Acts 2:47

When we read about Jesus 'adding to the church those which were being saved', I am convicted and convinced that we have forever misinterpreted that - mostly unintentionally - to fit our own 'view' of 'church'; an unhealthy view that revolves around a brand and a building.

For my entire upbringing, we have equated salvation with our brand... I would suggest that when Dr Luke recorded the events surrounding pentecost, he was not talking about a particular 'brand' nor a particular 'local church'. He was referring to a sect of believers in the new Way through the promised Savior.

My 'church experience' really wants this 'church' to which Jesus 'added the saved' to be 'my' church, 'my' brand, my local building.... to sort of imagine that all those 'saved' were added to a 'church of Christ' with a building and a little sign over the door which reads '5th and Calvary Church of Christ'... all in a neat mental package.

However, when I take a fresh look at the church Luke talks about in Acts 2 - when I leave behind all my preconceived, ingrained notions - I can't help but conclude that these new saved souls met together in houses and other 'non-institutional' venues... and I further imagine that they worried very little about buildings and budgets and battles about stupid stuff that accompanies buildings and budgets and battles...

It occurs to me that at least 90% of ALL the battles ever waged within/between 'church' groups are attached to a building....who finances it, who controls what goes on there, how do we do what we do there, how do we pay it off, how do we keep out the riff raff, and on and on and on...

and the devil is laughing.

Is it possible that we continue to miss the point?

The more I study and pray and learn about the subject, the less enamored I become of the institutional 'church'.

Can it serve a useful purpose?

I am becoming less and less certain...

God Bless!