Universal vs. Institutional Church
What is the church?
I have studied and lived and talked and read and searched to learn and embrace what the church truly is. It is simple to know that the church as Jesus relayed in this scripture is built on the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. That is the foundation of the church itself. However, what we have to work in, deal with and reconcile is that much of our blood, sweat and tears is NOT because of the foundational truth that builds the Church of God. We suffer with the reality of the institution…that building filled with fallible people that need God’s help and want human attention and validation! 
It’s not a trophy shop that showcases the glory of God, as we would like to think that it is. Instead, we must embrace the fact that it is a hospital that houses folks who ALL have something that is wrong with them! Then, one could even go as far as to say that it more specifically a “hospice” because everyone in the building are destined if not doomed to DIE. Because of this, the goal is not to hold on to life but instead to make it as pleasant as possible for the remaining time and then ultimately to “lock in” a prosperous existence “after life”. This is the church!!!
