Day 17.......The Church
Howdy ya'll:
I find this to be a sore spot for some believers. In present day Christianity you will find many "Lone Ranger" I can do it on my own believers. You will find none in the bible. It's simply not scriptural. Let me give you an example. I recently joined a health club. The first part of every month, they take money out of my bank account. Is the fact that I joined, and that I'm paying for membership make me physically fit? NO!!! Of course it doesn't. I have to GO to the club and actually work out in order to see any change in my physical appearance......and/or weight and strength levels. See, the problem is, many of us keep that rebellious attitude we had before we surrendered to Christ. We don't want to be accountable to ANYONE, besides God of course. Well, that may work in theory, but it doesn't work in the real world. There is also something else that we don't take into account. When we're a member, and active member, of a local church we have a spiritual covering. A fleshly shepherd (pastor, minister.....) who prays for us, and is responsible for our spiritual growth. We also have each other to help us in our walk, and to keep us on the straight and narrow. Just because I'm a pastor doesn't mean I have some kind of supreme authority. There are folks above me too. And they keep me in line. If I get too far out in left field somewhere it is their duty to reel me back in. We all have our parts to play. There has to be communication. I post to several Yahoo Christian groups, and I am constantly telling them that the group is not a substitute for local interaction in a local church. If you sit at home on a computer getting all your spiritual fulfillment out of chat rooms and group postings, you're going to be in lala land before you know it. You won't be rooted and grounded, because you're not on the ground. You're up in a tree somewhere trying to tell everyone on the ground how great it is being in the tree. Or maybe you're just hiding in the tree. Listen, I know some have been hurt in churches, and I know this isn't going to sound very nice, but give it to the Lord, and get over it. Let it go, and pray about where you should attend. Perhaps ask other folks you know (who have a strong relationship with Christ) where they attend. Go as a visitor until you know you've found the right one. Then become active there.
"Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?"
Yes, I believe so. It's sometimes frustrating to me that people attend but want nothing to do with anything other than just coming and going. It saddens me because I want a deeper relationship with them.....but many are too busy, or just don't want to. At one time I thought I was the problem so I took a sabbatical (a leave of absence.....sort of stepped down as pastor for a while) and nothing changed. I guess it wasn't me after all. I wish it had been, to be honest with you. Because then I could say, "OK, what do I need to change?" Enough of my whining.......what do you have to say???
posted by James at 12:27 PM
2 Comments:
"Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?"
My answer to this is, "yes" and "no".
Let's deal with the "no" first. I have not regularly attended Sunday worship at our church for several years now. My irregular attendance has nothing to do with disliking the worship music, or the preaching; but rather, I find that I have become more and more anxious about being in large crowds.
I am very uncomfortable in the crowded halls, and the crowded sanctuary. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that the church is bursting at the seams with both believers and seekers; but I personally, am overwhelmed by the crowds.
I find that when I go to church on Sunday morning, I come home feeling exhausted and drained. I'm not sure what I can do to change this; although in part, I suspect I must work on my attitude first and then relearn the habit of regular attendance.
I am very involved with our church in other ways. I naturally gravitate to small groups and to building one on one relationships. I have been very fortunate to experience small group bible studies, prayer groups, and Christ centered 12 step recovery groups through my church. I both participate and lead when appropriate. I serve where I can, and when I can, and I extend that service beyond the church walls and into our community.
So, while there is definately room for improvement in the area of corporate worship, I would generally say that I do demonstrate my love and my committment for God's family by my involvement in our neighborhood church!
Amen, and amen.
I wish we had 100 like you here! Any level of involvement is welcomed. Knowing you personally I know you are a great cog in that network of believers where you are. Heck, we can all improve in areas.
Thanks for sharing. :-) James
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