There used to be a day when the meaning of the word “church” had a biblical acceptance and when believers in Jesus Christ got together, that it was for fellowship, prayer, praising God and learning about God without an ulterior motive or about what was good for business.

In many (not all) of today’s churches, the biblical standard is no longer followed and what we now see are churches bearing more resemblance to a country club, an institution or a corporation rather than the biblical example that read throughout the New Testament. Let’s start with what the Bible says the church is:

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
(Colossians 1:18 - ESV)

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
(Acts 20:28 - ESV)

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
(1 Timothy 3:14-15 - ESV)

According to the scriptures, the church is very simply the believers, aka the body of Christ, aka the household of God, aka the Christians, aka the holy nation, aka the followers of Jesus Christ. There is one church in which  Jesus Christ is the Head, according to Ephesians 5. And there are local churches scattered throughout the globe. And Jesus is also the Head of the local churches as well. We are a family of brothers and sisters in Christ, for we who are Christians were all cleansed through the same blood, that is the blood of Jesus Christ.

The church is not a building that we can see on street corners but the church are the Christians who represent figuratively the building (temple) of God. The church isn’t an institution or a business, but is simply a family that shares the same blood of the Lamb and are followers of Jesus Christ. These institutions and businesses we see being run today that are posing as churches do not follow the biblical order.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:42-47 - ESV)

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
(Acts 4:32-35 - ESV)

Is everybody taken care of in your church? Are their needs supplied? If the believers in the early churches could make sure that everyone had their basic needs supplied, then why are many churches today not doing so? As the church, we are a family. And family members are supposed to support one another, help one another and love one another. Jesus says in John 13 that our love for each other is one of the ways that the world will be able to tell that we are His disciples.  Are we as believers truly of one heart and soul? Because this is what the churches are supposed to look like.

We can thank Constantine and the Catholic Church for being the examples of the “institutionalized” church system that we see in place even today. And how decisions are made in many churches are based on what best affects the institution, not the actual people.  We have pastors believing that they are the heads of the churches, not Jesus. We have an unbiblical distinction between clergy and laity, which we will explore in a later message. We have the money that people give going more to a building and institutional costs than to the people who really need it. Is this your church organization? And have you supported these things? If you have, repent with your whole heart and return to the biblical truth.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
(Hebrews 10:24-25 - ESV)

Pastors and preachers have been using these scriptures for years to make people feel guilty about not giving in to their institutional demands. And they base their understanding of these verses on the mindset that believers had to be part of a church institution in order to carry this out. But what is Hebrews 10 really saying. It reminds to make sure that we stay in touch and spend time with our brothers and sisters in the faith. Notice it does not mention the words “church service.” Notice it does not mention the words “Sunday School.” It is simply talking about fellowship and can play out with 2 or more people meeting together at a park to talk about life and pray together. While I’m not advocating that you don’t go to church services, it is important that we look at things in their proper context.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
(Colossians 2:8 - ESV)

We’re being taught a lot of things by pastors all the time but are we comparing what we hear to what is in the Bible? One of the biggest problems that Jesus had with religious leaders of His day was the fact that they added their own traditions to the truth and unnecessarily burdened the people. There are pastors out there doing the same today. The Pharisees did it because they enjoyed having authority over people, not because they loved them. And the same thing is happening today in many churches where you have pastors that just want authority over people and don’t really love them.  For if they loved them, they would tell the people the truth.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
(1 John 3:16-18 - ESV)

We are never commanded in the Bible to support an institution but we are commanded to love and support one another. We are never commanded in the Bible to support one’s business vision for the church but we are commanded to provide for the needs of our brothers and sisters. We are not commanded to attend church services but we are told to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the faith.

So what is the conclusion of this? The conclusion is that we need to get back to church being about one another without anything else attached. We who are Christians, are brothers and sisters all together on a journey with Christ. It does not require an institution or a business to carry this out. We as Christians waste so much money on needless things and take on unnecessary financial hardships because we don’t see the core of what’s really important.

What’s more important? The family unit itself? Or the house the family stays in, the cars the family drives or the amount of money that they have? It is the family unit itself because when the unit is taken care of, everything else will work itself out. But when people believe that  money and the luxuries of this world are more important than their families, their families will suffer. And it is no different in many of the churches today.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
(Romans 13:8 - ESV)