What is God's Will for His Church ????

I was in a discussion yesterday about whether or not today’s “church” has evolved into an institution that brings a smile to God’s face.  

This led me to rethink my 10:00 Sunday morning Bible Study series.  

I’ve been exploring areas of “prayer” for a few weeks ~ and had every intention of continuing.... until yesterday’s discussion.

God’s Spirit refused to give me peace about continuing the prayer series right now.  Instead, the Spirit moved me in an unexpected direction.  

I began questioning whether or not, “church” pleases God.  

What does a church look like ~ that pleases God? 

I believe the answer is “revealed” every Sunday afternoon when the clock strikes noon ~ where do we go and what do we do?????  

Do we….
Go out and feed the hungry.
Go out and clothe the naked.
Go out and intentionally spend time with people who don’t look like us, don’t think like us, don’t act like us, don’t vote like us and don’t like us.
Go out and fight for justice.
Go out and end oppression.
Go out and proclaim anew the old, old story.
Go out and reach out to those who are running from God and God’s church.
Go out and stop deflecting tough questions with our usual, tired clichés.
And do all of this in the name of the one who sent us ~ Jesus Christ. 

If & When we do these things…. then we’ll actually be the church that brings a smile to God’s face.

⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

⁴⁵ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’  Matthew 25:44-45 NLT