May 28, 2010, Acts 17

Key Verse:

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and Earth and does not live in temples built by hands."

(Acts 17:24)

Central Truth:

The Church is not a building. The Church is an assembly of people coming together for the same reason… to worship God.

What is more important to God – church buildings or kingdom building?

Growing up I was enamored with beautiful churches. I loved looking at the large columns, statues, stained glass windows, and altars. I enjoyed looking through books at the library that showed cathedrals across Europe. I even did a 6th grade paper on the Notre Dame Cathedral. In those days, the more beautiful a church was, the more present I thought God was. The beautiful churches were more holy in my immature eyes.

The Greek word for church is ecclesia. Ecclesia is defined as a regularly convened assembly or a body of Christians who come together in a civil community. Isn’t that odd? No columns, statues, stained glass windows or altars? Surely somewhere in this Bible of mine there is a road map to setting up a proper church. You have to have Sunday school, Wednesday night supper, countless committees, and of course you have to have a building.

Upon further review, I realize that there is no mention in the Bible of any of these things. Christians met in small groups in homes. These people, known as followers of the Way, worshipped, prayed, shared, laughed and ate together. These early Christians assembled together with a common purpose. Matthew 18:20 says, "For where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I am with them." The verse does not say where 200 or 300 are gathered, but 2 or 3.

Paul was trying to convey to the Athenians at that time that God was not confined to a building. Paul was turning the world system upside down as he shared the Good News. Paul was not a church builder but a kingdom builder. The people of the day who responded to the call became members of the ecclesia or community of believers.

Piedmont Church is an assembly of Christians who meet in people’s houses (community groups). While we may not have a building that has columns, statues, stained glass windows and altars, we have a gathering of people who share a common purpose – to worship God.