What is Church?
What Church looks like to me is a place I can go, listen to some cool music, hear a guy talk about God and have my personal time with God. What is wrong with that?
The thing that is wrong with that is that is not biblical. We seem to strive so much for big numbers, flashy lights and sound systems and a big building. None of that is biblical though. What we see in the bible is that Church is meant to be a place to gather and love one another and be in fellowship with one another. The numbers do not matter, the sound system doesn't matter and the building doesn't matter.
Where did this idea come from? To me this comes from western society, the American(Canadian) dream. As I stated in my previous post its the search for more money, items and worldly possessions. The Church seems to be just like that. It looks like it is striving to obtain all these "things" to make it look better, and to make people more comfortable and to attract more people. But again, none of this is biblical. You can not build a church on these things. What we need to be doing is building the church on GOD. In all things we should be doing in a church the first thing should be to serve God most high. He does not ask of us to have big TV's or a cool looking stage or any of that. The needs of the Church should be God's needs. I am not seeing this happen. I am seeing a Church basing itself on looks rather then God. In my opinion this will only last so long until failure. God is watching an he knows we are not building a Church on Him. Dont get me wrong, I am guilty of this as well. As the youth coordinator I want nothing more then to have lots of students show up, I want the youth room to look cool and attractive, I want a cool looking website and I want people to come to me. Again none of that is biblical, sure it might work, but once I get all these youth at my door step what do I do next? I fail because I have not based my life and my ministry on Gods word and Gods needs. I have slowly started to learn that what I should be doing is praising God for the youth He has given me and really pour into them. This is what we all need to do.
I remember being a kid and spending my weekends at my dads building giant awesome castles with cardboard boxes and just being so happy. We are taught in the bible to live as Children. It didn't matter what toys I had or how dirty I got or what other thought. I was happy in my box. This is what I believe we need to be doing more. We need to be worrying less about the appearance of the Church and more about the heart of the church. We need to be worrying less about what "toys" we have in the Church and more about how to reach and serves others. We need the Bible and we need God. It doesn't matter if we are meeting in a dumpster or a street corner. It doesn't matter if we have the cool lights or the big numbers. The thing that should be attractive to us is a group of believers that fully loves and cares for one another, loves Christ and strives to serve the One who brought us there. And through that those believers would equip and build each other up to spread the good news. That is what I see biblically.
John 13:34-35 -"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Matthew 28:16 - Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Yo... pretty crazy i can comment from this blog i made and did nothing with.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking as i walked over to my computer about the church and how much i've been unsettled recently. I've come to realize something major though. One of the biggest problems with the church is myself. Last week (you didn't show and i was throughly unimpressed you heathen) i received alot from the service. I had spent a large amount of time in prayer for the service and on thursday was blessed by one of the most amazing practices ever as people were strengthened by the word, and was encouraged on sunday by a biblical message. Sometimes im convinced that the biggest problem with the church is myself.
Eph 2:1-3 "and you were dead in your trespasses ad sins in which you once walked following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the mind."
The way satan works through people is through their sin, their tresspasses and the uncircumcision of their flesh. When i bring my judgements, my harsh heart, my unwilling spirit, my lazy attitude, my uncaring mind, and my weak faith, it is a vessel not for his glory, but for satans work. i bring this attitude with harm, when "Church is meant to be a place to gather and love one another and be in fellowship with one another," (geoff barrett) as we strive in this world to carry and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ . As a member of this church. I pray that Christ would beat out our sin more and more, and make us delight in his presence more and more. I want to be a more caring person, and evaluate the church not by other people, but by the actions of myself. So i want to question myself as to what the bible presents as the mission of the church, and once i have lived to the biblical expectation, and can say to the brothers and sisters at my church, "imitate me". When i have expereinced the fullness of the Gospel and the command to make disciples of it, and i have seen how the gospel bears fruit, but comes with great suffering, then i will truly know church for what it was in acts. A place where people who had been experiencing the unstoppable force of the gospel in their daily lives met and worshipped the most holy God, and rejoiced in their suffering. It was like nothing bothered them because they had bigger things to worry about. when the time i spend wondering how i could afford smoke machines and laser pointers for the worship stage is rather spent praying for the salvation of the neighbourhood, or for the suffering of my brothers, then i will truly experience the joy of Church. But for now, i pray that i would be the example, who works hard to bring all the glory to the lord, and comes to the church for the prayers of the saints and the encouragement of the word.
Just a meditation of my personal thought towards the Church and especially in our situation. I pray for you and I, that we would really represent faithful lives lived in the obediance of the Word, but we must let the affections of Christ take a great hold of us, as we take captive every thought to him. We have alot of work brother, but the promise and reward of this lifetime is great! lets coffee time it soon!
Amen Brother! Thank you for that. It is very true that the real problem with the Church is each of us.
ReplyDeleteCoffee soon for sure, tell me time and place and im there.