We don't go to Church, we are the Church

The word for Church in the New Testament (Greek) is ekklesia, which means the called out ones.

A more complete definition is a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both). It also means an assembly of people, a gathering, or a meeting.

The key to this word is that it speaks of the Church being the people who gather and assemble; it does not refer to the physical building that is used for the meeting. The Church, the body of Christ, the Saints, the beloved; these and many other titles and references speak about the people of God and not about structure or meeting place.

In the Old Testament God dwelt in the Tabernacle (tent of meeting) and in the Temple. However, in the New Testament, with the coming of Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection, the Holy Spirit was given to all believers to dwell with them and in them.

In John 14 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be sent to be with His followers, that He would not leave them alone. In Acts 2 we read of the account of Pentecost, where the Lord did send the Holy Spirit upon His people, and now the people of God have the Holy Spirit in them.

Paul told us in 1 Cor 3:16 that we are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in us.

As Christians we are Church, we are the dwelling place of the Spirit of God. This is why, in Matt 18:19-20, Jesus tells us that when two or more are gathered together that He is there in the midst. He also told us in Matt 28:20 that He was with us always.

We need to gather together, we are called to assemble and meet together as Christians, this post is not saying we don't assemble together or meet together. The point her is that we don't go to the church building to find the Lord, we bring Him with us when we go to the church building.

This is why we can say, we don't go to church, we are the church.