Subject: How important is your Church? |
Bible Note: Hi Brian, I don't have any problem with going to the same church group regularly. I just said that taking "membership vowes" is not scriptural. I also don't really see why someone who had the gift of prophesy would have to always go to the same group. I could learn from anyone who had a gift to understand God's word and teach it, even if they just came by once in a while. On another note, I believe you said something important when you said "stronger faith community". That is probably one of the big problems with the format that the Christian church has taken. We are split up into so many denomenations, each one looking for some unimportant periphrial difference in interpretation of scripture that God's people find it difficult to get together as a body. The original reformation movement was vital to getting the true message of the Gospel to the masses and to break away from Catholic dogma. Now people have easy access to great and accurate interpretations of the Bible (like the ones available on this website) and understand that salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone. I believe it is time to go back to the churches of the "community" spoken of in the book of Acts. I can't see the practical use of having million dollar church buildings owning hundreds of acres of land in every corner compeating for "vowed members". We are all members of the same body with Jesus as the head. To be split up in so many directions just seems like a terrible waste and irresponsible stewardship of the resources that God has given his people. To me it seems that the corporate church becomes too much of a reflection of the corporate business. Each church (inc.) looking at their dollar bottom line along with their material assets and not at the true profit of any Christian church which is in the spiritual growth of all people within it's reach as a community. Proof of this is when we see social statistics within the church the same or worse than what is in the world. New Christians see no difference between the church and the world and become discouraged, many throwing the baby (Jesus) out with the bath water. All they can see is a street corner church anxious to build additions on to their building, high pressuring and burdening it's members for added donations and not focusing on the message of the Gospel (they can't serve two masters). Older Christians become discouraged in the direction that the church is going and long for the time when it did focus on God's word. Eventually many of them can be seen leaving and searching for new churches. I don't see why true Christians can't toss aside the denominations, meet weekly (or more) to worship and pray in small home groups and maybe monthly in a large Christian community gathering at a large hall funded by God's people in that community. This would end the battle for "vowed members" and begin a common outreach and concern for the whole community, believers and unreached alike. Too many preachers graduate from seminary looking forward to seeing their name on the lighted sign out front and the pride of having their very own church. I guess they would have to humble themselves a little in order to preach next to other enlightened preachers and teachers who may have even greater biblical understanding. Well, Brian, you asked what I thought. You probably didn't want to read all that. Your brother in Christ, Bob |