It has been an interesting week. Granted, anytime you talk about homosexuality, things can bump up a notch. I absolutely LOVE listening and learning from others. I also don't mind absolutely disagreeing with them. I've met so many great, new friends online, but ultimately my guidance comes from studying God's Word and prayer. I don't always get my answers overnight, and God certainly doesn't get angry with me when I doubt or question. I often wonder, if God had a blog ...
If God had a blog
what would it be like
and would you want to read
if reading meant that you would
have to believe
in things like Heaven
and in Jesus and the saints
and all the prophets
Yeah, yeah, God is great ...
Everyone sing with me!
Okay, okay, okay. Now, on to why I'm posting.
An interesting idea was brought up in one of the comments. It was basically questioning why we go to church - why we engage in corporate worship - and should the church put their nose in where it doesn't belong - should we get so personal?
I can't WAIT to hear what you all think. Here is where my heart lies:
First, I don't think you'll find a more personal book on the planet than the Bible. It talks about your money, your heart, your sex life (I could go on). It's not just "personal." It intertwines within every nook and cranny of your personal space!
I also believe that the church exists to bring glory to God, and to edify its people. We are also to serve each other inwardly, and we are to serve our world outwardly. We are to study scripture together. I don't believe you can study the Bible, without talking about very personal issues. I don't think you can apply the Bible without looking into every aspect of your life.
Those are my feelings on "Should church get personal?" I can go to a Mary Kay convention and get a "feel good" talk. For me, and my walk with Christ, I want to be a part of a congregation that lovingly and consistently opens the Word of God and challenges me.
All of THAT being said, to say this ...
A lot of people throw around, "Well, the Bible says, 'Judge not, lest ye be judged.' So, if you start telling people about their sins, you're just judging them." Whoops! Someone forgot to get out their dictionary. To judge someone means to put yourself higher than they are; to believe that you are somehow better than them. Granted, there are people that judge. There are Christians that judge (note: they're not being "Christlike"!) On the other hand, to hold someone accountable means to help them always reconcile themselves with God's teachings (note ... again: when you reconcile your bank statement, the statement itself is not wrong - it is you that has to make the changes to reconcile, because you've goofed!). That is what the church is to do.
I will never judge you, because frankly, I know that I there's not a person on this planet that has less value to God than I do. However, when I love you and you mean something to me, I am going to help you keep your nose in scripture ... to keep growing. Sometimes that will mean just listening, and holding your hand. Other times it will mean a strong cup of Starbucks, and a little, "Alright, buddy, it's time to take a few steps forward. Let's do this together!"
Oh, so much for promising myself shorter posts. Okay, I'm off. Tell me what you think!
9 comments:
We so need to break bread together in our churches. If we were all willing to put ourselves "out there" accountability might be an accepted practice.
I feel that sometimes we are insecure in our own relationship with Christ that we sure don't want someone else to know or give input into our spiritual journey.
I was interested to see how you would handle your comments...good job, Christine :). I particularly like your definitions of judging vs. holding accountable. The reconciliation part was great, too!
There. You have my seal of approval: don't you feel good? *wink*
very well put! i read through what you said a few times today, just to process it.... in re: to the church though, so often things really get lost in the "translation" of conveying that...
Excellent word!!! I love what you have to share. Blessings!
Keep on keeping on.
I spoke with a woman today whose first husband committed suicide 5 years ago. Her second husband molested her daughter and recently her oldest son committed suicide. She is heart broken and her faith/beliefs have been shaken to the core.
She does not have much of a support system and is not a part of a church. That is what church is supposed to be about to me. It is a community of fellow strugglers meeting together for the common purpose of worship of our creator and the sharing of our joys, fears, sorrows, and struggles with others like us.
I am not sure exactly when church became a powerbrokering arena with multimillion dollar budgets and debt and glitz and glam. I might be slaughtered for saying this, but I am not really sure those institutions really qualify as church. The church is people. It is not buildings, it is not programs, it is not much of what we perceive church to be. A friend of mine shares that he believes that too many church goers have bought into a watered down Americanized Christianity so long that when someone who earnestly is trying to follow Christ that might go against the flow shows up, they are called radical. Think about that one. It can go in either direction. Just a thought.
Well, I posted on here last night but for some reason, it didn't post. Anyway...
I really enjoy reading your thoughts. Good stuff. I had a customer this week who was upset after a conversation with her sister and brother-n-law. Her sister had just finished the book, the DaVinci Code and her brother-n-law is agnostic. She was so upset thinking that her sister had backslid in her faith because of her husband. She said her sister was the closest to God, growing up and now she didn't go to church. She said she thought we needed to go to church to be close to God. I told her I thought we could be close to God w/o going to Church, but when we are close to God, we want to be in church.
I think the church is for gathering and praising God, remembering Jesus in communion, growing in our faith thru hearing the Word, studying the Word and fellowship and encouragement. It's also about reaching out to the lost. I think the church should be more like the book of Acts - all about reaching the lost and conforming to Christ. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching." Heb 10:25
I always appreciate your comments on Stephen's blog. Come visit mine sometime.
I agree with mucy of what you're saying....BUT...i want to emphasize that "the church" is not unified in opinion of what is "right" and what is "wrong". We do need to correct our brethren, but with the utmost humility. Entering into "correction" without humility is un-Christlike and therefore, quite dangerous. We should assume we're not being humble, in order to be more humble. Furthermore, it's one thing to correct an individual as a true brother/sister, it's another to seek power in politics and change laws for the common good in the name of Christ. Jesus (nor Paul) did anything like this. I know I'm bringing up points you did not directly make, but just want to put some reminders out there to really listen to what Jesus is telling us.
I hope you respond. We all need responses! :-)
typo in my last comment, i meant to say much, not mucy. though it's a funny "word".
I agree, I agree. I'm reading "Pagan Christianity" right now, by Frank Viola and George Barna. It speaks to the fact that the meaning of 'church' is completely out of sinc with Scritpure. The Church is the people and we do need one another to function effectively as the body of Christ. Today's version has gotten a bit loopy. Right now, I'm in the process of trying to figure out how best to serve God within the current system, or do I just leave it and do home church, without hubby cause he's not ready for that. Dilemma!
but YEAH, accountability and honesty and transparency are absolutely necessary!
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