Paul makes this point in 1 Corinthians 3:16—God’s Spirit dwells in us. The temple isn’t stone and mortar anymore; it’s living people carrying His presence wherever they go. That changes the whole paradigm of “church.”

Church building is just a meeting place. The true church is people strengthened in fellowship, worship, and teaching so they can scatter into the harvest fields. Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds us to gather not for comfort but for encouragement and equipping.

Sadly, many gatherings stop at “feeding the flock” without sending them out. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20) is about discipleship in motion—equipped believers living missionally in workplaces, neighborhoods, and nations. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Luke 10:2).

The early church grew because believers saw themselves as carriers of God’s presence, not just attendees of a service. 

If we were to reframe this into a challenge for today’s church, it might sound like: “The building is where we gather, but the world is where we’re sent. If we stop at gathering, we miss God’s mission.