• Have You Seen The Church?

  Contributed by Mark Eberly on Aug 4, 2008 (message contributor)

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  Scripture:  None

  Tags:  Church Body Of Christ

  Denomination: Church Of God

HAVE YOU SEEN THE CHURCH?

These early Church of God people also used another phrase, "I saw the church." They might ask, "Have you seen the church?"

Now a lot of you know that I didn't grow up "going to church." And I certainly didn't grow up attending a Church of God congregation. So when I first read this expression, which wasn't until seminary, I thought it was curious. It was strange. But I also like it because I knew what they meant.

They were talking about community. They were talking about seeing the church not as a building or even as an event on Sunday morning but seeing the church as a people who are completely and totally with nothing held back surrendered to God and Jesus. Have you seen the church? The true church? Have you seen the church as a people, not even as they are; have you seen them in the way that God's sees them and God intends us to be?