And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
—Acts 5:42

Often, when we say or hear the word “church”, some think of a building with domes and spires, with icons, benches and priests inside. Others, more modern, think of the Sunday meeting they regularly attend, and of various ministries with all kinds of ministers. I’m not against all these organisations, but the problem is that they are a certain system. The most interesting thing is that everything begins wonderfully. Revival. A move of the Spirit. Revelations. Healings. Manifestations of miracles and of God’s power, but then over time it all fades. Watch the film Luther and see how it all began, and compare it with today’s Lutheran Church. It is no different from the Catholic Church that Martin Luther fought against in his time. Read about Smith Wigglesworth, a pioneer of the Pentecostal movement, about the miracles and signs he walked in, and compare that with today’s Pentecostal church. Why is that? Because a church built on the church, and not on Jesus Christ, even if it all begins with the best motives and a powerful move, will end up as leavened dough [Mat.13:33].

“So should we stop going to church altogether?” My aim is not to tell you where to go or not to go, but to change our thinking, so that we see the church the way Jesus sees it. The church, as it is written, is not a building, not a meeting, not a ministry, but His body [Eph.1:23]. And when two or three gather in His name, then, as the Lord said: “I am there in the midst of them” [Mat.18:20]. And where He is, there is His body. Very often, unfortunately, even charismatics, who consider themselves modern Christians, have the idea that they meet God on Sundays, or when they go to a service. There they behave “in a special way”. In the rest of their free time the Lord is left on the sidelines. If we did not separate our everyday life from the church we attend, but saw — not just in theory but in reality — that the Lord is really with us in all our affairs, our everyday life would turn into church, and everything we do into ministry. At a picnic with friends we would talk not only about politics or sport, but also about the new revelations the Lord has given. We would share the wonderful things He has done in our lives lately.

Look at the first church: “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” [Act.5:42]. “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart” [Act.2:46]. Every day they talked together about Jesus. Once again — EVERY DAY! I’m not talking about going around “imposing” on others or, as it is nobly called, “witnessing” about Jesus in order to bring more people into church. The point is that when your heart overflows with His love and forgiveness, it is simply impossible to stop you from talking about the One you love. For he who is forgiven much loves much. [Luk.7:47] I remember when some believing friends came to our home to see in the New Year, we of course talked, had fun, played games and so on, but in the morning, as they were leaving, the sister said: “I had such an interesting feeling. We hardly talked about God today, but even when we were playing board games, it felt as though the Lord was among us in that too. How is it that with you His presence is felt in everything?” I didn’t even know what to answer her. We don’t go in for any special practices. I would even have said: “But how can you live without Him? He is our life!”

Many believe that the church was born on the Day of Pentecost, when God sent His Spirit. The problem with this interpretation is that we don’t see Jesus in it. He is somewhere far away, in heaven. In fact the church, like Eve, was created from the rib, or side, of Jesus, the last Adam, when the soldier pierced His side with a spear. After His resurrection, every time the disciples gathered or walked along the road to Emmaus, Jesus appeared to them. That is the church. Two disciples are walking and talking about Jesus, and the Lord joins them and opens their eyes to His glory. No buildings, no meeting on a set day and time, no particular ministry, but His disciples gathered around the Lord, to look at Him, to feed on Him, to enjoy Him, and to behold His indescribable simplicity, greatness and glory!