What does “Let’s go to church” mean to you? Or “Let’s have church”? What was Jesus’ intention when He said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18, NIV)?

When people say, “Let’s have church,” they’re talking about a service—as in, “We’ve got to go to church once a week.” But that’s not the way God looks at it.

Church is not a building. The church is a group of people. The Greek word is ecclesia—a group of people called out from a larger group to belong to God. They have come together as the family of God, with the same Father, and they’re all fellow members of this group.

What brings us together and makes us part of the church? New birth through Jesus Christ. Being born again, being cleansed of our sin, surrendering our lives to Christ. That’s His church­.

The church is visible but invisible. In local places—Brooklyn, New York, for example—there is a local church, and we can see groups of believers there on certain streets at certain times. But then there’s the invisible church, made up of all the people around the world who belong to Christ. China, Africa, Puerto Rico—the church of Jesus Christ is everywhere.

Colossians 1:18 gives us some insight about Jesus and the church: “He [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church.” Ah, so the church is a body. And Jesus is the head of the body.

The invisible body is made up of members who obey the dictates and directions of the head. A person’s brain can say, “Raise your right hand,” and the person’s hand and arm cooperate to carry out the purpose of his or her brain. The body analogy is important, because it reminds us that Jesus has a purpose for this earth, for His people, and for His honor and glory: to spread the gospel. How is His purpose carried out? Like any person’s is—by His head directing His body.

That’s why the health of a church and the vibrancy of Christians are so important! Who else will carry out the will of God but His body? But how can we carry out His purposes if we’re paralyzed, sick, weak, or undernourished? What if churches are starving or barely hanging on or even dead—no love, no power, no vibrancy? A weak church means that God’s purposes on earth will be hindered.

Here’s another truth: there is only one church. I have one head, but I don’t have three bodies. The church has one head too—Jesus—and He has one body.

We’ve got to learn to appreciate other believers. Every member of the body carries out a different function. Without my hand, I can’t sign a check or a contract. But without my feet, I won’t get to the desk to sign that contract. The hand works with the feet.

The body of Christ works the same way. Not everyone is a preacher, a missionary, a choir member, or a children’s teacher. Not everyone has a gift of prayer or can give large amounts of money. That’s why the Bible says that every member has been put in the church, in that one body, to work together.

There is no black church. There is no white church. There are no denominations. There’s one church, and we’re all in it.

If we really want to grow in our faith and be pleasing to God, we need to appreciate all Christians—even those who didn’t grow up like we did. When I first went into the ministry, I had great disillusionment because I met ministers who, I realized, didn’t care what God was doing anywhere but in their own circles. One minister told me, “Why are you telling me about a pastor in Argentina? He’s not one of us”—meaning his microscopic denomination.

Let’s love and encourage each other more. We’re on the same team. This is not the Patriots, the Bears, and the Rams. We’ve got to work together.

We can make a difference today. Let’s start praying for believers, even those who are not in our groups. Let’s talk less about our own circles and more about Christ and His church and the great things God has in store for us as we love and serve together, lifting up the name of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Lord, we lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world. We pray for those who are not in our groups. Bless their churches, and help us to work as a team for Your glory.

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