The Church Has Left the Building | July 19, 2026

This past Sunday did not go the way any of us planned. Weather forced us to cancel our in-person gathering, so we came together over Zoom instead. And here is what we were reminded of the moment we logged on: the church still happened. Because the church was never the building. It has always been us. That was the heart of this message, drawn from Acts 1:8, where Jesus tells us we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes, and we will be His witnesses wherever we are, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

The Setup: When the Building Closed but the Church Didn't

First, we are sent to find and follow Jesus, and to help someone else do the same. In Acts 8 a wave of persecution scattered the early church out of Jerusalem, and "those who were scattered went about preaching the word" (Acts 8:4 ESV). Notice who did the preaching: ordinary believers, not the apostles. The mission never depended on a stage or a microphone, and it does not depend on one now. This week, pick one name, a coworker, a neighbor, someone in your own home, and ask God for one honest sentence about what He has done in your life.

Second, we grow by walking with other people, not by staying alone. Writing to a church he had never even visited, Paul said he had "not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will" (Colossians 1:9 ESV). Growth in the New Testament is always communal: someone pouring in, someone pouring out. That is what our Men's Group, Radiate, 30 Below, and even ordinary church-family conversations are for. So ask yourself, who am I investing in right now, and who is walking with me? If the answer is no one, reach out to Dylan Mueller or to me this week, not someday.

Third, we stay anchored through the Word and through prayer. The very first church devoted itself to four simple things: "the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42 ESV). No building, no strategy document, just steady devotion. On a Sunday with no room to sit in, what is actually holding you up rises to the surface. Name one missing discipline, daily Bible reading, a set time to pray, a call to another believer, and recommit to it. Then pray by name for a neighbor in Brunswick who has no church home.

The Reset: Sent, Growing, Anchored

If you missed Sunday, this was the reset: the church was never the building, it has always been us, sent, growing, and anchored, wherever we are. Maybe you have never crossed the line of faith, or you have drifted, or you have simply grown comfortable. Wherever you are today, you can respond right where you sit. As Paul writes, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9 ESV). Confess and believe, then reach out to me directly. Lord willing, we will gather again in person next Sunday.