Go Be The Church

Welcome to Insights. This is Pastor

John. Today we're going to talk about

something that's hugely important to the

church as a whole, and that's to go be

the church. You know, it's not just

about going to church. We should go to

church. It's commanded in Hebrews 11:25.

But that's not the sum total of our life

as a Christian. So just going to church

is not enough. Not only do we have to go

to church, we have to be the church. And

to be the church is is a completely

different thing than going to church. Uh

Matthew 54 uh 14-6 says, "You are the

light of the world. A town built on a

hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people

light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead, they put it on its stand, and

it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine

before others that they may see your

good deeds and glorify your father in

heaven. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we

just thank you and praise you. We

glorify you, Lord. We thank you for you

giving us the opportunity to be your

representatives in this world and to be

the church and to be your arms

outstretched to the a world that's lost

in darkness.

In your precious name we pray. Amen.

So, I ask you a question. If someone

asked you, "Where is your church?" You

might immediately think of a street

address or a building or a service time.

But what if Jesus asked you that

question? His answer wouldn't point to a

structure, but to people, you and me. A

flashlight is only useful when it's

turned on, and a church is only powerful

when it's lived out. Today, God is

reminding us church is not something we

go to. It's something we are. And it's

important that we keep in mind that

Jesus called us to be his church. He

didn't call us to build buildings.

Buildings are important. Churches uh

need to gather. They need fellowship.

They draw strength from one another. But

that's not where our Christian life is

lived out. Our Christian life is lived

out in the world. And our testimony is

what draws people to Christ. And that

testimony is not just the words that we

say to people, but it's the actions by

which we live by. So going to church is

good. It's necessary. It's important. We

draw strength from one another. But that

is not being the church. Jesus delivered

those words on the sermon on the mount.

And his audience wasn't a group of

religious leaders. or trained scholars.

It was ordinary men and women. It was

people looking for answers.

They were fishermen, tax collectors,

everyday workers. But he declared to

them, "You are the light of the world."

This radical light was a symbol of God's

presence and truth going throughout the

Old Testament. Israel was called to be a

light to the nations. That's Isaiah

49:6,

showing the world what life with God

looks like. Now Jesus transfers that

calling directly to his disciples and by

extension to us.

Notice he didn't say you will become the

light or one day you'll be the light. He

said you are the light. Identity comes

before action because we belong to

Christ. We are all we already carry his

light within us. The challenge is not

whether we have the light but whether we

will let it shine.

The cultural backdrop in today's world

makes it even more powerful. First

century Judea was under Roman

oppression. Darkness, political, social,

and spiritual was everywhere. Yet Jesus

didn't tell his followers to wait for

better times or easier days. He told

them to shine right where they were. In

the same way, we are called to live out

our faith in today's world, messy,

broken, and often hostile to the gospel.

Church is not a club. It's not a

concert. It's not a weekly event. It's a

movement of people transformed by Jesus.

Too often, Christianity's been reduced

to a Sunday gathering, but Jesus

intended it to be an everyday mission.

The world isn't asking where is your

building, but where is your impact?

to call the call to go be the church is

urgent because we live in a time when

the world is searching for hope, peace

and truth. And God has entrusted that

that mission not to angels and not to

governments and not to celebrities but

to his people, you and me. Today, let's

rediscover what it means to go be the

church. shining his light, serving with

our hands, speaking hope with our

voices, and loving with the heart of

Christ. You know, there was a a major

event happen this last week um over in

in the country of Pakistan. They had a

huge landslide and it caused massive

flooding. They had torrential rains and

massive flooding and people were

displaced. And the church answered the

call. They went over there. They worked

hard rescuing people, evacuating people,

feeding people.

Why? Because that's what Jesus said to

do. That's being the church. And if

we're going to be the church, we're

going to have to get involved and shine

our light into the world. So, one of the

first things we have to do as Christians

is we have to be the light in dark

places. Jesus says, "You're the light of

the world." Light doesn't argue with

door with darkness. It simply shines. A

candle in a dark room doesn't need to

shout, "I'm here." Its presence

transforms the environment instantly. If

you've ever been in a completely dark

room and lit lit a match or lit a

candle, you know that even though it's a

small candle, it produces a lot of

light. And we live in a world of

darkness just like that dark room. And

we're the candle. Jesus empowers that

candle. It's him that produces the

light. And we're supposed to be that

light to the world. It's darkened by

fear, sin, confusion, and despair. How

many people do you know are confused

about who they are and what they are and

to a point of being violent about it. Um

because they've been told it's okay. Um

you're fine just like you are. And in

fact, there there are very miserable

people that live that way. People

stumble because they don't know which

way to go. And into that darkness, God

has placed you. Your workplace, your

school, your neighborhood isn't an

accident. It's your mission field.

And you may think, "But I'm the only I'm

only one person." But remember, even a

small flashlight becomes incredibly

valued in pitch black night.

The people walking in darkness have seen

a great light. That's Isaiah 9:2. He's

talking about Jesus has come. Think of a

lighthouse. Ships don't navigate toward

the lighthouse because it shouts at

them, but because it shines consistently

in the same way people around you are

watching. Your consistency in kindness,

honesty, and integrity draws them toward

Christ. Your testimony is what draws

people in. your testimony. In other

words, how you live your life is what

draws people to Christ. And it's

important

that you allow that light to shine.

So, you have to ask yourself questions.

Am I blending into the darkness or am I

shining as a light? Am I hiding my faith

in Christ because I don't want to have

to be confronted by people? Or am I

letting my light shine so that when

people come up and ask me questions

like, "What is different about you?

Why are you so uh seemingly unaffected

by things going on in the world?" Well,

I'm unaffected by things going on in the

world because I have the peace of Christ

within me. It's important. You have to

learn how to show people Jesus in you.

God's light in you is greater than the

darkness around you. It's important. We

have to be that light.

The second thing we have to do when

we're trying to be the church is we have

to be the hands that serve. I was

talking to some of my people in in

Pakistan and they they evacuated and

brought to the church in one of the

cities over there over a hundred people

that are feeding them and making sure

they're taken care of because that's

what Jesus says to do. They asked me,

"What are we supposed to do?" And I

said, "Help the people. Feed them. Get

them out of the floodwaters." And that's

what they did. And they come back and

said, 'You know, that was the greatest

experience I ever had because I got to

give from my heart. And people responded

and they were excited and they said, I

felt like the richest person in the

world because I was able to give from my

heart and it didn't matter that it was

just some simple food. What it was was I

got to give.

So let your light shine before others

that they may see your good deeds.

That's what Jesus said. Life isn't only

about words. It's about actions. We

shine through service. We're not called

to be rulers. We're called to be

servants. In the book of Acts, the early

church gains influence not because they

had buildings or budgets, because they

met needs. They fed the widows. They fed

the hungry. They provided for needs.

They took care of the sick. They laid

hands on people and healed them. And and

they embraced the outcasts. And their

love was visible.

And uh Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not

be weary in doing good. For at the

proper time, we will reap a harvest if

we do not give up.

During plagues in the Roman Empire, many

fled cities to save their lives. But

Christians stayed

nursing the sick, even those who

persecuted them. History records that

this sacrificial love led many to faith

in Christ." Think about the the plagues

and the priests and people that stayed

behind and people were dying from the

black plague and and there were

Christians there that were feeding them,

that were nursing them, that were

burying them, that were burning their

bodies, but they stayed there with them

irregardless of the danger to

themselves.

What would it look like for you to serve

someone this week? That's a question to

ask yourself. This is being hands to

serve.

Maybe it's offering a ride, preparing a

meal, or volunteering your time. Small

acts of service become sermons people's

can see. You are Jesus with skin on. You

are some in some cases the only Bible

someone may ever read. So you need to

make sure that when you're doing things,

it's Jesus that's getting the credit.

And then

you have to be the voice of hope.

Light doesn't just shine, it guides. Our

words carry the hope of Christ into

broken places. Romans 10:14 asks, "How

can they believe in in the one of whom

they have not heard? And how can they

hear without someone preaching to them?"

Preaching is simply sharing the good

news. And we are all called to be

preachers, even though some of us are

called to be pastors. And those are two

different things.

You don't need a pulpit to preach. Every

conversation can carry light.

The world is filled with voices of

despair, anger, and confusion. But your

voice can be different. One that speaks

peace, encouragement, and truth.

Always be prepared to give an answer to

everyone who asks you to give the reason

for the hope that you have. 1 Peter

3:15. The hope you have is what's

drawing people to you. It's what's

causing people to want to know what is

different about you. What is it about

you that can stand in the middle of this

this catastrophe and smile? That's your

testimony. That's what go be the church

means. Philip in the Ethiopian unic in

Acts chapter 8. One conversation in the

desert changed the man's eternity. And

Phil Philip simply explained the

scriptures and the man was baptized on

the spot.

Who in your life needs to hear words of

hope? a co-orker, a family member, a

friend. Don't underestimate the power of

your testimony. It changes lives. Your

voice may be the bridge someone needs to

encounter Christ.

And uh the fourth point is this, be the

heart of Christ's love.

Jesus says in John 13:35, by this

everyone will know that you are my

disciples if you love one another. Love

is the ultimate mark of the church.

Buildings, programs, and traditions may

change, but love remains the proof of

Christ's presence. Love is not

sentiment. It's sacrifice. It's

forgiving when wronged, embracing the

outsider, and choosing unity over

division. In a divided world, the

church's greatest testimony is love that

crosses boundaries of race, class, and

culture. Jesus died for everyone.

No, nobody is more special or less

special than the sight of God. He's not

a respector of persons. He died for

everyone. And you, that's something you

need to have down in your spirit. Jesus

died for everyone. From the homeless

drug addict down on Skid Row to the

biggest, richest man or woman in the

biggest city. It doesn't matter where

they are or what they do. Jesus died for

them just like he did for you.

He said, 'Above all, love each other

deeply because love covers a multitude

of sins. 1 Peter 4:8.

In the early church, Jews and Gentiles

who Jews and Gentiles who once despised

each other worshiped side by side. Their

unity was so radical that outsiders

marveled, saying, "See how they love one

another."

You know, it's pretty it's pretty

strange. What actually brought the

church to the forefront of the world was

the fact that the Romans destroyed the

temple in Israel and scattered the Jews

and the Jew and the Christian church

didn't run away. Even under the heavy

persecution that followed, they didn't

run away. They kept proclaiming the

gospel of Christ. They kept showing

people love. They kept praying for

people. They kept doing the work of

being servants to God and taking the

gospel to the world.

So, who can you love practically this

week? Is there someone to forgive,

someone lonely to embrace, someone

different to welcome? Love is the

heartbeat of the church, and without it,

we're just noise. Without true love,

we're just a social club. And it's

important that we realize that there's a

whole lot more to our life in Christ

than being a social club. So

the call today is simple yet urgent. Go

be the church. The world doesn't need

another Sunday only Christian. He needs

you to make Jesus the Lord of every day.

The Lord of your entire life, not just

your Sunday life.

Sunday only Christians uh that they they

have done a lot of damage. But true

believers can counter that. It needs

people who shine in the darkness, who

serve with compassion, who speak with

hope and love with Christ's heart.

You're not called to hide your light,

but to let it shine. Imagine if every

believer left this place determined to

live out the gospel this week. Our

communities would fill it. You know,

there's over 2 billion Christians in

this world. There's 420 relig 4,200

religions and only one with the risen

savior. So, you have something that

nobody else has. And there's over two

billion Christians. One quarter of the

world's population claimed to be

Christians. Just imagine what we could

do if every single Christian on the face

of the earth grabbed a hold of this

principle and then did it.

So this week, go be the church, not just

in name, but in action. Shine, serve,

speak, love, and in doing so, glorify

your father which is in heaven. So let's

pray. Father, thank you that you have

called us not only to gather us, your

your people, but to go as your witness.

Ignite our hearts with courage to shine

in dark places, hands willing to serve,

voices bold with hope, and hearts full

of love. Forgive us for the times we've

hidden our light or withheld your love.

Fill us with your spirit so that our

lives reflect Jesus wherever we go this

week. Empower us to live as the church

in every conversation, every action,

every moment. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen.

Thank you for being with me this week. I

hope that this has ministered to you,

encouraged you, inspired you to make

changes that uh in your own life to be

more like Jesus. And we will see you

guys next week. Have a blessed one. And

remember, Insights is on every week and

you can watch these all during the week

and refresh your spirit every day. Thank

you for being with me today and God

bless you in all you do.