This week, we arrived in Oceanside and attended a Thursday night service where we heard a message preached by Pastor Jeff. He was teaching from the book of Acts and highlighting how the gospel travels—how it moves from place to place, culture to culture, heart to heart.
That message hit close to home for us, especially because our studio is called Mobile Faith. It was a reminder that the gospel has never been stationary. From the very beginning, faith was meant to move.
Too often, we can get caught up in our own small worlds. This is my community. This is my church. This is my everything. And without realizing it, we can become spiritually and culturally closed off—forgetting that God is far bigger than any one person, building, or community.
One of the things God has been impressing on my heart lately is this simple but challenging truth:
You don’t go to church.
You are the church.
What Is the Church, Really?
If we look at Scripture and church history, we see that the church is not defined by a location—it’s defined by people who have given their lives to Christ.
When Jesus was speaking with His disciples, He asked a pivotal question:
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah… And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
— Matthew 16:15–18 (NIV)
The “rock” Jesus referred to was not a building—it was Peter’s confession. The foundation of the church is knowing who Jesus is and confessing Him as Lord. Anyone who believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord becomes part of His body.
That means His church is in California.
It’s in Florida.
It’s in New York.
It’s in Mexico, China, and every nation on earth.
The church is global.
One Church, Many Fellowships
The word catholic (in its original sense) simply means universal—the whole church. Somewhere along the way, people lost sight of that meaning. There is one Church, made up of many fellowships.
You don’t “go to” the church—you gather with a fellowship of believers. The church itself is alive and moving everywhere God’s people are.
That said, this doesn’t mean fellowship doesn’t matter. Quite the opposite.
I deeply believe in committing to a local fellowship:
-
Serving together
-
Giving together
-
Being encouraged and challenged together
Scripture tells us that iron sharpens iron, and we grow best when we are doing life with other believers. Jesus Himself invested deeply in a small group—His twelve disciples. Depth matters.
But depth in one fellowship should never lead to isolation from the rest of the Body.
Beyond Tribal Faith
People can become tribal—this church versus that church, us versus them. That mindset shrinks the gospel and divides what God intended to unite.
Yes, we commit to a local fellowship.
Yes, we serve faithfully where God plants us.
But we also recognize that our fellowship is not the only one. There are thousands—maybe millions—of fellowships around the world, all part of the same Body of Christ.
We are called to connect as brothers and sisters:
-
To encourage one another
-
To edify one another
-
To build up God’s Church together
The gospel is bigger than one building.
Faith was never meant to stay in one place.
You don’t just attend church.
You carry it with you.
And wherever you go, the church goes too.