Friday, October 04, 2019

How Much Stuff Does a Church Need?

(Downtown Monroe)

David Platt visited a small church that meets in a house. Fifty people were crammed into the tiny space.

Platt writes about how moved he was, and concluded, "This is the kind of church that can change the world!" ("In a Tiny House on a Remote Mountainside, I Saw the Church as God Designed It.")

Platt writes:

"This church has so little of the things you and I think about when it comes to church in our culture. They don’t have a nice building. They don’t have a great band. They don’t have a charismatic preacher. They don’t have any programs. They just have each other, God’s Word in front of them, and God’s Spirit among them. And, apparently, that’s enough.
I wonder if that would be enough for us. I wonder if that would be enough for me. Would you and I be content with belonging to a community that is simply committed to seeking God, loving each other, and sharing the good news of God’s love with the world around us no matter what it costs us? Isn’t this the essence of the church according to God’s design?
As I sit in the middle of this family of brothers and sisters on this remote mountainside, I can’t help but think of how easy it is to get caught up in so much extra stuff in the church that we miss the essence of who God has called us to be and what he has called us to do."