The church ain't...

You can hear it just about every Friday from someone...when asked what they are going to do during the upcoming weekend the reply is, "Well, Sunday I'm going to church!" I hear it and I cringe...I SAY it myself and I drive myself crazy!  Why?  Why do I get so bent out of shape when I say or I hear someone say that they are going somewhere that most people would agree to be a good place?  Simple...because of what the church ain't...
The church ain't...an organization inasmuch as it is a gathering place for groups of believers to worship God together. The church ain't...a meeting place for God, God is all around us and what about Matthew 18:19&20? (look it up!)  The church ain't a nice building with comfortable seats and great ambiance...Jesus preached in houses (Mark 2:1-11), on the mountain (Matthew 5:1), and from a boat to a crowd of people on the beach! (Matthew 13:1-2...very cool by the way) Yeah, sure we need somewhere to gather together...a temple so to speak...but the Acts 2 church consisted of a corporate gathering place (the temple) and then everybody mostly hung out at each others homes!  The church ain't some magical, whimsical place where all of our dreams come true...that would be Disneyland.  And most importantly...THE CHURCH AIN'T DEAD!
For too long we as Christ Followers have been walking around acting as though the church...THE CHURCH is no longer alive...like it is some type of inanimate object or lifeless organization.  WE are the church!  And we don't need a building, a denominational title, a particular doctrine, or a favored translation in order to be THE CHURCH.  Instead we, THE CHURCH need to get back to what God intended to be our first love in one Jesus Christ.  We, THE CHURCH, are His bride (Rev 19:7) and He is coming back one day for His beloved...His church...US!
I realize that many who read this will say, "What's the big deal?" and "So what...I call a building 'church'."  Well, the thing is this...as long as we see ourselves, THE CHURCH as inanimate, lifeless and dead, we will continue to act inanimate, lifeless and dead.  We will continue to miss God sized moments, as a body of believers, that might, if we seize those moments, hasten the return of our Bridegroom.  I, for one look forward to the day the He comes back...not for a building...not for an organization...not for a denomination...but us...THE CHURCH. 
So the next time you're queried about what activities you may be partaking on during the upcoming weekend, remember...we can go to worship, but we have to go as THE CHURCH.  After all...the church ain't a thing or an it...the church is US.