Each time I hear someone talk about the Church, the Body of Christ, my spirit gets excited. I believe the Church is a community of believers and not a building. In the New Testament the word ecclesia is the Greek word for church. The Church was never defined as a place of meeting or of worship, but as believers and saints.
The early church assembled together in different places. The Bible says that every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. They came together in the temple courts and went from house to house, and never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 2:46; 5:42). All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had so that everyone had “all things in common”. (Acts 4:32).
That sounds like community to me. A community is defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
Author and speaker Graham Cooke had this to say in a message titled “The Church Has Left the Building.” “We have to leave the building to engage the rest of the world.” “For too many people, church is just something that happens every now and then on a Sunday.” “The Good News deserves to be told, shared, and personified every single day.”
He poses several thought provoking questions: What does church mean to you? Is it a place you go every Sunday? Is it a place you constantly go as a tradition?
In today’s chaotic world we should reflect more of God’s love and grace to a hurting generation. As Christians we are to be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (Philippians 2:2).
So what does it mean to be “likeminded”? Let’s unpack the Scriptures and find out.
The phrase “likeminded” appears in the King James Bible in 3 passages; Romans 15:5; Philippians 2:2, 2:20:
Romans 15:5 says, “may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,”
Philippians 2:2 says, “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
In Philippians 2:20, Paul was referring to Timothy when saying “I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.” Timothy shared the same mindset when caring for the welfare of Church.
Believers in Christ should be likeminded, having the same spirit, of equal soul. 1 Peter 3:8 says, “all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”
Saints, this is the Church of Jesus Christ. We are called to be likeminded towards one another and others to be a blessing so that we may inherit a blessing.
We are called to be of the same mind and live in peace. When we do Scripture says the God of love and peace will be with you. In our relationships with one another, we should have the same mindset or attitude as Christ Jesus.
We should put no confidence in the flesh. The Apostle Paul counted everything he had gained in this world as loss for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. Nothing compared to gaining Christ and knowing the power of His resurrection. We are to follow Paul’s example.
Saints, we are the Church. We are to be one with Christ. We are one body with many members (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27). We may have many different flavors. Yet we are a part of His body the Church and should reflect love and grace wherever we go. Church is the life of Jesus on display through His people. We are to be the Church in our homes, churches, communities and nation.
Blessings!
Dr. Francine is an ordain minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has a radio broadcast called “Going Beyond Church” on World Power Gospel Radio (WPGR). You can listen live by phone 712-775-8151. Connect with Dr. Francine on Facebook at @afrancinegreen as well as on Twitter @beyond_2017. Visit her website at http://www.beyondchurchwalls.com.
BEYOND CHURCH WALLS 