In this blog, I write a lot about the church. My comments are mostly critical.
This isn’t because I hate the church. It’s because I love the church. Really I do. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t bother to point out how church could be better.
The church often falls short of what it could be, short of what it should be. Our Father deserves more, Jesus desires better, and the Holy Spirit is poised to help us make it happen. It is, after all, God’s church, not ours.
We comprise the church that Jesus started—not our buildings, denominations, programs, or procedures.
People are the church. For many folks this requires a changed perspective.
Consider three short verbs: go, do, and be.
Most people talk about going to church. It’s something they accomplish each week. They go, spend an hour, and leave. They check off their “go to church” box for the week. Then they’re done.
Some people talk about doing church. They want to do church in a different way. I appreciate their vision; I applaud their zeal. They strive to put meaning and purpose back into the habit of attending church.
They are moving in the right direction, but they stop short.
A few people talk about being the church. They want to be the church to the world around them. To be the church, they form a community to worship God and serve others.
They function as the church. They are the church Jesus started. And they’re the church I love.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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