Don't Go To Church (1 Peter 2:9-10)
The church is often seen as a place where you must sit silently with your hands clasped together. It requires you to be in an enclosed space with a group of strangers and sit quietly while someone up front performs. Doesn't that sound boring? Who would want to "go to church?" That is why so many people are changing the way they do church. If you think of church, like going to the theatre or a concert, it might become a whole new experience for you: It could be fun, engaging, and thought-provoking. It might be an experience that everyone enjoys.
However, many people might be surprised that this mindset is flawed from the beginning. Did you notice that I said, "Church is often seen as a place?" How many of you had alarms going off in your heads when I said this? The world around us views it as a place or an organization whose identity is wrapped up in a particular location. They talk like this building is the "Saraland Church of Christ." We even have a sign outside that labels it that way. So most people think about church in this way.
But the church is not a place at all. The local church is a group of people who identify with Christ. How did we go from talking about the church as a group of people to talking about the church as a place like a theatre or place of entertainment? Does it matter that we do this? Do you think it affects the way you view church services?
In our study of Acts, we have seen the growth and development of the kingdom of Christ. I want us to pause our study in Acts to understand how what has been happening in Acts doesn't match what we see in our culture. I want us to investigate other texts in the New Testament to understand what's going on here. Looking at these other texts, our view of "going to church" is warped. We have a consumer mentality from our culture, and we have to overcome it.
The Consumer Mentality
Here is what I mean by consumer mentality. When we go to the theatre or a concert, we pay our money, enjoy the experience, people serve us and make us feel good, and we go home talking about how great or bad it was. It's transactional. We pay money, get something out of it, or don't. We judge whether it was worth the money, time, and attention we gave it.
The goal of the consumer mindset is to give a little and receive a lot. We want a deal. We want a good value for our hard-earned money. If we don't get much for our money, we complain and consider switching it up and going elsewhere. I heard talk like this a few times this last week. Someone said they went to Buckeye's in North Alabama and bought a three-dollar burrito for six dollars. We hear those types of comments all the time. If I feel Foosackly's isn't giving me as much chicken after raising their prices, I'll go elsewhere. There is no loyalty to any food place or movie theatre. It's business. It's nothing personal. Maybe I was not too fond of some of our local grocery store employees because they didn't care to help me. I can go somewhere else. The value of the experience is a big deal.
Do we see this type of mindset in those who attend church services? I hear this all the time! This mentality causes them to say, "I don't feel very connected here. I'm going to try somewhere else." Or maybe they will say, "I'm just not getting anything out of the Bible class, singing, or sermons." My favorite is, "We need to go to a place with more young people for our kids." Do you see how consumerism has crept into these statements? People who say these things and others like it are "going to church."
A Controversial View
Can I say something bizarre and crazy? I know that I'm going to hurt the feelings of some of you if you are still listening. But I'm going to say it anyway. It's the first day of the new year, and I will start it off right. God didn't send Jesus to die so we could "go to church." Jesus didn't die to save people who "go to church." People were "going to church" long before Jesus came and are still "going to church" today. Some of you simply "go to church" when God has called us to BE THE CHURCH!
You might say, "Casey, this is kind of harsh and unloving." No. It would be unloving to act like "going to church is okay when it's not." It would be unloving to refuse to tell you the truth. This consumer mindset makes people think they are saved when they are not. If we are entirely unchanged by the gospel, we are not saved. It doesn't matter how much we have done.
God has not called us to do something. He has called us to be something different, a new creation. He uses different images we will look at throughout this month. These images explain what God had in mind when he sent Jesus to die for us. The first image is that he wants Christ to be inside of us. This is the image of identity. The second image is that he wants us to be inside of Christ. This is the image of the body. The third image is of us being family with one another and with God and Christ. These three images of the church are vital, and I hope that you can be here to understand how our consumer mindset muddies up these images.
Identity
I'M TALKING ABOUT IDENTITY when I say, "Don't go to church, be the church," What is your identity, and what do I mean when I talk about us being the church? We aren't just adding something to our lives when we come to Christ.
Colossians 1:13--14 (ESV) --- 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We are talking about moving from one state to another. Our identity was darkness, living for this world, and enjoying sin. Now, our identity is light. We are in the kingdom of light and serving the beloved Son. Can you imagine someone converting from a Tennessee fan to an Alabama fan? Then, they are so devoted that they move to Tuscaloosa. But when they get there, they wear all their Tennessee gear, watch Tennessee games, and cheer for them to win over Alabama. That just wouldn't fit, would it? They made a move but failed to change how they believed and thought.
Being in the church means giving our minds and hearts to Jesus.
Colossians 3:1--2 (ESV) --- 1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Notice what this text tells us about our conversion. We don't just transition our bodies from the domain of darkness but also become something new from the inside out. We don't think like we used to. We don't want darkness to win anymore, so we lay down all the ways of darkness. We used to lie, cheat and steal in the darkness. We used to indulge in every pleasure and prioritize ME TIME. Now, we don't just do things differently. We become someone else.
Colossians 3:9--11 (ESV) --- 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Look carefully at this section. Notice the last phrase. He says, "Christ is all and in all." That's talking about identity. Notice that we aren't just adding the title Christian to what we are. We aren't Greek Christians or Jewish Christians. We aren't Alabama Christians and Ohio Christians. Our identity is Christ. We are him, and we are in him.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my church." He wasn't talking about a building. He was talking about people who belong to him and identify as his possession. That's what it means to be in the church. It means to identify with Christ and his kingdom fully.
One more passage clarifies that the church is a group of people who have transformed.
1 Peter 2:9--10 (ESV) --- 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
The church is a people who God has chosen to belong to him. That's our identity. That is what it means to be the church. It's as though we have taken God's last name as our own. Now we represent him.
What Does This Mean?
Now, we need to digest this. Let's compare the people who identify as the church to the consumer view, which says, "I go to church." The person whose identity is the church lives to serve others. The person who "goes to church" wants to be served by the church. The person whose identity is the church sacrificially gives. The person who "goes to church" expects to receive a return on their investment. The person who "goes to church" feels cheated when people mistreat them, and they leave at the drop of a hat. The person whose identity is Christ's possession finds the will to forgive, endure, and strengthen those around them with love. That's what is on their mind because that's who they are.
Application
If our identity is not the church, if we still hold on to our consumer-based individualistic identity, we act one way when we walk through those doors and a different way when we leave. Everyone around us sees the change in us on Sunday but notices how it disappears every other day of the week. They roll their eyes and say, "That's why I don't 'go to church.'" If our identity is not a royal priesthood, we are growing farther away from the hope of a relationship and driving others away. Eventually, we will stop attending church and give up on God because it doesn't fit in with who we are.
If our identity is Christ's people, we will stop going to church and become a part of the church Christ died for. We will never stop "being in church," so we will stand out in the dark world. We will act differently all the time because we think differently. When we are one with Christ, we have our minds set on things above, and we are renewed in knowledge after the image of our creator. We study God's word with joy because it makes us feel alive.
Can you imagine a congregation of people with this identity and mindset? , everyone can work together to grow stronger and glorify God.
Do you talk about the church as though it is a place you go instead of something you are? Do you expect a return on your investment when you come to church services? Are you one way when you are here and another when you leave?
We must recognize that this is a consumer mindset from our culture and put it off. The church is not a theatre or a concert building. The church is an identity that we have or we don't have.
1 Peter 2:9--10 (ESV) --- 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
God calls each of us to be more than spectators. This is where we come together to focus on proclaiming his excellence in everything we do. Don't "go to church." Become the "chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, and people for God's own possession." Let God's will penetrate your heart and mind. Submit your life to his service. Use whatever gift God has given you to praise his name forever.