Our idea of church has never been what we would call religious or limited in any way but during this past year our idea of church has been completely challenged and even changed. Having travelled to many nations to minister and having had ‘church services’ in a number of venues other than church buildings including muddy fields, schools, tents, community centres, cafes and prisons we never thought we had a limited view on what church could look like. This year there have been a number of valid reasons why we have not been able to attend many Sunday services at the local place we gather. We have often preached on the woman with the issue of blood and about how Jesus will break through every religious tradition and protocol just to reach the one, that Jesus would do mind blowing, even what some would call crazy things, just to share life with people, to see them have an encounter with Him that brings transformation. We’ve never not believed this, both our conversions were pretty radical and out of the box. But during this year even though we have not attended the local church much we have shared the gospel with so many people that you probably would never see inside a church building. We have had the honour to share Jesus with people on football pitches, at parties, in salons, grocery stores, in our homes, in hospitals, just in strange yet ordinary places. We have shared with parents, grandparents, young people, children, Doctors, Nurses, shop workers, just everyone and anyone. It has been amazing as we have seen the presence of God invade places and see people begin to look around asking ‘what’s that, I can feel something’. We have walked out at times saying to one another ‘Did that just happen?’. We are not in any way suggesting that the local church is not needed, of course people need a place to gather and in fact the local church is needed in the community more than ever before! We don’t believe we should get rid of local church or stop attending, please don’t hear something we aren’t saying. All we are saying is that our mindset has been challenged and changed. What if we really allowed ourselves to do what Jesus would do? What if we broke through mindsets, tradition, protocol, religious stuff and just see what would happen? Imagine if we lived like He did, we would have church everywhere we go. In Matthew 28 we read the great commission –
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that Jesus said ‘Go’, maybe we need to be the ones that make the move and actually be church on the go. At times we sit and wait for people to come but we are realising that there is a way to have church outside the tradition of a service. That if we really are the church on the go we can have church in action in everyday normal life just like Jesus modelled for us.
Excellent article that’s what we’ve been doing racing for the past 20 years. More people need to understand that God has laid out a giant field for us to plant seeds, water and harvest in our everyday life. If you’re willing he will open up the opportunities. Thanks again for the article