In our effort to advance the Kingdom and partake in the building of the church it’s so easy to get trapped in the structures used by God to advance His message. A week can pass without talking about Jesus, everything revolves around ‘church’. In doing this we smother the essence of what the Kingdom is all about!

I read this passage on the Henri Nouwen site which served as a huge reminder!

Being in the Church, Not of It

Often we hear the remark that we have live in the world without being of the world. But it may be more difficult to be in the Church without being of the Church. Being of the Church means being so preoccupied by and involved in the many ecclesial affairs and clerical “ins and outs” that we are no longer focused on Jesus. The Church then blinds us from what we came to see and deafens us to what we came to hear. Still, it is in the Church that Christ dwells, invites us to his table, and speaks to us words of eternal love.
Being in the Church without being of it is a great spiritual challenge.