What if...

What would we do if persecution came to Britain? What if reading a Bible were illegal? What if church was outlawed?

Would we still make the effort to go? Would we dare to go? Would we treasure it all the more? Could listening to pirate broadcast MP3 bible talks take the place of the church?

I guess we all know the answer to those questions; MP3 talks could never take the place of the living, breathing, serving, loving, spurring, Christ honouring, Spirit gifted church. We would treasure church all the more of it being denied to us. So why do we treasure it so little now? Why are so many Christians apathetic in their involvement and their attendance? Why do many now see listening to a podcast as equivalent to going to church?

We need to reexamine what Church was in the New Testament. Church is not preaching! Preaching and teaching the word of God is not church! Therefore listening to an MP3 is not church. Church is my brothers and sisters exercising their Christ honouring, God glorifying gospel love towards one another by ministering to each other, using their gifts to serve each other and by doing so bringing glory to Christ! And that is only part of the wonder that is church.

So why not treasure church as if we were never going to be allowed to experience it again.