Over the years I have heard of two different churches with very poignant signs over the main doors. The first church had a sign on the outside over the entrance that read “Break Room” while the second church had a sign on the inside over the exit that said, “Servant’s Entrance.” Combine those two signs, and you have the perfect attitude for Christians to have regarding church and the world.
Christians often have a wrong idea about what the church is. Some think it is a fortress where they run into to be protected from the world. Others consider it a spa where they go to relax and be spiritually, and sometimes physically, pampered. A few look at the church as their own little fiefdom where they get to assert control. Even more treat the church as a social club where they meet with like-minded people to discuss (or argue) about topics of interest (hopefully spiritual).
There are many Godly men and women who do go to church to learn and worship. But most of them lean toward one or more of the views above.
I believe the best way to view the church is as a break room. A break room is the place at work where people go to eat their lunch and rest a little before starting back to work. Christians should go to church to receive spiritual nourishment (teaching and worship) and briefly rest from their labor in the world. Afterward they will be refreshed and strengthened to get back to another week of service.
In the same way Christians often have a wrong view of the world. One view is the world is a hostile place. There is truth in that, and we are called to spiritual warfare, but that is a topic for another time. Sadly, too many see the world as home where they return to after a brief trip to “God’s House”. But if the church is the break room, then the world is our workplace. We leave the church, not through an exit but through a servant’s entrance.
When we walk through those doors, we should be prepared to serve. We may have ministry in the church, but in the world, we are God’s ambassadors to the kingdoms of the world. Our job is not to just hold on or to hide but to serve our King by bringing a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18) to the lost. It is a job that requires 24-7 devotion. No wonder we need a trip to the “break room” once or twice a week.
Dear God, You have given us both work and rest. Let me serve faithfully and enjoy the rest when You provide it. Give me a proper perspective of the world where I serve and the church where I rest.