BOXES

If we're not careful, church buildings can become boxes that isolate Christ-followers from the world and sap huge amounts of time, energy, creativity and money that could otherwise be used for greater purposes.

Don't misunderstand me. I don't hate church buildings. Far from it. I pretty much grew up sitting on a church pew in Kansas City, Missouri. My mother and I lived in the little white house right next door to our church for several years while my mom cleaned the church for a living. I mowed the lawn around that church building. I was baptized in a church building. I was married in a church building. T0day I work in a church building every day.

So NO - I don't hate church buildings; but I don't LOVE them either. The first Christians did pretty well without a church building. They gathered in homes, caves, catacombs and anywhere else they could safely gather.

A BODY is the image God uses for His church. But some churches focus on the BOX today more than they do the BODY. That is problematic.

Boxes don't move. Boxes aren't alive. The church was never meant to be an immobile box sitting on 75th Street. God intended us to view the church as a healthy, mobile body of believers walking - moving - thru the earth.

Boxes don't grow. 'Nuff said.

Boxes don't last. We have an awesome building -- 280,000 sq ft of space -- a master class gymnasium with a running track -- state-of-the-art student and children's auditoriums and cafes -- a main auditorium that can squeeze in 1,750 people at once -- but buildings don't last. People last.

Boxes don't care. Unless you're Donald Trump, you can't have a relationship with a building. Jesus touched people. If we want to be like Him, we have to do everything we can to maximize the time spent outside our church boxes.

And be blessed.