I’ve noticed something lately. Most people want “Church-Lite.” In other words, they’re not interested in falling in love with Jesus and being a passionate and committed part of the Body of Christ. Instead, they want something close to the real thing, but with less demands and restrictions.

Is the church a club or a community? The truth is, most people treat it like a club. We say we want to be a part of a community, but the common idea is:

“Don’t place any restrictions on the way I live or how I act.”
“Don’t ask me to attend unless I feel like it.”
“Don’t ask me to serve, I’m only here to be served.”
“Don’t ask me to give, my money is spent on what I want.”
“Don’t say anything that might offend me, I only listen to what I like.”

That’s not church! That’s a distortion of God’s original design. At best, it’s a cheap imitation of the real thing. In reality, it’s a counterfeit (a false church), functioning merely as a club to serve its members. Until we understand that church is not about meeting our needs, our whims or our personal desires, but that it’s about reaching a world for Christ and making disciples we will never accomplish our purpose in this world.