We were in the Shan villages prayer walking and we are told that a believer wanted to meet us. An 80 year old woman! Precious as can be! She invited us to a "BBQ" at her house the following night. After dinner the next evening we got all our warm clothes on and headed over there. We all gathered into her house (picture dirt floor, house made of bamboo and almost like a bamboo stage per say that everyone got on to sit) and sit down talking and enjoying everyone's fellowship. We ate some sticky rice, sang a few worship songs, pastor shared a word and then the older woman asked Dave to play some more on the guitar. Dave played some fun songs…. Like Taylor Swift! We got here dancing to T. Swift!! It was so awesome!! We had so much fun with her.
This is what God said to me…. That is what "church" looks like! That's what Paul talks about in Acts! The body of Christ coming together to fellowship and worship together. It's not about how nice or big the building is. It's not about which denomination you go to. It's not about who has the better music or preaching. As Americans, we make all those little silly things matter so much! The only thing that matters is Jesus Christ!! If you're getting fed and are having fellowship with other believers in someone's basement or dirt floor house GREAT!
Look at the book of Acts. Thats how God intended it to be! Believers coming together in homes, intimate settings worshiping our God. These people will get persecuted if they have a church building but foreigners come in and try to build a church. The church is already there! The church isn't a building it's the people! The Bible says to go to all the nations discipling and baptizing them not building church buildings. We should be building church but relationally! It's so hard to understand that when you haven't seen or experienced what we did but this was already something God had on my heart.
If you haven't read Radical by David Platt I challenge you to do so and read it along with the book of Acts and see how God intended the church to be. We get so caught up in denominations let me share something with you on that note…. God is NOT going to ask you what denomination you came from!! When the body of Christ figures that out and figures out that the church isn't a building….. WOW! I don't care if you are catholic, baptist, pentecostal, charismatic, methodist or any other denomination we are ALL part of the BODY OF CHRIST and we NEED to learn to love and accept each other despite our differences! We still love Patriot and Cowboys fans, right?! I'd say that's the same thing.
That night in the village with the community, I grew more in Christ and He filled my cup! He showed me more of Him and broke my heart MORE for what breaks His. It breaks his heart when we treat his other children, your brothers & sisters like crap! Remember that next time you criticize someone who's theology is not that much different. When we realize that doesn't matter is when more lives will come into the Kingdom and THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!!
When our team and/or squad has "church" we worship openly and for however long we feel the Spirit. Sometimes that looks like a message, sometimes it looks like singing, sometimes it looks like laughing, sometimes it looks like hands raised, sometimes it looks like tears falling from your face and MOST of the time we are either outside, in a tent, in the kitchen, in the back of a truck and RARELY are we ever in a church building. Why? Because we are the church and all that matters is that we are together worshiping our God.
Just something I've been chewing on for some time and something that has been heavy on my heart. Remember what really matters. Remember what God sees and not what we see. Remember to check your heart.
