In the Midst of the Church
In the time before sin entered the world, mankind had a perfect understanding of the realm of God. But after sin, mankind became subject to only the knowledge that our 5 senses reveal to us. Basically, we became blind to the things of God. God had to give us His written Word to unveil His realm to humanity again. He had to give us a portal or a window to see behind the veil. That is what the Bible is: It is a window that looks between the realm of man and the realm of God. For example, when you go to church you naturally walk into a building, sit in a seat, sing some songs, and listen to a message. But what is going on behind the veil? God intended for us to worship with a reverence that is driven by knowledge of what we cannot see. Let’s go to the Bible and look into God’s realm.
In Revelation chapter 1, John the Apostle is given a vision concerning the things to come. While seeing this vision, he is given some remarkable details about what is actually going on in the midst of the church. Revelation 1:10 says, “I (John) was in the Spirit…and heard behind me a great voice…” God is letting us know that He is now letting us see beyond the veil of this natural world. God is allowing us to use John’s eyes for this vision. Verse 12 says, “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks.” What would you expect to see if you turned to see a voice? You would expect to see a person. John saw candlesticks. What does that mean?
Revelation 1:20 interprets the meaning of the candlesticks for us. It tells us that the candlesticks represent “seven churches.” The seven candlesticks represent the complete light of the Born Again Church of Jesus Christ. It’s speaking of all the gathered Christians in the world. So think about it: John turned to see the voice of God and he saw THE CHURCH. Verse 13 says that John also saw “One like the Son of man” in the midst of the candlesticks. John saw the voice of Christ shouting from the center of the Church. Fact: The Church is the megaphone of God in the earth. You cannot distinguish God’s voice in your personal life without first hearing His voice from the midst of the church. Church is where you fellowship with God’s voice. We are not there to fulfill an attendance policy: We are there to be corrected, led, encouraged, and taught by God’s voice. This is what it means to attend church with skill.
Many believers are attending church when they should be the church. Typically, we think by being in church we’ve done something good. No! We should be good at going to church. We should be skillful in recognizing what’s really trying to be accomplished. The Lord is steering the church with His voice and we should be correctable and teachable. If you attend and are not corrected then you are not being the church. If you attend with a teachable heart willing to make changes then God can accomplish His work on the earth. That’s attending church with skill.
Pastor Tim
Family Church Jamestown is a non-denominational church located in Chautauqua County in Jamestown between Lakewood and Busti NY. The senior pastor of Family Church is Pastor Tim Stahlman a native to the Jamestown, NY area.
