The Scary Church

One of the greatest victories the devil has accomplished is for us as believers to understand church in the context of a Sunday gathering at a designated time in a designated building. Such a view is a comforting notion, but more than comforting, it is crippling.

This week I missed my morning class of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (pajama wrestling) so I decided to attend the afternoon class instead. In the last four months I have come to appreciate my morning class and all those who have attended it with me. We are all fairly new to the sport and as a result I have been doing quite well, at least in my own mind. As I walked into my club the walls were familiar, but the setting was not. The class was made up primarily of experienced fighters, listening to offensive rap, each one sporting their own quite large version of body art and using moves I had never learned. I had accidentally stumbled out of my comfort zone and entered a world I was not familiar with. My initial thought was that I wished I had not come. Then it dawned on me...these guy's need Jesus too! What a profound, complex and intelligent thought! The only shame was that it wasn't an obvious and immediate thought. So while I trained with my new found comrades I kept in mind that I am a part of the church and as the such, I am here to represent it and represent the one we serve.

Although I do believe a weekly meeting of believers is critical for every Christian, I do not believe church works like a light switch which we simply turn off when we leave the building. We need to exit the comfortable, cozy church we are accustomed to and enter the dark, uncharted waters of the scary church. The church that takes place wherever we are and wherever someone is in need of Jesus Christ. This week take the time to accidentally stumble out of your comfort zone and experience the scary church, the one that happens beyond our walls.