Church
Every once in awhile...maybe more often than that...I get confused about doing church. I understand that we are the church...but this thing of doing church kind of gets to me. My spiritual upbringing has been in the Church of God, a charismatic/pentecostal denomination, I like it, believe in it, and will more than likely remain a part of it unless something drastic were to happen. If Joel Osteen left his church and they asked me to come I would probably consider it...I think I'm safe with the COG. Anyway, I am an avid reader of most everything and was reading Leadership magazine this evening...people from all sorts of church life write in it and it dawned on me that if I had been raised Lutheran, I would have believe that Lutherans do it right, or Methodists, or Baptists...somewhere along the way could it be that we need to find out what the Bible says? We're consumed with being right, but I need to be right, I want to be right, I have to be right...Right with God, myself, and with those around me. I cannot be right because of adherance to denominational guidelines...and we need them...I can only be right when I conform to the image of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. All of a sudden I'm thinking that people in all denominations are trying to get to God, to heaven, and most people want to be right...some aren't, there are false doctrines and we must know God and His Word so that the Holy Spirit can correct and direct us...Isn't this what being the church is all about? As we near the end times there is a tremendous rush to be right, to do church differently, and to reach people with the message...it's hard...and I'm trying and will continue to work at relating to those God allows me to minister to...but I think I'm going to be the church not just do church and most of all...I'm going to do my best to stay right!
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Reminds me of a couple of verses: "Therefore be followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Eph. 5:1-2
Yea, we set up our ideas and parameters about what the church ought to be, but I think those 2 verses explain a lot as to what the church is, us walking in the benevolent and sacrificial love of Christ, following his example. "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another."Jn. 13:35
I was thinking about this very thing on my way to work this morning (that's usually my time for "deep thoughts"..unfortunately for me it's a short commute to work-LOL)
Anyways...I was wondering if there are any two Christians on the face of the earth who agree 100% about everything in the bible? So much about what we believe about our doctrines is shaped by the culture we were raised in. I have a dear Lutheran friend that thinks it strange that we don't have communion at every gathering. Likewise, my COG brethren would find it terribly awkward to use a communal cup and partake at every service- and yet we're both striving to please God.
Like I posted in my blog yesterday- a Southern Baptist church just donated tons of equipment to my COG church! (Sound system, chairs, tables, media cart, TV, projection screen, etc.etc.). Now I think they're dead wrong about their "once-saved, always-saved" belief, but the same Holy Spirit that you and I have prompted them to sow into our ministry.
I didn't mean to ramble- you just inspired me Pastor Neil. We'll have to work something out for you to come to NC in the not too distant future.
Our church is a part of an interdenominational association. Darrell in fact was recently elected president. Admittedly, I was against it at first, not because I didn't believe in fellowship with other denominations but because I felt the other ministers in the COG on our district needed that extra attention and fellowship. Darrell wisely has been encouraging our sister churches to become a part of this fellowship as well. I have grown to love and appreciate the ministry couples I have met through this organization. We don't agree on all the "minors" of the Bible but we certainly agree on the majors.
During one of our meetings one of the other ministers (not pentecostal mind you) said he felt led to have all the ministers to gather around Darrell and pray for him. Let me tell you, these people got down to business with God. I was so impressed by the power of God I felt in their prayers. I am so thankful to call these people my brothers and sisters in Christ as well as my friends.
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