Why Church Is More Than Just Sunday Service
Why do some people avoid church like it's filled with impossible hoops to jump through? A simple survey of our neighborhood in 1992 was eye-opening. Nobody said, “I don't go to church because I don't believe in God,” or “I don't like Jesus." Instead, their responses were primarily social barriers: you have to dress in a certain way, or you have to sit on hard pews, or you have to like old fashioned music, or you like to endure guilt, guilt trip sermons, or you have to pick a denomination.
Community: Loving Those Disconnected from God
Just as God called Peter to Caesarea and Paul to Macedonia, God has strategically placed each church. In Acts 5:20, when an angel freed the apostles from jail, he said, "go to the temple and take your stand and tell the people everything there is to say about this life."
We are the local branch office of the Kingdom of God. Whether meeting in the mall theater or thirteen other locations before our current facility, God gave us each place at the time for where he wanted us to be located, with a challenge to reach the community around us.
Paul and Silas demonstrated this beautifully in Philippi. Even when "unjustly thrown in jail," they were "singing hymns to the Lord" at midnight (Acts 16:25). When an earthquake freed them and the jailer asked, "what must I do to be saved?" they replied, "believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:30-31).
Notice that final word, household or "oikos," meant the whole extended family, including grown kids and grandkids and also the people that work for you. Our evangelism strategy should focus on relational connections, the people you know at work, the people at kids’ sports or friends’ clubs.
Community: Loving God's Family
God wanted a family. That's why you're alive, because God wanted a family, and God wanted you to be a part of it. As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:15, family "is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth."
Four Keys to Living in God's Family
Choosing to Belong. The church is not something you go to. Church is something you belong to. It's a family. As Ephesians 2:19 says, "now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God's very own family."
Sharing. Acts 2:44 tells us "all the believers met together in one place and shared everything.” They had two things: they met together and they shared. Real relationships require intentional time together.
Partnership. God didn't bring you to this family to just sit and soak in the spiritual spa. God brought you here to make a difference. As Ephesians 4:16 explains, "He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow."
Loving Like Family. The deepest level of love is found in 1 John 3:16: "We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters."
Putting It Into Practice
At the end of their life, no one ever asked to see their trophies one more time or the awards that they've won or to see their diplomas. They only asked for one thing. Bring me my family and friends. Don't wait for a crisis to realize that loving God and loving people is what is all of what life is all about.
Reflection
What "hoops" have you created, consciously or unconsciously, that might make it difficult for disconnected people to find their way to God through you?
Are you truly belonging to God's family, or are you just "going to church"? What's the difference in your own life?
Who has God placed in your "oikos" (household/extended circle) that needs to hear about Jesus through your relational connections?
When you think about the end of your life, what matters most, your accomplishments and trophies, or your family and friends? How should this reality change how you live today?
Application
This week, take one concrete step toward deeper community:
For those disconnected from God: Identify one person in your relational network (work, kids' sports, neighborhood, etc.) who doesn't know Jesus. Instead of inviting them to "jump through hoops," simply be present in their life and look for natural opportunities to share God's love.
For God's family: Choose to move beyond just "going to church" to truly belonging. This might mean joining a life group, volunteering in ministry, or committing to meet regularly with another believer for mutual encouragement and growth. Remember: you can't develop meaningful relationships without making time to meet together and share.
Challenge yourself: Make time at least twice this week for significant relationship-building with someone in God's family. Whether it's through Bible study, lunch, working out together, or simply being present during someone's difficult time; choose partnership over isolation.
Prayer
God, thank you for wanting a family and choosing me to be part of it. Help me to stop creating unnecessary barriers that keep people from finding their way to you. Show me the people in my "oikos" who need to experience your love through me. Give me the courage to truly belong to your family, not just attend church. Help me to love like family, with sacrificial love that sticks together through the long haul. Remind me that loving you and loving people is what life is all about and use me as part of your Kingdom work right where you've placed me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
