The Church.
When you picture your church, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Hold that thought, and let’s come back.
Under the Old Covenant, God’s presence was associated with a place. First it was the Tabernacle, then the Temple. That was where all the sacrifices were offered. That was where the priesthood ministered. That was where the people gathered to encounter the presence of God. In that sense, the “house of the Lord” truly was a physical location.
But Jesus changed all of that.
When Christ offered Himself as the final sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:10–14), the need for an earthly temple as the center of worship came to an end. At His crucifixion, the veil separating the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom, declaring that access to God was no longer restricted to a sacred room or mediated through an earthly priesthood.
Then came Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit no longer descended upon a building. He came to dwell within believers. The dwelling place of God was no longer made of building material, it became people.
Paul writes, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Peter describes believers as “living stones” being built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). The Church was no longer a destination. It became a living, breathing body of redeemed people carrying the presence of Christ wherever they went.
This is where much of modern Christianity has drifted. We reassigned the church to an address and a building, turning away from the new design that Jesus provided to us.
We speak of “going to church,” as though church is primarily a place. We invest enormous energy into buildings, campuses, and lighting, sound, programs… none of which are wrong in themselves, but they were never intended to become our identity. Buildings can serve the mission, but they are not the mission.
The New Testament never defines the Church by its address. It defines the Church by its people.
The Church gathers in homes. It gathers under trees. It gathers in prisons. It gathers in schools and storefronts. It gathers wherever believers assemble in the name of Jesus. The location is secondary because the presence of God is carried by His people.
When we begin to understand and embrace this, ministry changes.
Instead of inviting people to come to a building to experience God, we become people who bring His presence into our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities. We stop thinking of church as something we attend for an hour each week and begin living as the Church every day.
The early believers didn’t build the Kingdom by constructing impressive facilities. They built it by being faithful wherever they were. They understood that they were the temple of the Holy Spirit, ambassadors of Christ, and citizens of another Kingdom.
Perhaps it is time for us to recover that understanding. Culture was never intended to shape the church, the church was intended to shape the culture.
-Devin
Devin Osborne
The Early Church