We are entering a new season. In the church, the whole church landscape, not simply the local expression that you might be connected to, things are changing. God is making the changes. Because He wants His Church back, to do with it what He wants. The days when we have Church for our benefit and comfort are coming to an end.
When seasons change, they do so gradually. When summer comes we have promising warm days, and then it goes cool again, but gradually over time spring gives way to summer. With the weather seasons, we have the benefit of past experience. We know summer is approaching, even if it doesn’t quite feel like summer yet. We know to start getting our summer clothes ready – or buying new ones! We’re not still wearing hats and gloves in July because “that’s what we were used to in the previous season”.
As Jesus re-asserts his Lordship of His Church, we need to be aware. Summer is coming. What was useful for our comfort in past church seasons is no longer appropriate. How things were, is not necessarily how things will be. If you watch two skilled chess players, you will see that it is a game of strategy. The winner does not win by chance. They spend time getting all their pieces in the right place first.
Jesus is going to win! But first He needs to get all His pieces (you and I) in the right place.
We’ll come back to that in a minute, but first let’s think about the early Church. The gospel, the good news about Jesus, spread from Jerusalem throughout the known world. Within 30 years it had reached The European continent, Britain and Ireland, India and North Africa. There were new believers everywhere! There was no Central Control, no big Organisation, just the in-dwelling power of the Holy Spirit keeping everything on track and pushing ever outwards at the same time.
In large cities there may have been many believers, and in small villages maybe only three or four. In the tiniest village, those three believers were the Church in that village. They didn’t have or need a building, a Pastor, a committee or an official body to belong to. Their allegiance was to Jesus, their anointing and power was from the Holy Spirit and they were known as followers of “The Way”. That simply means they followed the way that Jesus was leading them. And the Church grew. It grew sideways, not upwards. This is what Church is, whether it is two or three connected believers in a tiny village or at one end of a town, or a larger number who connect connect together.
This highly flexible, non centrally-organised, non ‘Officially-recognised’ church spread the good news everywhere through all parts of society, in a way that our current versions of church have not managed to do.
The Church as a whole has not touched society as a whole. It’s time for change. The current model cannot do the job that needs doing.
Jesus is changing His Church. As part of that process, like the chess player, He is moving His pieces (you and I) into the right position. Can I be brutally honest here. If all we are doing as lockdown appears to come to an end, is thinking about how we can get people back into our buildings and return to doing what we used to do, then we are in grave danger of missing what Jesus is doing. Every church needs to be asking Him what they are supposed to be doing next – assumptions and presuming are no longer good enough. Change is necessary.
As individuals we need to be asking Him “Am I in the right place?” He may tell you to move! Thousands are doing that at the moment in this nation, as Jesus leads them. He may tell you to stay. Good, but what does He want you to do there? The same thing as always – or something different?
We all need to be connected to other believers. It may be two or three others, it may be quite a few more. We’re never meant to be alone though.
If He calls you to connect to two or three in your small village or your corner of town, that’s Church. Your job is to follow The Way, His Way, wherever He leads you. If He calls you to stay where you are, your job also is to follow The Way, wherever He leads you. And you will see those around you coming to Jesus – if you follow The Way. It happens, naturally.
It’s Time. It’s time for change. It’s time for bold questions. It’s time to leave the past behind. It’s time for the Church to flourish and grow in all parts of society. It’s time to leave comfort, preferences, assumptions and presumptions behind. It’s time to find our place on His chessboard. It’s time to get on board. It’s time to make this His-story, no longer our story. It’s time to be church, not just go to church. It’s time to follow The Way – His way. It’s time to be flexible. It’s time to be rooted and grounded in Him, not rooted and grounded in our own traditions. It’s Time.
Church is out there 
Challenging!
…but interesting