And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:14, New International Version

Sometimes the idea of church becomes so ubiquitous that we cease to value its intrinsic identity and importance. Church is not a building for a weekend event or a place we meet friends who share the same religious label or get connected with God so as to get our needs met. It is also not an optional activity if we are not too busy or something else comes up. These misconceptions keep us stuck in a loop and not going forward with Christ’s purpose for the church.

The New Testament tells us the church is connected to the kingdom of God. The church is the visible body of Christ and we as individuals and communities are sent into the world with a calling to reveal God’s kingdom of light and love. But when we view church from the perspective of misconceptions, we misrepresent the kingdom while claiming to be representatives of the kingdom.

Jesus never tells us to fill the church. Rather He calls us to go and make disciples. While it is essential that we must gather regularly as believers, it is a means to an end, not the end in itself. If we just stay gathered, the church becomes an inward gathering that shelters its people from the outside world. Then all our activities and music and relationships are tailored for us and all about us.

The emphasis of church is always about going and making followers of Christ wherever we go. When a church loses focus on this Kingdom mandate, it loses its vital mission of bringing God’s grace and mercy to a lost and broken world.

We need to discover afresh from the gospel of Jesus Christ the relationship and dynamic between the church and the kingdom. In doing so, we will stay impactful and engaged with what is going on around us, especially during this COVID time of disruptions and uncertainty.

The pandemic is going to be a gamechanger for the global and local church. Knowing that we are at the precipice of a new experience of manifesting God’s kingdom presence and power, let us stay faithful to the gospel till the last light of these last days.