Presence Carriers

It is our natural instinct to to think of a location or a pastor/leader when we think of a church. That is perfectly natural for us Westerners who have been shaped by a strong sense of materialism taught in our education systems. The existence of the church is made ‘real’ to us because there is a building or person that makes it present in our world.

As referenced loosely in the previous post, the Church is Christians together. Whether Paul’s body-part analogy or Peter’s temple-stone analogy, it is clear from Scripture that we are something greater together. We each have a significant presence to offer, but it pales in comparison to the presence we offer together. I do mean to drive this point home, mainly because of this thing that Jesus said in Matthew 18:20: “for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there with them”. We who confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God are presence carriers. We don’t have to ask for His presence or question that he’s there. With this in mind, let’s think on application.

The purpose of the Church is not just that Christians are present with and for one another. It is also that each church is present with and for its community (locality). It should never be the case that a community is not keenly aware of the presence of church within it. A church ‘closing’ should be felt by the community around it. This is meant less as a critique and more as a prescription - each local church should be present in its community beyond its signage and building. The Church carries the presence of Christ into its community when it gathers for and with the community.

Let’s be a church that is for and with our community. Let’s serve and love and show gritty grace to the people and even the places around us. We get to bring Jesus to our communities. We do it by love and service. At Hope Unlimited Church we will serve Cincinnati’s communities, particularly where we gather. We will gather and we will GO, because we are presence carriers.