After Elvis would finish performing at one of his concerts, his fans would be left cheering for more, hoping that he would come back on stage to sing another song. Then the P.A. announcer would make the statement, “Elvis has left the building.” That was the cue to the fans that the concert was over and it was time to leave.
Well, if I may use that phrase as a jumping off point, I think the church needs to realize that “Jesus has left the building.” This leaves us with a decision to make. Will we stay huddled in the building, practicing a very limited in scope, form of Christianity? Or will we leave the building too, and follow Jesus?
Friends, Jesus has left the building, and he needs his church to follow him and leave the building too. Our assemblies of worship and study are wonderful. And Jesus joins us in them. However, Jesus doesn’t stay in an empty building all week long, just waiting for the next worship service. Likewise, the church needs to assemble, but it also needs to follow Jesus and “leave the building.”
When Sunday’s over, let’s leave the building and throughout the week, engage society, challenge culture, call men to holiness, be lights in the workplace and at school, and point people to Jesus.