When you hear the word “church,” what image comes to your mind? For many, it’s a steeple, stained glass windows, pews, or a Sunday morning service. We naturally think of a place we go to, a building we walk into. But when Jesus spoke of His church, He wasn’t talking about a building at all. He was speaking of people. Living, breathing, imperfect people who are made alive by His Spirit. The church isn’t brick or stone. The church is you. The church is me. The church is every follower of Christ, woven together into one body.
This truth changes everything. If church is just a building, then faith becomes something we step in and out of once or twice a week. It becomes a location instead of a life. But if we understand that we are the church, then it becomes clear that following Christ is not about where we go, but about who we are wherever we go. The church is alive in classrooms, in workplaces, in kitchens, in grocery store aisles, in quiet bedrooms where whispered prayers rise up to heaven. It is alive in hospital rooms, in prisons, in shelters, in coffee shops. Wherever God’s people are, the church is there too.
The Bible uses rich imagery to remind us of this. We are called the “body of Christ,” with each person playing a vital role. Some are hands that serve, some are feet that carry the good news, some are voices that encourage, some are hearts that intercede. Not one part is insignificant. Together we form something beautiful, something the world can’t explain without pointing to God Himself. Paul also calls us “living stones” being built into a spiritual house. Notice, not cold, lifeless stones stacked neatly, but living stones, active, vibrant, and united by God’s Spirit. The true temple is not made by human hands. It is made by hearts surrendered to Christ.
This is both humbling and empowering. It means that when you feel unseen or unimportant, God looks at you and says, “You are part of My church. You are necessary.” It also means that church doesn’t end when the closing song fades. It continues when you show compassion to a stranger, when you forgive someone who hurt you, when you choose to speak life instead of gossip. These ordinary moments become sacred because they reflect the One who lives in you.
Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking church is only about what happens during a service. Singing together, listening to a sermon, taking communion, all of these are precious gifts. But they are not the fullness of church. They are the gathering of the church. The real test comes when we scatter. Do we carry the love of Christ with us into the week? Do people see His kindness in our words and His mercy in our actions? When we live with this awareness, every day becomes an opportunity to “be the church” in the world.
The beauty of this truth is that it also unites us. If the church is people, then the person sitting across the aisle from you is not just a fellow attendee, they are your brother or sister in Christ. If the church is people, then the believer across the world who worships in a hut or a hidden room is part of your same family. We are not divided by location or culture. We are bound together by one Spirit and one Savior.
So let this sink in: you don’t just go to church, you are the church. And that means everywhere you step becomes a place where God’s presence can shine through you. The church is not limited by walls or steeples. It is alive in every heart that belongs to Jesus. And when we live out that calling, the world begins to see not just who we are, but who Christ is through us.
- Ellie Mont