’t we have opportunities for that in our worship services? Why are we simply leading songs? And why are our songs so important that we couldn’t stop a song right in the middle if the Holy Spirit moved, because the song and the singing itself has become so sacred? Is our congregational service about our programs or about the Lord?
If we are the church, what should be the focus of worship in the congregational service?
Speaking of worship, It seems there are different levels of church worship. The first level is all about the people what they can get out of it. “I love to be in the presence of the Lord,” can actually be a very selfish phrase because “I” is at its center. Some people love to worship God because of the good feelings they get when they worship, which is actually very self focused and really about what people get out of worship and time with God. In the next level of worship, the focus is on singing worship songs. The danger here is that worship becomes the primary goal. Songs are good but they are only a means to an end, because the goal of our worship should be intimacy with the Father and experiencing the meaningful and tangible Presence of God. Finally, the last level is real worship. It is beyond singing. In this level we may be singing a worship song and the presence of God seems to move on one line of the song. We are able to sing that one line of the song over and over again for as long as the presence of God seems to be moving, because God is the most important thing. What is the Holy Spirit doing? What is God saying? What is Jesus saying and how does Jesus want to move? In this level of worship the presence and moving of God is most important to us and the song or other worship activity is just there to serve as a medium for the moving of the presence of God. The focus of all we are doing becomes what God wants to do and is doing.
If we are the church, what is in God’s heart for us?
Do you know what is in God’s heart? It is love. God loves people. God loves to minister to and bless His children. When we draw near to the heart of God we will want to love and minister to people. If we were to ask this simple question, “God, what would You like to do today?” I believe we would find out what God likes and what is on His heart. His answer would be about ministering to, loving and touching people. As a result, in our corporate times of congregational gathering and worship services, if God’s desires are going to be fulfilled, there is going to be a lot of ministering to people. It is interesting to note that the activity of ministering to people is where the above discussion about the levels of worship in church life began, with a group of people coming together wanting to be ministered to. The difference here is that what was once motivated by selfish desires, is now coming from the heart of the Father.
If we really understood the Father’s heart we would understand that God not only loves his children, He loves to work through his children. The love of God flowed through Jesus and touched people. Jesus taught his disciples to allow God to work through them. It is difficult to think of a time in the Bible when God released His power or ministry, that He did not choose in some way to work through one of His children. We could just ask God to touch people’s lives, but the truth is God prefers to work through His children.
If we are the church, what should be in our heart?
God desires for His Kingdom to be released on the earth. His heart is full of love and His power is available to change peoples lives. What happens when our hearts become attuned to his heart, and we are willing to serve his needs? Then as an individual my focus is no longer on myself. My focus is on the Father and giving myself away to fulfill not my desires, but His desires. Because God loves us and wants to work through us, our hearts should be consumed with the question, “How does God want to work through me today? How can I give myself to love others and meet other people’s needs?” Isn’t that the kind of mindset that we are to have as the church on Monday and Tuesday? What about on Sunday? How have we structured our time of corporate meetings to facilitate God's desire to work through His children?
Why do we do the same things and expect different results?
I grew up in a culture where it was acceptable to ask questions. Questions are like keys that unlock wisdom. Without questions there are no answers, no revelation. I believe it is okay to ask questions, or to question the establishment or to ask why we do what we do? Sometimes the traditions of our church services become simply religious rituals that have no meaning yet we continue to perform them because they have become comfortable and traditional for us. Even the nontraditional or nondenominational church has its own traditions. Basically, there is a song service and a sermon with the ministry of the Holy Spirit sprinkled in there somewhere, and generally the same thing is done every time we come together as a congregation. The church today is looking for revival. Yet we carry on in our traditions. Do we really believe that if we just continue doing the same thing week after week, that one day we will see a different result? Surely we are deceived if we believe that one day God will show up in a different way and revival will break out. Are we waiting on God or is God waiting on us? I understand waiting on God is a biblical principle. “Blessed are those who wait on the Lord.” The disciples were commanded to wait at Pentecost for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They were commanded to wait. Our command is “go ye therefore and make disciples”. So my question is, why are we waiting? Why are we doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Why are we waiting on the Lord, hoping that maybe someday in the middle of our routine He will break in and bring revival?
What if there is a better way for the church to have church?
What if we didn’t do anything in our church services that we could not do on Monday or Tuesday night with our family, or with our neighbors in our own living room at home? What if our congregational services were about entering into the Presence of the Lord through singing songs, declaring His Word, honoring God, speaking out His praises and the many other components of worship? What if our focus was on His heart, on loving and ministering to each other and then just following the leading of the Holy Spirit? Because these are things we can do on Monday. In fact this is what we are supposed to do all week long. Living in the Presence of God and following His leading is how we are supposed to be the church every day.
What about an interactive experience, led by the Holy Spirit, focused on how to release God’s heart and Kingdom?
What if instead of a song service and a sermon our weekly congregational service was more like an interactive clinic, led by the Holy Spirit, focused on releasing God’ heart and Kingdom? I understand that so many churches these days are structured in a way that the only contact leaders have with the people is the congregational service. Many small churches only have a Saturday night or Sunday service, with very little traditional church programming. Also many people are so busy they can only find time to take their family to church once a week. As a result, we do our very best in our weekly meetings to give congregants the boost they need to make it through the week until they come to church again. But what if this is not the best way to equip our congregations to be the church? Is there a better option?
What if when we came together we created the opportunity for people to have an interactive experience focused on how to walk with God? What if instead of trying to tell people how to live, we showed them and gave them opportunities to experience God in real practical ways? This is how you follow the Lord. This is how you learn to listen to the Holy Spirit. This is how you learn to release the gifts that are in you. This is how you participate with God. This is how you worship. This is how you minister to others. This is how you live on Monday because you are the church. Walking with God is not a spectator sport. Being a Christian is about participating. What if there was a different mentality in the church? I will ask it again, what if the church service was more like an interactive clinic, led by the Holy Spirit, on how to release God’s heart and Kingdom?
If We Are The Church….
Some might not have the spiritual framework to grasp this message. I understand. Some in the pew might not even care. This word is not written for them. It is written for those who have a heart for God, for the church and for its people, and for leaders who make decisions about what we do in our congregational meetings and those who are willing to be the voice of influence in the church. I have come to believe that we are the church, and that we don’t go to a building to do church if the church is the people and the people are the church. The weekend service should be a “we” service. It should be about the people, not the organization of the church or geared towards fulfilling organizational purposes. The church service should be a time where we do the same things we have done all week long, except in the weekend service we experience the Presence of God and follow His leading along side many other believers. We are the church!
Can one man really make a difference? I share this word with you in hope of planting a seed that will make a difference in today’s church. I believe one person can make a difference. And I am praying you are that one!
God bless you,
Larry Wheeler
Your comments are appreciated. Also, please send this link, ifwearethechurch.org, to others who might be difference makers!
Can one man really make a difference? I wonder if Martin Luther asked himself this question before he nailed his papers on the door of the church. Over the past several years the Lord has put a message in my heart for the church. I love the church and don’t want to be critical, but as I’ve considered this message, I truly believe it is from God. As a result, I have decided to nail it to the door of our modern church by sharing it with pastors, church leaders and people who might be difference makers, and here online.
For those who received Martin Luther’s message, those who were open minded and willing to ask questions, Luther’s words took root in their hearts and empowered them to change their world. It is with this same hope that I share my thoughts. These pages do not contain a sophisticated theological work but simply pose a few practical questions primarily about how we “do church”. These questions will perhaps be like seeds sown into the hearts of those who are open minded, who are really looking for God, that they might be empowered to somehow bring change to the current state of our church and to our world.
The questions posed herein are built around the foundational truth that the people are the church. In our religious culture we sometimes refer to the building in which we meet as “the church”. However, it is commonly understood that “the church” is really the people who attend the meetings that take place in our buildings. The premise of this message begins with the simple truth that “the people” are “the church”, and “the church” is “the people”. With this in mind, several questions arise about how we currently do “church”, especially regarding our congregational meetings. Perhaps it is time we considered redefining what we do in our modern congregational church services.
If we are the church, why do we go to a building to do church?
The mindset reflected in this question suggests the belief that there is a spiritual activity that takes place once a week, held in a particular building, that represents our activity as the “church”. If the people are the church, wouldn’t we be the church every day of the week? Not just for one day on the weekend in a congregational service?
If we are the church on Sunday, what about on Monday? Tuesday? and Wednesday?
The current paradigm of our corporate service is that we have corporate worship or song service and a corporate word or sermon. However, is this what we typically do as the church on Monday, or Tuesday? Here is another good and very important question: How does our Sunday activity prepare us to be the church on Monday? How does our corporate song service and sermon prepare us to be the church on any weekday? Does it really? If we had no preconceived plan, no traditional service order to follow and we asked God, “What could we do in our congregational meeting that would use our time together in the very best way to prepare the people to be the church 7 days a week?” Would God’s response reflect our normal congregational service?
If we are the church, shouldn’t Monday be like Sunday, or perhaps Sunday be like Monday?
Isn’t Monday about living the Christian life, walking with God, loving Him and following the leading of the Holy Spirit? Should Sunday be any different? The truth is that if we changed the Sunday morning meeting from a song service and a sermon to something else, a lot of people might be uncomfortable. As leaders we have conditioned people to expect a program on Sunday, one they consider and call “the church service”. If the normal church service was changed, some congregants might even be upset because their customary expectation would not have been met. Yet the question remains, if we are the church, isn’t being the church about being in the Presence of the Father and following the leading of the Holy Spirit? Is what we are doing on Sunday causing people to learn how to be in the Presence of God and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, or is it to have an expectation of a song service and a sermon? Following the leading of the Holy Spirit is not about doing the same thing in the same way every time. It is not about a ritual, a rut or a program. Yet most of our church services never vary from one Sunday to the next.
If we are the church, are we the church on some days but not on others?
Some would argue that Sunday is to be set aside as a corporate time of refreshing, a corporate time of encouragement, a time of rest from our labor. Is the normal activity of the church on Monday and Tuesday, etc., suspended on Sundays? Are we not the church on Sunday like we are on Monday? I am not against coming together for corporate worship, corporate refreshing, or a corporate word. In fact, I love these things and believe each has a place in our weekend meetings and our every day lives. We should worship every day, be refreshed and in the Word daily. Our activity as the church should not be different on Sunday than it is on a weekday, nor should it be different on any weekday than it is on Sunday.
If we are the church, isn't Sunday our time to be fed?
Isn't the weekend congregational service supposed to be about feeding the flock? Many congregants echo this viewpoint, “Isn’t church supposed to be about what I get out of it?” Now if we are the church and the church is the same everyday, and if on Sunday the mindset is “what can I get out of it?”, doesn’t such a mindset produce a mentality on Monday that life is about “What do I get out of it?” What do I get from the church? How do I get fed? The purpose of our Christian life becomes “How do I get fed, what do I get out of it?” It is a very selfish and self focused mindset or mentality. However, the Kingdom of God is about Jesus and others. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself." Those are the 2 greatest commandments. Neither one is about putting ourselves first. Yet we foster a mentality on Sundays, in our corporate meetings and gatherings, that puts people first. Is the Christian life primarily about giving or receiving? Does our weekly church service better prepare us to receive or to give?
If we are the church, what about Sunday being our day of rest?
One might ask, “Aren’t we supposed to rest on Sunday?” Again, is life supposed to be different on Sunday? The scripture does speak of a day of rest from our labor and work. Is that really talking about resting from being “the church”, or from the job we have? What about the concept that one day per week is set aside for the Lord? If Sunday is a day set aside for the Lord, are the rest of the days meant to be lived for ourselves? Don’t we belong to the Lord every day? We are called to be living sacrifices not just on Sunday. We are supposed to be the church everyday. So the question is, if we are the church, what does the church look like on Monday and Tuesday and how does our corporate meeting on Sunday prepare us to be the church every other day of the week?
So many questions: Are there answers?
If we the people are the church that should mean something. How can we say we are the church if we go to a building to do church? How can we say we are the church if we don’t do the same thing on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday, etc? Does the church change on Sunday? Are we the church everyday? If we are the church on Sunday does that mean that we should do the same things on Sunday that we do everyday? Does that mean that every other day we should do the same things we do on Sunday? There are many questions. Here is another. If someone does something on Sunday that they don’t do every other day is that hypocritical? What if Sunday is the only day I stand and lift my hands and sing a worship song to the Lord? If that is the only day of the week I worship and honor Him, am I doing so because of a program rather than something I do because of who I am? If we are the church, shouldn't there be something in us that defines who we are and produces what we do every day?
Is the activity of the church the same as the Sunday activity of an organization, or is the activity of the church the everyday activity of the people? We talk about church activity and we think about organizational activity like church picnics, training sessions, gatherings and meetings, worship and choir practice. If however, we are the church, real church activity is about what we do all week long at our jobs, at our workplace, at stores, at restaurants, in our home, as we recreate, and when we are with our neighbors.
If we are the church, why do we sit and watch?
Unfortunately, the church has produced a spectator mentality where we can go to a building on a Sunday and we can watch a program. We can sit in our seats, or occasionally stand, and watch a few select individuals carry out the activity of the service. If we spectate on Sunday, does that not produce a people who spectate on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday? Church becomes like a spectator sport. Being the church on Monday and being the church on Tuesday is very interactive. It is something we do, not something we watch. Yet for some reason the religious organization that we call church, leads us in programming where we basically sit in big rows of chairs, watch and listen while someone tells us what we are suppose to do. Surely there is a place for teaching, but there should also be time for doing. Surely every time we get together God is not saying to us, “Have a song service and a sermon.”
What if on a given Sunday we spent 45 minutes as a congregation praying for the needs of one family and ministering eternal life to just one family? We could, on the other hand, listen to a teaching that we will have mostly forgotten by the following Sunday. Which is closer to the heart of God? These are the kinds of question we should be asking, "What does God want us to do when we come together as a congregation of believers? What can we do while we are together that best equips and prepares us to be the church on Monday, on Tuesday and on Wednesday? Is it a song service and a sermon?"
If we are the church, what about worship?
Here is another good question, “What is worship?” I am sure there is a proper theological definition, but I don’t think one is necessary for our purpose here. Perhaps we could just use a simple definition that for the church, the concept of worship is the wide range of activity having the goal of glorifying, honoring, praising and exalting God and Jesus Christ. I think everyone could agree that there is much more to worship than just singing songs. Worship is a much broader topic and a much broader subject than just singing songs. Why is it then that in our worship service all we do is sing songs? If worship is more than just singing songs and we want to have a worship service then why do we only sing songs? Why do we call singing songs a worship service instead of just a song service? Most churches would feel like we are demeaning their worship service if we just called it a song service. But if all we do is sing songs, why not just call it a song service? Why don’t we read scriptures during that portion of the service? Why don’t we make declarations during that portion of the service? What else do we do that glorifies the Lord? How about praying for the sick? How about stepping out in faith following the leading of the Holy Spirit? Does that not honor God? Does that not bring Him praise? We sing songs written by people we don’t even know. We read the words off of a screen or out of a book. How about a new song that comes out of our own hearts? Which is more meaningful to Him, that we would sing a song written by someone we don’t know, read off a page, or somehow out of our own heart we respond to His Spirit? Why don’t we have opportunities for that in our worship services? Why are we simply leading songs? And why are our songs so important that we couldn’t stop a song right in the middle if the Holy Spirit moved, because the song and the singing itself has become so sacred? Is our congregational service about our programs or about the Lord?
If we are the church, what should be the focus of worship in the congregational service?
Speaking of worship, It seems there are different levels of church worship. The first level is all about the people what they can get out of it. “I love to be in the presence of the Lord,” can actually be a very selfish phrase because “I” is at its center. Some people love to worship God because of the good feelings they get when they worship, which is actually very self focused and really about what people get out of worship and time with God. In the next level of worship, the focus is on singing worship songs. The danger here is that worship becomes the primary goal. Songs are good but they are only a means to an end, because the goal of our worship should be intimacy with the Father and experiencing the meaningful and tangible Presence of God. Finally, the last level is real worship. It is beyond singing. In this level we may be singing a worship song and the presence of God seems to move on one line of the song. We are able to sing that one line of the song over and over again for as long as the presence of God seems to be moving, because God is the most important thing. What is the Holy Spirit doing? What is God saying? What is Jesus saying and how does Jesus want to move? In this level of worship the presence and moving of God is most important to us and the song or other worship activity is just there to serve as a medium for the moving of the presence of God. The focus of all we are doing becomes what God wants to do and is doing.
If we are the church, what is in God’s heart for us?
Do you know what is in God’s heart? It is love. God loves people. God loves to minister to and bless His children. When we draw near to the heart of God we will want to love and minister to people. If we were to ask this simple question, “God, what would You like to do today?” I believe we would find out what God likes and what is on His heart. His answer would be about ministering to, loving and touching people. As a result, in our corporate times of congregational gathering and worship services, if God’s desires are going to be fulfilled, there is going to be a lot of ministering to people. It is interesting to note that the activity of ministering to people is where the above discussion about the levels of worship in church life began, with a group of people coming together wanting to be ministered to. The difference here is that what was once motivated by selfish desires, is now coming from the heart of the Father.
If we really understood the Father’s heart we would understand that God not only loves his children, He loves to work through his children. The love of God flowed through Jesus and touched people. Jesus taught his disciples to allow God to work through them. It is difficult to think of a time in the Bible when God released His power or ministry, that He did not choose in some way to work through one of His children. We could just ask God to touch people’s lives, but the truth is God prefers to work through His children.
If we are the church, what should be in our heart?
God desires for His Kingdom to be released on the earth. His heart is full of love and His power is available to change peoples lives. What happens when our hearts become attuned to his heart, and we are willing to serve his needs? Then as an individual my focus is no longer on myself. My focus is on the Father and giving myself away to fulfill not my desires, but His desires. Because God loves us and wants to work through us, our hearts should be consumed with the question, “How does God want to work through me today? How can I give myself to love others and meet other people’s needs?” Isn’t that the kind of mindset that we are to have as the church on Monday and Tuesday? What about on Sunday? How have we structured our time of corporate meetings to facilitate God's desire to work through His children?
Why do we do the same things and expect different results?
I grew up in a culture where it was acceptable to ask questions. Questions are like keys that unlock wisdom. Without questions there are no answers, no revelation. I believe it is okay to ask questions, or to question the establishment or to ask why we do what we do? Sometimes the traditions of our church services become simply religious rituals that have no meaning yet we continue to perform them because they have become comfortable and traditional for us. Even the nontraditional or nondenominational church has its own traditions. Basically, there is a song service and a sermon with the ministry of the Holy Spirit sprinkled in there somewhere, and generally the same thing is done every time we come together as a congregation. The church today is looking for revival. Yet we carry on in our traditions. Do we really believe that if we just continue doing the same thing week after week, that one day we will see a different result? Surely we are deceived if we believe that one day God will show up in a different way and revival will break out. Are we waiting on God or is God waiting on us? I understand waiting on God is a biblical principle. “Blessed are those who wait on the Lord.” The disciples were commanded to wait at Pentecost for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They were commanded to wait. Our command is “go ye therefore and make disciples”. So my question is, why are we waiting? Why are we doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Why are we waiting on the Lord, hoping that maybe someday in the middle of our routine He will break in and bring revival?
What if there is a better way for the church to have church?
What if we didn’t do anything in our church services that we could not do on Monday or Tuesday night with our family, or with our neighbors in our own living room at home? What if our congregational services were about entering into the Presence of the Lord through singing songs, declaring His Word, honoring God, speaking out His praises and the many other components of worship? What if our focus was on His heart, on loving and ministering to each other and then just following the leading of the Holy Spirit? Because these are things we can do on Monday. In fact this is what we are supposed to do all week long. Living in the Presence of God and following His leading is how we are supposed to be the church every day.
What about an interactive experience, led by the Holy Spirit, focused on how to release God’s heart and Kingdom?
What if instead of a song service and a sermon our weekly congregational service was more like an interactive clinic, led by the Holy Spirit, focused on releasing God’ heart and Kingdom? I understand that so many churches these days are structured in a way that the only contact leaders have with the people is the congregational service. Many small churches only have a Saturday night or Sunday service, with very little traditional church programming. Also many people are so busy they can only find time to take their family to church once a week. As a result, we do our very best in our weekly meetings to give congregants the boost they need to make it through the week until they come to church again. But what if this is not the best way to equip our congregations to be the church? Is there a better option?
What if when we came together we created the opportunity for people to have an interactive experience focused on how to walk with God? What if instead of trying to tell people how to live, we showed them and gave them opportunities to experience God in real practical ways? This is how you follow the Lord. This is how you learn to listen to the Holy Spirit. This is how you learn to release the gifts that are in you. This is how you participate with God. This is how you worship. This is how you minister to others. This is how you live on Monday because you are the church. Walking with God is not a spectator sport. Being a Christian is about participating. What if there was a different mentality in the church? I will ask it again, what if the church service was more like an interactive clinic, led by the Holy Spirit, on how to release God’s heart and Kingdom?
If We Are The Church….
Some might not have the spiritual framework to grasp this message. I understand. Some in the pew might not even care. This word is not written for them. It is written for those who have a heart for God, for the church and for its people, and for leaders who make decisions about what we do in our congregational meetings and those who are willing to be the voice of influence in the church. I have come to believe that we are the church, and that we don’t go to a building to do church if the church is the people and the people are the church. The weekend service should be a “we” service. It should be about the people, not the organization of the church or geared towards fulfilling organizational purposes. The church service should be a time where we do the same things we have done all week long, except in the weekend service we experience the Presence of God and follow His leading along side many other believers. We are the church!
Can one man really make a difference? I share this word with you in hope of planting a seed that will make a difference in today’s church. I believe one person can make a difference. And I am praying you are that one!
God bless you,
Larry Wheeler
Your comments are appreciated. Also, please send this link, ifwearethechurch.org, to others who might be difference makers!