{"id":27176,"date":"2021-05-10T14:48:26","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T20:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/?p=27176"},"modified":"2023-08-29T11:29:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:29:11","slug":"building-beautiful-churches-for-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baonline.cog7engage.net\/building-beautiful-churches-for-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Beautiful Churches for Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Building Beautiful Churches for Jesus: Why the post-COVID church must redefine itself and its mission.<\/p>\n

Once upon a time a local church decided to build larger facilities to accommodate its rapid growth. It was a wealthy church, so it spent lavishly in making sure the new campus was the finest in town.<\/p>\n

Building program complete, an auspicious dedication event was convened. The keynote speaker was a former senior pastor who had national name recognition, which drew community and media attention.<\/p>\n

But as he arose to deliver his message, the appearance of a giant hand high above the stage\u2014as in Belshazzar\u2019s feast in Daniel\u2014brought everything to a standstill! In large bold letters, as if for all the world to see, it wrote, NOW, BUILD ME A CHURCH!<\/p>\n

Try to imagine the private thoughts of some of the elders and deacons at that moment. Build you a church? We just did, to the tune of millions of dollars!<\/p>\n

The Building is not the Church<\/h3>\n

This underscores the moral of the story: the building is not the church.<\/p>\n

For too long we\u2019ve unwittingly equated \u201cchurch\u201d with our places of worship, evidenced by what we say as we head to our buildings\u2014\u201cI\u2019m going to church.\u201d<\/p>\n

But COVID-19 is forcing Christians to recognize that the church is separate from its facilities and that the church can, in fact, exist without them!<\/p>\n

Notwithstanding, church buildings do serve important functions, among them being the facilitation of the gathered community of believers, which cannot be fully substituted by virtual meetings.<\/p>\n

We therefore celebrate those churches blessed with beautiful buildings, often a reflection of sacrificial giving and much labor of love.<\/p>\n

People Building<\/h3>\n

Yet, at the end of the day, we must reckon with the fact that the church and its buildings aren\u2019t one and the same. After we\u2019ve built our finest facilities, we must give ourselves to the important work of people building.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”We must give ourselves to the important work of people building. – Whaid Rose” via=”no”]<\/p>\n

This highlights an overlooked principle in the book of Nehemiah. Because \u201cthe people had a mind to work\u201d (2:18) the building project was completed in just 52 days (6:15)! Yet, the book continues for seven more chapters.<\/p>\n

The additional chapters record Nehemiah\u2019s investment of himself in the lives of God\u2019s people<\/a>, addressing issues of faith, morality, justice, and much more. In short, Nehemiah\u2019s story is as much about building people as it was about rebuilding walls.<\/p>\n

Pour into Others<\/h3>\n

It is also noteworthy that in his three-plus years of public ministry Jesus never started an organization nor built a building. He simply poured Himself into a small band of disciples who later became the catalyst of a movement which remains the largest religion in the world 2000 years later!<\/p>\n

For these first century believers, \u201cchurch\u201d was not defined by buildings, but by lives radically transformed and committed to seeing that same transformation in others through the power of the gospel.<\/p>\n

Therefore, as the pandemic thrusts unprecedented change and disruption upon us, including the way we worship<\/a>, this is a good time for the church to redefine itself and its mission to a world in desperate need of healing and hope.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”This is a good time for the church to redefine itself and its mission to a world in desperate need of healing and hope. – Whaid Rose” via=”no”]<\/p>\n

Christ in the World<\/h3>\n

So for starters, the church must see itself as the visible presence of Christ in the world. Jesus no longer lives on earth in bodily form, except through the church. This is one of the reasons the church is such a necessary part of the economy of grace: the invisible Christ needs a visible body!<\/p>\n

As Christ\u2019s Body on earth, the church is to reflect Jesus\u2019 heart for our broken world<\/a>. His mission to \u201cpreach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and set at liberty those who are oppressed\u201d (Luke 4:18-19) must become ours.<\/p>\n

Agents of Reconciliation<\/h3>\n

We are to raise up churches committed to rebuilding \u201cwaste places\u201d and being \u201crepairers of the breach\u201d (Isaiah 58:12); churches that will dare to \u201cdo justice and love mercy\u201d (Micah 6:8); churches which are agents of reconciliation<\/a> (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).<\/p>\n

In summary, \u201cWe\u2019re called to be agents of God\u2019s redemptive work among broken lives in a fallen world.\u201d<\/p>\n

This comes from Gary Haugen, founder of the International Justice Mission, a global organization which ventures into some of the darkest places on the planet to rescue and protect the poor and defenseless from violence and exploitation.<\/p>\n

As a result, Haugen understands the brokenness of our world better than most, which informs his view of the church\u2019s mission. Reflecting on how the pandemic has magnified the world\u2019s brokenness, Haugen further asserts that \u201cThe people of God are most what they\u2019re meant to be when the world is least what it\u2019s meant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the Church’s Finest Hour!<\/h3>\n

That being true, this is the church\u2019s finest hour! Artios\u2019 vision of \u201cequipping leaders for a vibrant 21st<\/sup> century church\u201d has never been more critical. And the meaning of the word \u201cequip\u201d in the original Greek must be fully grasped.<\/p>\n

\u201cKatartizo,\u201d a combination of \u201ckata\u201d and \u201cartios\u201d which means to heal or restore a broken bone, speaks to the kind of ministry so desperately needed in our fallen world.<\/p>\n

This old Chinese proverb speaks to this principle: \u201cWhen planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for a lifetime, train and cultivate people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul likely had the same thing in mind when he penned Ephesians 4, commonly called the equipping model of discipleship.<\/p>\n

So let us heed the handwriting on the wall by building something beautiful for Jesus. Truth is, Jesus is building His church; we get to be partners with Him. In that capacity, let us rise and build churches that are agents of transformation, all for love\u2019s sake, at such a time as this.<\/p>\n

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