Much has been made of all of the semi-new social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc  But do you know what the original social outlets were? 

Billboards.  They pack a big message into a few words. 

I drove past one particular billboard a couple of days ago.  This billboard was an advertisement for a church.  The message read, “Stop messing with God, get to the ROCK Church.”  Their message was clear. GO TO CHURCH! It’s a pretty good message.  We do this every time we invite someone to church.  I’ve invited many people to church over the years.  Very few ever come.  The ones that have visited were already Christians. I have found that it is easy to invite people to church.  We do it because we hope that if they come to church then their lives will miraculously change. I have to come realize that, that is simply not true.  Real life change happens when a person has an encounter with God.  A religious experience.  Whatever it’s called, it is the moment that a person has the keen awareness that God is present.  Often times these experiences do happen in church.  But God is not limited to only working in church.  In fact the Bible tells us that the whole earth is God’s and everything in it (1 Corinthians 10:26).  God is present every where, and at all times, because this earth is His creation. 

I want us to think beyond just inviting people to the “building” church.  I want us to go one step further and own the image of church the New Testament talks about.  The church as God’s people.  The church as God’s hands and feet in this world.  The church as you and me, where ever we go.  May we go beyond just inviting people to church, may we take the church, us, to others.  May grace abound freely, everywhere.