Hey guys and gals!
Well when I find myself with time to write I have found myself in a situation of NOTHING to write. Ha ha ha.
Well not to worry I do have something to fill in the time. I have recently found an interesting conversation on Facebook that struck me as one of great interest. Why? well it has something to do with a topic I find a lot of Christians today don’t find important. What’s that? Well Church!!!
The following conversation is an actual conversation that has taken place, so since I have yet to ask permission to use this conversation I will change the names so no harm done!!
James -Christians attending church was God's idea and is his will for his people. It is God who calls people to be pastors. Why? It is God who inspired all the "one another" scriptures in the Bible. How do you love, serve, admonish, encourage, instruct and care for one another if you are not with one another? Scripture says that believers should not neglect meeting together. Find a church and get connected.
Harry- Right. But could you also say the way we run churches is not necessarily the way God intended it? Who knows how God intended it really? Didn't our system of the rituals we practice church stem from the Catholic Church? I thought the original church consisted more of a fellowship of eating with one another and breaking bread, giving honor to God at the same time and discussing his words. It's seems more and more to me that Church was God's plan for us to come together as one and strengthen one another towards his cause.
James-No church is run perfectly. What we know from scripture and the earliest days of the church is that gatherings included singing praise, study of Scripture, Communion, Pastors and Elders serving the people and equipping them to minister to others, correction when needed, exercizing of spiritual gifts, doing the "one another’s", and - yes - giving offerings. Rituals are not bad if founded on the Word of God and not the traditions of men. Consistent personal Bible study and prayer could be considered a ritual - and we should all embrace it. I say again, God's will is that his people be committed to a local church.
Harry-Valid points. I have a hard time accepting Churches these days because it feels like they are off track. I don't want to be so critical of them but church history, in my studies, seems to have started off on the basis of anti-Semitism. Which sadly still has some remaining remnants in a lot of churches today. I love fellowship with Christian believers and discussing God's word. I take great joy in it. I just see a lot of fake fronts in churches today and wish we would all be real with one another and love each other for it. We cannot and will not ever be perfect, and to me that is ok. That is why Christ came to save us. And we should all accept one another as screw ups, cuz we all are. I understand that is what church is for, but church seems to have taken the role of look perfect to one another and pity the one who actually comes clean.
James-Many churches are among the greatest supporters of Israel and the Jewish people. The sin/imperfections of churches does not negate God's will in this area. Find a church that is close to what you are looking for and accept their "screw ups" just as you want others to be accepted. Grow in God's grace together with others.
Harry-The thing I felt most robbed about from my church was that I trusted them for my biblical education. I sat there a listened to my pastor’s interpretation of scripture and it seemed contradictory at times. I just felt that I should have been taught the different beliefs and theological issues, instead of just one view. I wish my church would have taught me how to interpret scripture on my own. I had to go to Bible College to learn the difference and decipher for my own. I believe every Christian should be educated to decipher for their own. It plays a huge role in our relationship to God and in understanding him more.
James-True. And we should learn how to study the Bible for ourselves. My advice is to read a church's statement of faith/beliefs carefully before connecting and look for a strong commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture. You've got to have a pastor whom you trust when teaching God's Word. From a practical point of view, pastors cannot generally give all theological views of a given scripture/topic in a sermon. It would take too much time and promote confusion and factions rather than conviction and unity.
Harry-I don't know if I agree... I think those things being taught in the church would be great for real Christians. When you water down scripture and make messages to win numbers it only creates temporary Christians. There should be no confusion if taught correctly. Our different ideas should actually unite us. There is only separation into factions when people are hard headed and closed minded. How can you learn and study the bible ourselves if we are not given the tools to do so. That is exactly what I want to make prevalent in church, teaching the congregation how to learn on their own. All I ever heard was read your bible. Ok, no what? There is more than just reading, which you know. Please don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for my church experiences. There are many positive and great things the church has done for me in my walk. I am thankful for it. You make some great points and am thankful for the opportunity to discuss.
James-We will have to agree to disagree on this one. Though I am not talking about watering down Scripture or winning numbers for numbers sake. I am talking about pastors/teachers called by God preaching with conviction God's truth as they see it in Scripture. Not being like a member of a debate team who has to be able to argue convincingly for a point of view they don't believe. Finding a church or denomination where you can be in substantial agreement with their doctrinal view should enable to receive teaching and training without always being concerned with what everyone else's view of the topic is. Not bad to be curious and have a well-rounded understanding - more important to receive, embrace and apply God's Word through your pastor to your life.
Harry-I actually have attended two churches were they took the time to answer theological issues and questions. It was great. So many people had great questions and the pastor not only gave an answer from his view point but shared the other views as well. It was probably one of the most beneficial services I have seen. I am not saying it should be my way all the time, but a good mixture of both. We get so caught in the usual routine that we lose focus. Balance is important with everything.
Harry-Getting out there and seeing different churches is great as well. You can learn so much from your brothers and sisters.
James-I agree but still believe you need to have a home church where you commit, serve, build relationships and function as family
Some interesting things in this convo. I hope you chew the meat and spit out the bones
