The Church Without Walls: Living the Faith Jesus Taught

The Church Without Walls: Living the Faith Jesus Taught

I have a question for y’all – “If every church building around the globe vanished, would Christianity survive?” Seriously, if you and everyone around the world woke up on a Sunday morning and didn’t have a building called the ’church’ they could walk into, would Christianity survive? No pews, no offering plate, no preacher standing in front telling you what to believe, what would happen?

Understand the early church had no buildings — only believers meeting in homes, marketplaces, fields, and streets. Wait! What? No that can’t be true, we’ve always had to meet in a building that was owned by a denomination, right? Nope!

In Acts 2:46-47 – “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes…” These were the originals, not anyone who came around 100 or more years after Jesus. They were the real ones, and why is that? Because Jesus himself taught in Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Yes, when a couple of believers come together, even in a coffee shop, driving down the road, and they talk about Jesus and being a Christian He’s right there. Period. So, what happened?

I could go into the entire history of the evolution of Christianity, how it morphed from the original design of believers meeting in each other’s homes, or in synagogues (yes many, many early Christians were Jewish) in fact originally it wasn’t called Christianity, it was a sect of Judaism. Now someone will probably say, ‘well Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, so you must be wrong’ sorry no. When Paul wrote his letter, he didn’t address them to Church at Ephesus, 101 Main Road, no he wrote them to the ‘body’ of believers.

The reality is for the 1^st 200 or so years there weren’t any ‘dedicated’ buildings, (that we know of) specifically for Christians to meet in. In fact, the earliest archeological evidence we have of a dedicated meeting place is the Dura-Europos church, it was a converted house in Syria, dating back to around 233-256 AD.

Well ok, but what’s the problem with the way we use the word church today? The primary issue to me, is that way too many “Christians” have decided that simply by showing up on a Sunday, or Wednesday, or whenever is all they have to do. In other words, they believe that attendance equals discipleship. They somehow believe that because they show up and claim to be a “Christian” it’s all good. We see that in today’s politicians especially. We can sit in a pew but never live like Christ. James warns against being hearers but not doers. In James 1:22 – he writes, “Do not merely listen to the word… Do what it says.” – now of course there are those who believe that Paul’s words in Ephesians, 2:8-9 about how we are saved grace alone, means you don’t have to do anything, but that’s a terrible misinterpretation, and pretty much the lazy person’s way of having to change. And that is exactly what we see in modern evangelical denominations, they don’t believe they have to actually practice the teaching of Jesus and so they don’t. They try to talk a good game, but the reality is they are just like what we found in the Old Testament in Isaiah 29:13 – “These people… honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Jesus never required that his followers build him a huge temple, or the latest robe, or the finest wines.

Preachers need to try and follow His example. Jesus often taught outside — mountainsides, boats, city gates. His ministry was among the poor, sick, and outcast, not confined to sacred spaces. He rebuked religious leaders who made tradition and place more important than mercy and justice. Every time I read about some holier than thou politician or preacher demand that we need to simply put the 10 commandments in schools and public places I’m reminded of what Jesus said, in Matthew 23:23 – “…you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.” He wants to actually do, to be, in Luke 4:18-19 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to proclaim good news to the poor…” True Christianity Requires certain action steps. We must have a faith that moves into action. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor — everywhere, not just on Sunday mornings. Serve the hungry, visiting the lonely, caring for the sick, speaking truth in love. This isn’t just me saying it, we find it in Jesus’s own words, in Matthew 25:35-36 – “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…” and then in the Old Testament we find Micah 6:8 – “…to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Stop pretending you’re Christian, “This week, don’t just go to church — be the Church.” Our mission field starts the moment we walk out the door. And every minute of every day is needed. “Lord, break down the walls in our minds that confine You to a place. Teach us to walk in Your footsteps every day, to love as You loved, to serve as You served, so that we are not simply people who gather, but people who live Your truth in the world. Amen.”