Feeling a little feisty due to two recent events. One, I read an article in the paper this morning about a 16 year old teen who is charged with murder via Craigslist. I won't go into the details of the case, but this "alleged" (so sick of that term) killer wrote a letter to his dad that was in the paper and it said "There's a chance I might be out by the time I'm 42,' the boy wrote. 'I know there is no way in hell that any kind of God would do that to me." Seriously?? People are so messed up and confused right now.
Secondly, I started working for UPS for the month of December while I am interviewing with churches. (the 4am-9am shift...UGH!) I spent the majority of the other night (morning??) trying to talk to a guy about Jesus. Now apart from getting in trouble because I wasn't moving as fast as I should have due to some serious sharing o' Jesus, I discovered this guy has done what so many others have done these days. You know...they've made a Mr. Potato Head Jesus. They pick different parts that they have heard and like and put that on the potato. But the parts they don't like they cast to the side. And much like I did growing up when I stuck anything and everything (Q-tips, forks, thumb tacks, etc.) into those holes apart from the standard issue Mr. Potato Head accessories, this guy had thrown in reincarnation, karma and "virtuous living." Though I was direct with him I didn't preach at him (as much as I was tempted). Rather I tried to coach him in seeing the holes in his way of thinking. He was completely making up his own god.
Bottom line in all this? People are not going to church, they are not reading their Bibles, and are only listening to the likes of Joel Osteen on tv on occasion. (Not bashing, but come on!) The result? In this pluralistic society people are crafting their own view of God and banking their eternity on it. Again I ask... Seriously?? If I have told you my name, that I live in Ohio (O-H!), and am married to the most wonderful woman for almost 17 years and have two great kids, but you insist that I am a single guy named "Joe Bob" who lives in the back country of Louisiana does that in fact change who I am? God has revealed Himself and everyone will be held accountable to that, otherwise Christ died for nothing.
How do you get to know this self-revealing God? Well of course the first step is to invite Jesus into your heart as you confess and repent of your sin. You enter into a relationship with Him. He connects you to Himself...but He doesn't stop there. He then connects you to His people where you continue to learn. I'm so tired of those that are saved trying to tell me they don't need to go to church to be a Christian. You don't need to go to church to make it to Heaven, but if you want to be a "Follower of Christ" (Christian) then actually, yes you do, because He will lead you into deep and regular community with other Christians. Apart from this community, chances are great that you will live a weak and powerless life and risk very easily being swept away by the deceit of the Enemy. Some might rebuff with various verses about their strength in Christ, their beliefs are right, etc, etc., ad nauseum. The fact is that you were created for community and that Jesus died to create the Church, the Body and that is expressed in local bodies of believers gathering to worship, to receive God's Word together, to serve side by side in various ways.
Does simply being in church fix everything? OF COURSE NOT! I am not suggesting that if this 16 year old was a regular attender at church that nothing like this could have happened. (although statistics show that it would have been highly unlikely!)
But alone:
But alone:
You are weak
You live a really small self-centered life
You can easily start lying to yourself. (compromise, blind spots)
You stunt your growth
You rob people of the gifts and calling that God has put in you to bless others.
You can easily get confused and fall into sin and error ("Did God really say???" Genesis 3:1)
You wind up living like an orphan when you have been adopted as a Child of the Most High God
You develop a cheap grace view like the 16 year old "alleged" murderer.
You slowly begin to remake God into your own image rather than who He has revealed Himself to be.
In my ranting, I do realize that there are a lot of people who have been hurt by past experiences in churches. I also realize there is a lot of work to do in restoring health to many of our churches. But don't take the 'Bait of Satan' (see John Bevere's book) and give up on God's plan for your life. These are not the days to be going it solo.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.25 And
let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but
encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is
drawing near.
/rant
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2 comments:
That's what kills me PE. I have no problems, whatsoever, praising the Lord in the church and getting to know other people that believe in Him. But I've seen some things that keep me out of the church. Mostly how some pastors greet you as more of a nuisance, if you can't show up for a few weeks. Like you're some sort of pestilence for wanting to enter the church, even though the Bible says all are welcome at the Lord's table. I've always thought it was the drunks and the drug addicts and bums and the people who are looking to change and actually want to follow God that should be welcome, not put down By The Church. Save for you and a handful of others, my non-Christian friends that just try to be morally good have treated me far better than the ones that call themselves Christian and go to church. I agree with a lot of your blogs, and I like to read them. And I agree that by ourselves, we are indeed much weaker. But at the same time, even if we are outside the church, the Lord knows our hearts and can see that if we're trying to serve Him then certainly He won't turn away from us. I see what you mean about opening up to blind spots and how much harder it is to be a Christian alone; I won't discredit you one bit. All I will say though is that, in going it alone, I actually find it easier to keep believing than to go to church with people that treat me like an outcast if I have the time to show up. It is hard, but in all these years and all these things I've survived I've never given up my faith, and to this day, it still grows. I see what you mean about it being stunted, by all means, and how easy it is to become self centered and to treat this life like your own. But truth is I pray every morning that the Lord help me keep up the path He has set before me and He never fails to put something in my way that gives me an opportunity to reach out, be that opportunity big or small.
Just saying, I find it easier to be a Christian alone than to go to a church full of people that stop just short of spitting on me for showing up even though I've preached from their Bible before...
Great post!! When I first got Saved ten years ago, I did not have a church home, and became convinced I did not need one. This did stunt my growth with my relationship with Christ. I was always reading my Bible, sharing what I was learning with others, but did not have that fellowship with other Christians to move me forward. This fellowship, which I've now become a member of, has been my support group, or my "Rock." In just three short months I have experienced many wonderful things that I would not have experienced without having a church home. I am an active member, discovering which ministries to be involved in at the church and outside of the church, volunteering at homeless shelters, sharing God's Word through podcasts, writing, worshiping, praising and much more. I can't explain the feeling that I am going through right now, but all I can say is that I have a lot of joy regardless of my circumstances, and feel so loved as a child of God.
P.S. I too used to work the 4 am to 9 am shift at UPS. I only lasted two weeks though:-). I'm substitute teaching right now, and am getting ready to go back to school for my Masters Degree in Christian Ministries.
God bless!
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