What is the Church?

We've lived in Europe for 3 1/2 years now. During that time I have been able to tour many beautiful churches. While I can appreciate the architecture and the sometimes lavish decorations, I am often left wondering what could have been done with all the money that was used to build this magnificent building?

Yet we are doing in America what Europe did in the Middle Ages...building elaborate, fancy, expensive churches at the cost of the masses who were dying without the knowledge of God.

In Europe they didn't have the Bible in many of the common languages. They were starving in serfdom while the church leaders were building these huge churches and were rich, fat and happy.

It's the same today. We have SO much Bible literature in the English language while many unreached people don't have even one book of the Bible in their own language. We are rich, fat and happy in our huge churches while billions are dying without ever even hearing the name of Christ. I am convicted.

Here is a small church that was started among a group of people in India who had never heard about Jesus. While no one would look at its architecture and marvel or pay money to tour its interior, I believe the God of the universe is pleased. He sees people who desire Him, who are willing to risk much to know Him, who trust Him for everything. They are the Church, they are what is beautiful...not some building.

Living here in Papa, Hungary where we don't have a US-style church, just a couple house churches and Bible studies, God has once again shown me that the Church is not the building, the programs, the pastor...it is the people of God, working together, growing in Him and exhibiting the love of Jesus to a hurting and lost world.

Church is about knowing Him...not being entertained. Sadly, entertainment seems to be one of the main goals of many churches. We try to mirror the popular culture so that more people will come. But will they see Jesus in all this?

"Could it be that we have let our churches become elaborate social programs with the name of God tacked on as an afterthought? Was Karl Marx right in this case? Isn't this kind of religion really a narcotic - 'the opiate of the people'?" K. P. Yohannan

The question that must be asked of every Christian activity we support is: Will this event create any impact on a lost and dying world?"