CHURCH IS NOT HERE

One of my teachers back in the secondary school saw me as I drove out of a supermart. He told me that he had sent one of the men in the church office to me. I wondered why. He then told me the reason.

We have a huge banner in front of our church location that says, “Church is not here”. He wanted us to remove it. I smiled and explained to him why it was there. He was not the only one who had challenged me.

I asked him some simple questions: Sir, do people fornicate in a church building? He said, “That would be terrible”. Do people fornicate in their homes or rooms? “He said, “Yes”. I asked again, “Do the same people who would not fornicate in the church building fornicate in their personal spaces?”

Then I threw the challenge- “Why do people honour a building much more than their body? Is our body not meant to be the temple of God?”

Friends, we need to challenge ourselves to holiness. Church buildings are great. We will build great ones. However, it must not turn us into mere religious folks. God does not dwell in temples built with hands.

It is a shame to see a man who would say to his wife in the church, “I would have beaten you if not that we are in church. If you try this same thing at home”. He has forgotten that he is the church.

It is annoying to see instrumentalists, choir members, ushers and deacons who would appear so righteous in the wedding service begin to run after alcohol at the wedding reception. What would we say about the bars patronised by ordained deacons?

Friends, whatever you cannot do in a church building should not be practised in your private space. In the Garden of Eden, Eden was home for Adam. Eden was an office for Adam. Eden was Church for Adam. There was no line.

Your work is worship. Your home is worship. Your academic journey is an act of worship. If you see all you do as an act of worship, it will change a lot of things.

As you drive on the street, it is an act of worship. Never raise your voice in anger while your patience is tested. Your wedding reception is worship. You must remain as sensitive as you were in the prayer meeting. It is not just one day of your life- it is a day of worship.

Worship is not just weekend and midweek service and you don’t have a separate mind called “Church Mind”. Be conscious of His presence all days of the week. Live as the temple of God.

Prayer is not just limited to Sundays. Your worship is not limited to a day. Our trouble and compromise begin the moment we separate our worship from our living.

Everywhere you go, you need to carry an invisible sticker on your heart saying, “Church is here”. When you see the sick, lay hands on them. When you see a brother, break the bread of encouragement. When you see a sinner, share the good news. When you are stuck in traffic, show patience. When you have a conflict with your spouse, settle in love. When you are tempted to take alcohol, remember that you are the church.

Your life is worship- it is not limited to a building.