Pastor Ken
Many friends who travel to Europe lament that they’ve visited too many churches. Whether centuries old or designed in modern times by famous architects, they are, after all, just buildings. True, the structures are immensely grand, the statues inside are lifelike, and the master paintings exquisite. Yet what they lack is a congregation of believers. Numerous well-known old churches have essentially become museums. You need to buy a ticket to enter, and on your way out you have to pass through the gift shop.
As for the Balkans, compared with Western Europe, it has more Eastern Orthodox churches from the Byzantine era. Although they have no statues, they are filled with icons of saints. Quite a few elderly believers still bow to the icons, kiss them, light candles, and pray. The candle stands and other furnishings in some churches, including the altar, doors, and windows, are gilded with gold and silver, reflecting the wealth of the past. Today, they become stops where tourists take photos, with no religious activity at all. Some historic churches with beautiful exteriors but poorly maintained interiors are simply kept locked. If you want to take pictures, all you can capture is the exterior.
This brings to mind the account in Acts. When Peter and John, disciples of Jesus, went up to the temple, a man lame from birth was begging at the entrance. Seeing Peter, he expected to receive something. Peter said to him, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” The man was immediately healed. He started walking and leaping, praising God. For him, being healed was more precious than all the gold and silver. From then on he could work and live like a normal person, regain his dignity, and rejoin his community. What Peter gave was the healing power from Jesus Christ, which granted the lame man new life.
Today, many magnificent churches are furnished with every kind of gold and silver. Yet, where is the community of believers whose broken lives have been made whole? No one proclaims the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and the truths He taught inside those buildings. This is a profound irony.
Long ago, the disciples of Jesus marveled at the temple in Jerusalem. In Jewish history, the First Temple was built in the 10th century BCE during the reign of King Solomon, and most of it was destroyed in wars in the 6th century BCE. The rebuilding of the Second Temple began after Cyrus the Great authorized the return of the Jews to Jerusalem in 538 BCE. By Jesus’ time it was largely completed, resplendent in splendor. Yet what Jesus saw was merely a building—nothing remarkable. What He cared about was the human heart. When a group of people who fear God get together, love one another, and do God’s will, that is God’s house, God’s kingdom. In any corner of the world, whether there is a building, when followers of Jesus gather, that is the church.
Some measure the value of historic church buildings by how many tourists visit and by their economic benefits. But the truly beautiful church is seen in a group of Jesus’ disciples who love God and love people, who encourage one another, each playing their part in society, continually drawing others to hear and believe in the truth and join the fellowship.
A church is a church only when it has life.
