Paul reminds me again this morning that the church isn’t a building . . . it isn’t a program . . . it isn’t even just a group of people . . . but that the church is intended to be a dynamic. That, when the church is being the church, stuff is happening below the surface of the fellowship and the singing and the preaching of God’s word. And when this dynamic is at its unhindered best, it conveys the presence and glory of God . . . and people know that “God is really among you!”

I’m reading 1Corinthians 14 this morning. And, in this part of his letter, Paul is putting into perspective the relative value of speaking in tongues versus prophesying. Both are spiritual gifts, but, Paul says, “Desire especially that you may prophesy.” Regardless of where someone lands on the role (or lack thereof) of tongues in the church today, Paul is so clear here — prophesying is better!! And we’re not talking about “predicting the future” . . . what we’re taking about is speaking forth, from divine inspiration, the counsel and mind of God. And that’s what I have in front me — something they didn’t have at Paul’s time — I have the divinely inspired word of God sitting on my desk . . . and to the degree that I can proclaim it’s divine truths, I am prophesying . . . speaking forth the mind of God. And to the degree that the church places a premium and priority on declaring the counsel of God by preaching the word of God in the power of the Spirit of God, Paul says, “That is so ‘way better’ than speaking in a tongue which people don’t understand.”

Ok . . . so that’s the context. And what happens when a body of believers come together and the word of God is proclaimed . . . from the pulpit . . . and through lives lived in obedience to it’s life-changing words? Outsiders know . . . they just know, . . . that something is going on that is deeper than simply a Sunday morning service. They know that “God is really among you.”

“If, therefore, the whole church comes together . . . and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. (1Corinthians 14:23-25 ESV)

Read that again . . . what a dynamic!! The church is together being the church . . . the word of God is faithfully being proclaimed . . . an unbeliever comes in . . . he or she takes it all in . . . the people . . . the practices . . . the powerful word of God . . . and they are convicted of their need for our Savior . . . the reality of the environment they are in combined with the word proclaimed has exposed the sin that possesses them . . and they go facedown . . . and they worship God . . . and they conclude that, “He is here!! . . . God is truly among you!” Oh, that’s the church for me!!!

When the church is really being the church then God is truly among us. When it is real fellowship . . . when it is a real pursuit of the things of God . . . when it is a real “pilgrim’s convention” . . . when the word is really preached . . . then He is really there. God’s desire is that, as His people, we are being formed into a building which is being joined together and rising to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him we are being built together to become a dwelling where God lives by His Spirit. (Eph. 2:21-22) That’s what we should desire Sunday mornings to reflect . . . that this is a dwelling pace of God . . . a place where people know that God is “really among you.”

And when God is “really among you”, then the kingdom dynamics are at work. People are being drawn to Christ . . . believers are being built up in the faith . . . healing is happening . . . encouragement is being received . . . and, every so often, people fall on their faces (at least on the inside) . . . and worship. And they know . . . they just know . . . the Spirit of God interacting with their spirit . . . that God is really among you. Come, Lord Jesus, into our midst . . . and be known . . . and be worshiped . . . for God’s glory . . amen!

If you have a couple of more minutes . . . check this out (click here)  . . . and enjoy . .