What is church?
After asking myself this question many times this is my answer: Church is not a building, nor is it one hour you take out of every Sunday to listen to a pastor speak. We are the church, and being the church is not an obligation but a privilege. We don’t have to wait until Sunday to be the church of Christ. Sunday just happens to be the day we get together. This past Sunday I attended a church service that truly moved me.
It was a church without walls. This church didn’t have beautifully painted walls or high ceilings. It was outside underneath an overhang from the neighboring building. Our chairs were the same plastic chairs we use for meals; and the only thing that separated us from the bitter cold of the South African winter were steel bars meant to keep out thieves. This church convened wherever possible. Nothing gave any resemblance of a church, or at least what we might think church is in America.
It was a church without segregation of race or denomination. The preacher was a visiting pastor from Korea. The sermon was translated from Korean to English and then English to the native African language. In a country that has suffered much in racial segregation, there seemed to be only love among these people. 80% of the people were black and about 19% were white, along with the 3 visiting pastors from Korea. This church didn’t have a label of any denomination. It wasn’t Baptist, Methodist, or any other type of denomination. It was a gathering of those who believe in Jesus Christ. A church that reasoned with the bible and not according to the praise of man. A church that renounced that is was “their church” but said that it was God’s church. An unwavering church that gave all praise to God. A church without religion of man – but religion that God teaches us to have. James 1:27 “Religion that God the father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” This was a church of love and acceptance.
It was a church of worship. I began to weep within the first minute of worship. There was no background music playing from a cd. There were no musical instruments. There were only the voices of God;s people. I don’t have words to explain this sound but it might have been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. I will say that the people of Africa praise God with all their mind, heart, and spirit. They sang, they danced, they waved back and forth. They seemed free of what anyone might think of them.
It was a church of fire. The service was anything but lukewarm. The first thing that was said was, “We are a church of passion. We believe what is written in the Bible. We speak in tongues. We pray and believe in God’s miracles. We hold to God’s truth.” And so it was during the service. There was no hesitation in praying for miracles and many spoke in tongues, including myself and many of my teammates. After 2 hours into the sermon I realized that this was a church not bound by time or schedule. They seemed to care more about God then their own lives. The pastor from Korea had been to over 36 countries on a crusade spreading God’s word and then found himself in South Africa. It was a privilege to hear him speak.
This is a short film a couple friends of mine made during their visit in Mozambique 6 weeks ago. It’s not South Africa but it’s the church!
