The church is God’s people gathered in a place to worship him. This gathering can occur in a house, in the market, on a beach, or in a building designed for a church gathering. Praise God he has led us to, and provided the way for us to acquire the building on Holyoke and Lakeville Blvd.
But is this new location important? Our new location is important, and it is not important. What do I mean?
The new location where Grace Community Bible Church gathers is not important from the standpoint of the fact that we could continue to meet at MVC and still be a church. There is nothing intrinsically valuable or holy with the building that sits on Holyoke and Lakeville Blvd. A building does not make us a church.
On the other hand, the new location of Grace Community Bible Church is important from the standpoint of the fact that it is where GCBC gathers. It is where “church” will happen. And most importantly, our new building is important because it is where Jesus will show up in a special way (Matthew 18:20)!
What all this means is that the church is not a building, but the building is where the church gathers for “church.” The physical structure at Holyoke and Lakeville Blvd is a gift from God. We must contribute and care for the building as he enables us to do so.
May our new location be the place where we continue the mission of Grace Community Bible Church: where disciples and disciple-makers exalt Christ, edify one another in the Faith, and evangelize our community and world to the glory of the Triune God!
Pastor Dan
This blog is adapted from part of a sermon titled “What is the Church, Part 1” found here.