When Church Is Church

I've been thinking about the early church in Acts as a model for ministry. There were so many things that the early church did that get me pumped about being the body of Christ for the world. When I read about the early church in Acts 2, it's imperfect, at best, but it is also a blessed communion.

Here are things that I see: breaking bread in homes, gathering regularly for worship, taking care of any in need, having the Scriptures explained, sharing faith...many of these are things that I see alive and well in the church. There are many more that are still in process; but that's a lot like the faith journey.

The early church wasn't a building - it was church. The church is the body, being the hands and feet of Christ. We do that when everyone is sure about the mission of the church. We do that when we gather for worship - whether on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, or any other time of the week ("Wherever two or three are gathered in my name..."). We do that when we gather in small groups for study and fellowship. We do that when we cook and serve meals at the homeless shelter. We do that when we show radical hospitality at a pumpkin patch (which is much more important than the money we raise). We do that whenever we serve "the least of these." And yet, we are still in process. The church is being church, imperfect, but still being made perfect in love.