The church is not simply an idea, a platform, or a live stream. It is physicality expressed in her people, buildings, writings, meetings, and evangelism. While many tend to despise the physical over the spiritual, the Bible objects to such a view with these doctrinal truths that manifest the physicality of the church: First, the incarnation. God saves through flesh and blood, not through a ghost. Second, we are image bearers. The invisible God is made visible through human lives. Third, every spiritual reality has a physical expression. What we believe shows up in where we go with our bodies, and what we build with our hands. So don’t minimize the physical aspects of church life — but serve the physical body of Christ with devoted purpose.  

 

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God planted a physical being, a physical presence, not just a spiritual one, in the world. And we should not forget the importance of the physicality of the Church. The Church is not simply an idea, it's not a platform, it's not a live stream. The Church is physicality expressed in her people, planted in a place with bodies, with homes, with children, with buildings.

When Paul and Timothy wrote, "'To the saints who are in Philippi.'" Just grab that for a second. It's a real city, real streets, real converts, real neighbors, real buildings in the city of Philippi. Well, that church, like every church, was a physical treasure in that community. And this all flows from three really critical doctrinal truths. First, the incarnation.

God saves through flesh and blood, not through a ghost. Second, we are image-bearers. The invisible God is made visible through human lives. Third, every spiritual reality has a physical expression. There is a physicality to all spirituality because what we believe shows up in where we go with our bodies, what we build with our hands.

When we gather together for worship, It's not just spiritual, it's public theology. Our clothing, our order, our music, our excellence, all of it says God is here. And that's why in a local church, buildings matter, sound matters, video matters, security matters, beauty matters. And that's why we publish sermons. That's why we maintain a website.

That's why we care how the Church appears to the world, from the people to the building to everything. We are not hiding the light. We are broadcasting truth through physical beings. Our Churches are like trees planted in the world. The physical presence of the church is critical.

Don't minimize it. And don't be a minimalist with the physical aspects of church life. Serve the physical presence of the body of Christ. The physical always bears witness to the spiritual because the Word dwells among us. Physicality matters.

And the world is watching the physical presence of the Church. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.