(UPDATED!)
This morning as I was doing stuff I had two pictures of the church.
The first was of a square building. A building much like the one you probably go to work in. Square. Big. This represents the Church (big C). The current goal of most churches (small c) is to grow bigger. So the building gets bigger and bigger. Like this
In order to build bigger and better, it is always necessary to have more and more levels of organization and authority.
In archeology it is possible to estimate the type of culture that was present, by looking at the things that were built by the people.
For example, nomadic people (or hunter-gatherers) didn’t build wheat storage buildings, because it was impractical for them. But on the other hand small settled communities needed them and built them.In a community where everyone knows each other there is no need for a newspaper or a law court, but cities need both of them.
Small communities cannot build pyramids, that takes a central command with great power to influence the people to do the hard work.
So in order for the church (small c) to hold 500 people, then 1000, then 6k, then 20k… the lines of responsibility had to become clearer and clearer. Roles had to be clarified, steps followed and problems fixed. This evolved into Excellence theology.
It was necessary in order to build the incredible buildings that have brought self-esteem and identity to Christians around the world, and some level of respect to what Christians can achieve when they pull together in a single direction.
But this morning I saw a different image. I saw the Church (big C) and how it all needs to begin to be viewed. Each floor of the Church (big C) moves independently, guided by Jesus Christ/Holy Spirit. The church (small c) is a layer in this big system, it doesn’t control all the other layers – that’s God’s job!
In this way God can position each layer in different ways, each serving it’s own purpose. Each denomination (Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Protestant, whatever) is also a floor moving independently around the central focus of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The central connection between them all is the gospel, or God’s will, or the Kingdom of God, or Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit – depending on your view. All of it is the Church (big C) and the church (small c) is one level in the entire thing. Home groups, cells, informal meetings.
It’s all about getting people into fellowship <– great bible study ready to be printed off!
Whether you have a building or not, it doesn’t really matter.
If you meet in a home, or if you are in marketplace ministry, you may be focused on building even larger buildings or focused on the 7 Mountains strategy – all are floors in the Church, which we may or may not approve of.
It’s all a floor in the grand design, each positioned by Him, each with it’s own part to play, with it’s own strategy, own style, own revelations (subject to the central Jesus is the Christ revelation), each with it’s own flavor.
At the moment the money seems to be hoarded on one floor of the entire building, but that needs to change, because we are called to give into the Kingdom. No floor can be intolerant of the other floors, each must accept the other’s existence and help out where we believe they are moving in the right direction.
Sometimes I encounter a “Christian” who I believe is doing harm, I don’t go out of my way to resist that person or run them down to other people, I just don’t help that person.
Our callings on each floor are all different. Some churches do evangelism, some people do prophecy, some movements are mainly pastoral/healing/people oriented. Some home groups are insular, exclusively focussing on the restoration of their existing members. Some cell groups reach out to new people through common interests – like bible study or home crafting.
Each floor has it’s place. Remember that each floor is a part of a body, each rotating independantly. Not all are one identical body part. This structure has many parts – and He is the head. 
Filed under: Church, Prophecy , christian, Christianity, Church, Jesus Christ, Prophecy
