Church

What comes to mind when you see a church? We hear sermons preached in a church, but often the building itself preaches an impressive sermon.

There is the steeple pointing upwards towards the sky which reminds us to look up and think of God.

The door of a church represents the invitation of Christ, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out ...? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest" Matthew 11:28 (Msg). Also the door represents Christ who says, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" John 10:9 (KJV). The door should be open to all whose purpose in entering is to find Christ.

The foyer of the church is a place of preparation...a space separating the secular from the sacred. It should be a place where we prepare our hearts and minds for entering God's presence.

The sanctuary is a room designed to turn one's mind toward the Lord. As one enters he should feel, "But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him" Habakkuk 2:20 (NLT). Even as Moses recognized that he was standing on holy ground at the place of the burning bush, so one should recognize the sacredness of the sanctuary.

The ceiling in a sanctuary reminds us of the sheltering arms of God over all His children. "Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!" Psalms 61:4 (NLT).

The aisles represent the opportunity of all to walk freely into the presence of God. Both the saint and the sinner each have the right of access to Him. All who are far away from Him can come near.

Within a church are pews. They remind us of our promise, that when we joined the church, we promised to attend and participate in the services regularly. Empty pews are a church's shame. As people sit closely together in their pews it is a symbol of the unity and fellowship of the church. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (KJV).

The altar of the church represents our prayers of appreciation, celebration and worship. The altar also stands for repentance, forgiveness and life change!. It is the physical symbol of our own dedication to God and our purpose to walk with God in newness of life.

The communion table is where the bread and wine are placed, representing the broken body and shed blood of Christ. A song in our long forgotten hymnals asks, "What can wash away our sins?" and then we answer, "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." His sacrifice is our only hope of salvation.

There is the pulpit from which radiates the messages of hope for the desperate, courage for the weak, comfort for the sorrowing, light for those in darkness and inspiration to all. The pastor is there to communicate a relevant message from God.

The instruments, vocalists and song sheets remind us to sing unto the Lord. The essence of worship is when your heart and soul, all that is within you, adores and connects with God.

We should all be able to exclaim "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord" (Psalm 122:1 (NLT).