New City Church meets in a bar, a club with a bar, actually. The Bridge is a concert venue that has a bar, and (more importantly) they allow us to rent their space on Sunday mornings. They have built a great venue and we are grateful that we get an opportunity to utilize their space and equipment. We really had no other options: churches, schools and movie theaters were not open to us renting from them. Frankly, though, I couldn't imagine a better venue.
What is it that makes a place "holy"? Holy means to be set apart. What makes a building, bricks, wood, drywall and pipes "holy" is not the shape of the structure, the color of the glass or the name on the sign, but the presence of a Holy God. And God dwells not in buildings, but in a people. His people. The church is not a building or an institution, but an assembly of people that belong to Jesus Christ, in whom His Spirit dwells. Because of His presence, the building is transformed into something holy. The ancient Jewish Temple served as the earthly shadow of the throne room of God. He was said to dwell in it, and it was certainly holy. At the Cross, Jesus changed everything. He did away with the necessity of shadows (such as the temple, sacrifices and food regulations) and brought the reality. The reality that the Jewish Temple pointed to is not a church building with stained glass, but the church, that is, any assembly of people who have put their hope in Jesus (Ephesians 2:21-22). In fact, what is going on at a club in downtown Columbia is so holy, that the Jewish high priest (who could enter into the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple) is not holy enough to participate.
What makes us holy, of course is not us. I'm certainly completely polluted and defiled. But when Jesus died on the Cross, my debt was paid. He gave me his record of good deeds as a gift. Because of the Cross, then, I stand in the presence of God completely holy, despite my apparent flaws. We, as New City Church, could not be more holy. Oh we have issues, big ones actually. We are often mean, rude, inconsistent, arrogant, faithless, timid, anxious, depressed and impure. And, because of Jesus, we are the very dwelling place of God. And so, for an hour on Sunday mornings, there is no more holy place in the Universe than a bar in downtown Columbia. See you there on Easter.
But can you have church in a club?Isn't a church supposed to be a "holy" place? Isn't a church opposed to what is happening at a concert venue? Isn't The Bridge the last place for a church?
What is it that makes a place "holy"? Holy means to be set apart. What makes a building, bricks, wood, drywall and pipes "holy" is not the shape of the structure, the color of the glass or the name on the sign, but the presence of a Holy God. And God dwells not in buildings, but in a people. His people. The church is not a building or an institution, but an assembly of people that belong to Jesus Christ, in whom His Spirit dwells. Because of His presence, the building is transformed into something holy. The ancient Jewish Temple served as the earthly shadow of the throne room of God. He was said to dwell in it, and it was certainly holy. At the Cross, Jesus changed everything. He did away with the necessity of shadows (such as the temple, sacrifices and food regulations) and brought the reality. The reality that the Jewish Temple pointed to is not a church building with stained glass, but the church, that is, any assembly of people who have put their hope in Jesus (Ephesians 2:21-22). In fact, what is going on at a club in downtown Columbia is so holy, that the Jewish high priest (who could enter into the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple) is not holy enough to participate.
What makes us holy, of course is not us. I'm certainly completely polluted and defiled. But when Jesus died on the Cross, my debt was paid. He gave me his record of good deeds as a gift. Because of the Cross, then, I stand in the presence of God completely holy, despite my apparent flaws. We, as New City Church, could not be more holy. Oh we have issues, big ones actually. We are often mean, rude, inconsistent, arrogant, faithless, timid, anxious, depressed and impure. And, because of Jesus, we are the very dwelling place of God. And so, for an hour on Sunday mornings, there is no more holy place in the Universe than a bar in downtown Columbia. See you there on Easter.
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