WEEK THREE: DON’T GO TO CHURCH

Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of serving with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at their Outdoors Camp in the role of chaplain to the coaches. On one morning, I shared with coaches a reminder to look for the campers on the fringes—those kids that didn’t seem to quite fit in or were staying away from larger groups of campers as they moved from activity to activity. Later that day, I observed one coach walking up the hill from the creek in a deep conversation with one of the campers. As they walked past me the coach stopped and said, “Thank you for sharing what you shared this morning. That boy I was talking to is one of those fringe kids. He’s a really cool kid. We’re going to start spending some time together.” Even though the boy was part of the camp like all the other kids, he was still an outsider (or at least felt like one). It was that one coach who took my words to heart who was going to make a difference now in that kid’s life. Unfortunately, this kind of situation is way too common. People show up for things but even though they are present, they can remain outsiders living on the fringes of the group.

Now if you take the title for this week at face value, you may be going, “YES! Now I can sleep in on Sundays!” But that isn’t the point. The point is that we are not called to just show up on a Sunday to check off our “church box.” The point is that Church is not about going to a location. It is not about songs, or a liturgy, an order or a tradition. It is about being the Church and not just going to church. It is about living out what Jesus modeled. It is about welcoming everyone who attends, looking for those on the fringes, and inviting them to be part of what is happening. It is about extending the love of God to each person who shows up at one of our services.

The Church (with a capital C) is not a building. It is every person who believes in Jesus. It is a movement of grace and love that requires two things. First, it requires commitment. And second, it requires community.

In Acts 2:42-47, we read that the believers “devoted themselves” to several things. This means that this was not an optional part of their lives. They were committed, and they showed up and participated in these things. They devoted themselves to gathering, learning, worshipping together, and praying. And they committed themselves to being in community with one another. In verse 44, it says, “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” They committed their time, their talent, and their treasures to support each other and to be present in each other’s lives. So, what was the outcome of all of this?

In verse 47, it says, “they enjoyed the goodwill of all the people, and each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”  The outcome of their commitment was that this movement had become attractive to those on the outside… those on the fringes.

The Church is the hope of the world. We have what no one else has. We can offer what no one else can offer. We can share and show God’s love to a broken world, but it requires commitment (like the Church in Acts 2). We are all invited to participate. You belong! Invite others along. Look for those watching on the fringes and welcome them in. Just like that coach found out, they may just be a “pretty cool kid.”