When we look at how society defines church today, so many things can be said about it. Many people define church as a religious experience that happens on a weekly basis, while others think of church as a universal organization that is on a mission to tell us what we can and can't do.
Reading Matthew 16:18 today, I realized one thing that every person in church should realize. The scripture says, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
What really caught my attention first was the phrase "I tell you." What this tells us is that society, experts and even pastors can have different views of what churches stand for, but in the end, it is God's opinion and definition of the church that matters most.
We can label church all we want, put a denomination name, make fun of the belief systems, consider the community as a group of closed-minded bigots, but God has said that only He can place a defining label on the church.
What has God told us about the church? He defines the universal church -- the whole body of Christ -- as a powerful and vibrant church that not even hell itself could overcome. What an amazing picture of the church God has given to us.
There is only one problem: Not every church feels the vibrance. Thousands of churches close every year due to the lack of finances, decreasing attendance or bad leadership. Is this the vibrant and powerful church that God called us to be?
One reason, perhaps, why so many bodies lose their meaning is they forget the short note given before the description. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus also declares, "on this rock I will build my church." It is Jesus that builds and grows churches. The problem is that so many pastors, leaders and members are convinced that people build churches.
Leaders are convinced that it's their systems that build churches or their leadership styles that build churches. As important as these things are, they cannot build vibrant and powerful churches that can overthrow hell. Only Jesus can do that.
Paul couldn't have said it better than he did in 1 Corinthians 3:6: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." God brings growth. Our only job is to honor and obey Him.
And what has God commanded us to do? He makes it clear in Luke 10:27: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
God makes churches grow. Our job is to honor him with the gifts He has given us and to love one another. It may sound too simplistic, but God never meant for church to be complicated. Yes finances, ministry work and church services are important, but not as central as the call to love one another.
