church beyond the building and a faith that lasts

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." — 1 Corinthians 12:27

When most of us hear the word church, we immediately picture a building. We think about Sunday mornings, worship services, sermons, and rows of chairs. I still catch myself saying, "I'm going to church," and there's nothing wrong with that phrase. But lately, God has been challenging me to think more deeply about what the Church really is. The more I study Scripture, the more I realize that the Church was never meant to be a building. It was always meant to be people—ordinary believers united by Christ, living out their faith together every day of the week.

When I first became a Christian, I unknowingly treated church like it was the place where I found God. Sunday became my spiritual recharge. I'd leave encouraged and excited, but by the middle of the week I'd feel spiritually empty again. Looking back, I realize I had unintentionally placed God inside the church building. In my mind, He lived there. I knew He was everywhere theologically, but practically, I only felt connected to Him when I walked through those doors. I had turned Christianity into an event I attended instead of a relationship I lived every day. It took time for God to change my perspective and teach me that His presence wasn't limited to a building. Through Christ, He now lives within every believer, and that relationship is available every moment of every day.

One of the unexpected ways God has taught me this lesson has been through the Kingdom Chaos podcast itself. When I first started recording episodes, I thought I was simply creating content that might encourage other people. I never expected that the person being changed the most would be me. Pastors often say they're preaching to themselves, and for years I didn't fully understand what they meant. Now I do. As I talk through these topics each week, God consistently reveals areas in my own heart that still need growth. In many ways, this podcast has become a form of spiritual therapy for me. It has forced me to process my testimony, my struggles, and the lessons God has been teaching me in ways I never would have if I had simply kept them to myself.

Something else has changed as a result. I've started looking for God in the ordinary moments of life. I remember hearing an interview with comedian Jerry Seinfeld where he explained that eventually everything he experienced became potential material for his comedy. Every conversation, every interaction, every life experience was filtered through the question, "Can I turn this into a joke?" While listening, I thought about how exhausting that must be. Life slowly becomes a performance instead of something to simply enjoy. That conversation stayed with me because I realized we can do something similar with many good things in our lives. Careers, hobbies, fitness, ministry—even good things can quietly become the lens through which we see everything else. I've shared before how exercise slowly became an idol in my own life. It didn't happen overnight. My workouts got longer while my quiet time with God became shorter. The shift was gradual until one day I realized something good had quietly taken God's place.

Thankfully, this podcast has had the opposite effect. Instead of pulling my attention away from God, it has drawn me closer to Him. Now I find myself asking a different question throughout the day: What is God teaching me through this? Whether it's a conversation, a difficult circumstance, or an unexpected opportunity, I'm learning to look for God's fingerprints in everyday life. That has transformed ordinary moments into opportunities for spiritual growth.

At the same time, I've become very aware of the importance of balance. Between a full-time job, ministry responsibilities, my family, and producing this podcast, there are more demands on my time than ever before. Recently, my pastor asked me how he could best hold me accountable, and my answer surprised even me: time management. I don't want ministry to consume my family. I don't want work to crowd out my marriage. I don't want this podcast to distract me from the people sitting right in front of me. God has entrusted me with each of these responsibilities, and faithful stewardship means keeping them in the right order instead of allowing one area to dominate everything else.

Another topic that's been on my heart lately is church hurt. I know this is a sensitive subject because many people have experienced very real pain inside churches. I never want to minimize that. People can absolutely wound one another, even within the body of Christ. But I've also realized that sometimes our greatest disappointment comes because we've unknowingly placed our faith in people instead of Jesus.

I was reminded of this while Amy and I were traveling through Europe. During a conversation with another passenger, I eventually shared that I was a pastor. He immediately told me he had once been deeply involved in church leadership but had completely walked away from Christianity after witnessing hypocrisy in the church. That conversation stayed with me because it highlighted something important. If our faith is built on people never failing us, eventually our faith will collapse. Every pastor, church leader, mentor, spouse, and Christian friend is imperfect. We all make mistakes. If my relationship with Christ depends on another person's perfection, then my foundation isn't Christ at all.

The truth is, I struggled with that myself early in my faith. I remember telling Amy that if our pastor ever left the church, I probably would too. Looking back, I can see how unhealthy that mindset was. God never asked me to build my faith on a pastor. He asked me to build my faith on Christ. Good pastors point people toward Jesus, but they should never replace Him. That's why personal prayer, quiet time, and reading Scripture matter so much. If my only connection with God happens through listening to someone preach once a week, my spiritual life will eventually become shallow and fragile.

One illustration I've never forgotten helps explain this beautifully. Imagine a toddler learning to speak. A stay-at-home mom understands nearly every word because she's constantly with the child. The father also understands most of what the child says because he spends significant time with them. But a family friend who only visits occasionally may struggle to understand anything at all. The difference isn't intelligence. It's relationship. The more time we spend with someone, the more familiar we become with their voice.

Our relationship with God works the same way.

Many of us want clarity without connection. We want direction without spending time with the One giving it. We want peace without surrender. But relationships don't work that way. The more time we spend with God through prayer, Scripture, worship, and quiet reflection, the more familiar His character becomes. We begin recognizing His voice, His leading, and His peace because we've learned to know Him personally. When we feel distant from God, it's usually not because He has moved away. More often, we've simply become distracted and disconnected.

One area where God has been challenging me recently is slowing down in Scripture. Too often I catch myself reading several chapters only to realize five minutes later that I can't remember what I just read. Instead of racing through a Bible reading plan, God has been teaching me the value of biblical meditation. Not emptying my mind, but filling it with His truth. I've heard meditation compared to a cow chewing its cud—slowly chewing, swallowing, bringing it back up, and chewing again until every bit of nourishment has been absorbed. That's the picture I now have when I read Scripture. Instead of rushing to finish another chapter, I'm learning to sit with a single verse or even one word throughout the day, asking God what He wants me to understand. That's where His Word begins moving from my head into my heart.

Finally, I've become more convinced than ever that we were never meant to follow Jesus alone. Healthy community is essential for lasting faith. Not simply attending a worship service each week, but surrounding ourselves with people who know us, pray for us, encourage us, challenge us, and walk beside us through life's struggles. Isolation is one of the enemy's greatest tools because it's in isolation that lies begin to grow. Real community exposes those lies and reminds us of God's truth.

So let me leave you with the same question I've been asking myself.

What is your faith actually built on?

Is it built on a church building?

A pastor?

Christian friendships?

Past spiritual experiences?

Or is it built on Jesus Christ?

Everything else in this world will eventually disappoint you. Buildings change. Leaders change. Churches change. Circumstances change. But Christ never does.

When your faith is rooted in Him instead of everything around Him, you'll discover something incredible.

You won't just attend church.

You'll become part of the Church.

And that's the kind of faith that lasts.

Listen to: Church Beyond The Building And A Faith That Lasts