“The Church is Not the Building”

I can’t count how often I’ve heard the saying. “The church is the people, not the building.” The *usual* meaning of that saying being that we don’t need a building to define who we are. After all, the Bible defines that for us.

This statement holds some weight in its own right. Still, I think we often act like we are only members of the church while in the building. We know that the Church is not the building. But if that is the case, then why do we only do holy things while in the building?

Remember that 1 Peter 1:15 calls us to be holy as the one who called us is holy. That does not give the parameter of “within the walls of the church building”. It calls YOU personally to be holy. Holiness extends beyond Sunday mornings. We know that faith certainly does too.

Faith isn’t something we switch on for worship and off for the rest of the week. Real faith walks with us into Monday morning traffic, into Wednesday night stress, and into Friday afternoon temptations. It shows up in how we treat our spouses. It reveals itself in how we speak when no one is watching. It is evident in how we react when things don’t go our way.

If we confine our faith to a pew, we’ve missed the point of being the Church. The early church in Acts didn’t just meet together- they lived their faith. Day by day, house to house, they praised, prayed, shared, and served (Acts 2:46–47).

You are the Church. Not just when you walk in the door, but when you walk out. So carry Christ with you. Let the holiness of Sunday shape the way you live on every other day. 

Written by: Mason MacDonald