If you have your scripture this morning, I invite you to turn to the book of Acts.

It seems like we should get to the book of Acts if we're talking about I am church and

we're talking about what church is all about, because our church began in the book of

Acts.

It didn't really begin in the book of Acts, but the book of Acts tells the story of the

beginning of our church.

And the main theme of these few weeks we have together is that I am church.

Now you can put a turn on that and play on words and say that God is I am.

He is the I am that I am, so it's really His church.

And I like that.

That's a different twist.

Or you can take it and say that I am church.

And so it's not that building, it's not that denomination, it's not those people,

it's not that institution.

Church is us.

And the conversation, the tone, changes when you and I embrace the idea that we are the

church, that we are a part of the body of Christ.

And I love that.

And part of our goal, if I could just put it on out there in case someone

didn't catch on already, is to sort of reverse the tide of the negativism that somehow is

trailing thoughts about church now and to turn that tide into a positive thought about

how God loves this church and what the potential of this church is in the world.

...