Church

The word church is charged word for many people. For some it is an institution of hypocrites who have a "holier than thou" complex. For others it is a building to come to on Sunday mornings and sometimes during the week. For a few bright individuals it is a community of believers living and struggling together in Christ.

It is this last group of people I want to talk about. I have a hard time focusing during sermons at church, and I know I'm not the only one with this problem. It is not normally because I am tired, or that I disagree with what is being said, but it tends to be more that what is being presented is nothing new and nothing that challenges me. I am a thinker, and I am pretty quick to get an idea, assimilate it and then move on. So often I've moved through a sermon in the first five or so minutes and zone out. I've become convinced that many churches have become like our schools, (teaching to the slowest person). I won't go into how much that upsets me but it does, and it bores those who need more. With this being said, I can get the message and zone out and not really miss much... But that isn't the point of worship is it? The church is not something that you go through the motions, learn a little bit each Sunday and go home until the next spoon-fed-Sunday. That is what many worship services seem like to me.

However recently I have been attending Austin Stone Community Church. This church gets it. They don't have their own building, nor do they need one (though they are looking at moving to one, but that is a different story for a different time). This group of Christians are living the Church in such a way we all should be living. Now you could make the argument that they have Chris Tomlin as a worship leader, or they have a great pastor, but you would be wrong. Chris Tomlin is leaving to plant a new church, and while the pastor is good he would be the first to admit that he is not the best. So why is this church so special, and why has it exploded to the point that they need to hold four full services on Sunday to accommodate everybody who comes. Simply put the community reflects Christ every single day of the week. These people are different and it only takes one service to understand what I mean. When the pastor gets up to preach, it is like an idol you didn't ever know you had just got up to teach you something. The sermon is real, and challenging, and applies to your daily life. I have no problem paying attention when the pastor at Austin Stone speaks because I know I am being challenged to greatness, and that is a rare challenge these days.

With this challenge to greatness the community has become great in itself without realizing it. Their love of Christ is shown through their actions and community. I have probably said it before but people are attracted to greatness. If you look at other churches that have become gigantic it is not that they have the best music or the best pastor or the best building but because the people see greatness, and they want to be a part of that greatness. The power of Christ is great and when people are held to that expectation, encouraged to strive for that greatness, they will reflect the greatness for which they strive. When Christ's greatness is reflected amazing things happen. And when a community reflects Christ's greatness as one the world changes.