You Don't Need a Building

"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." — Acts 2:46 

What makes a church a church?

The first church didn't even have a building. Where did they meet? They met in the temple courts and in the open air. They also met in small groups in their homes. They had communion and fellowship with one another in their homes. They were experiencing connectivity.

Let me tell you something important: The church is not a building. The church is people. You are the church. When you gather together, that's church—whether it's in a cathedral, a living room, a coffee shop, or under a tree.

During COVID, many churches discovered this truth all over again. We couldn't meet in our buildings, but we were still the church. Ministry still happened. People still came to Christ. Lives were still transformed.

The Bible tells us that the early believers were worshiping and praising the Lord. There was joy in their midst, and they could not wait to get together as often as they could. They didn't need fancy facilities. They didn't need professional sound systems or comfortable seating. They just needed each other and Jesus.

We've become so dependent on buildings that sometimes we forget what church really is. We think we need the right space, the right technology, the right atmosphere. But the early church had none of that, and they turned the world upside down.

I'm grateful for our church building. It's a tool that helps us gather and serve. But never confuse the tool with the reality. The building is not the church. You are the church.

This means you can do church anywhere. In your neighborhood. In your workplace. In your home. Wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus' name, He is there. That's church.

Don't wait for the perfect building or the perfect program to start ministering to people. You are the church right now, right where you are. Gather people. Share Jesus. Break bread together. Worship. That's what the first church did, and they didn't have a building.

The church is people on mission, not bricks and mortar. Never forget that.