We were asked to write an essay called “This I Believe” about something that really matters to us, as preparation for this world missions adventure called the World Race. Recently I have had an increasing passion to see the Church move outside of the walls of the church.
In Matthew 6:14 the church is compared a city on the hill. I believe in recent years the Church, or at least the majority of the Church that I have come in contact with, has become a city on a hill with large walls built up around it so that the “light” doesn’t have to face the darkness. We can now attend church services, small groups, and potlucks every night of the week. We can meet other eligible singles through Christian mixers or Christian dating services. We can send our children to Christian schools, Christian camps during the summer, and Christian colleges after graduation. You can vacation on Christian cruises or work for Christian companies. The church is effectively insulating itself from ever having to interact with non-Christians.
When Jesus first mentioned the church, He said to Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). My pastor made an interesting observation recently: gates do not come and attack anything. Gates are stationary. The only way you are overcoming gates is if you are attempting to get in to somewhere. The church is and always was meant to be a church on the move! We are called to seek the captive, the lost, the hopeless and to help them find the way to be reconciled to God through Christ. That is IMPOSSIBLE without being involved in the lives of hurting people. It’s time that the Church moves outside of our Christian communities and our church buildings. Befriend people with other beliefs. Get involved in their lives. Mentor kids. Get involved in politics and community affairs. Tune in to what’s happening around the world and do what you can to make changes in that. It’s time that we started spending less time in the church building and more time being the Church.
