Tuesday, September 27, 2011

unified front

i've been pondering lately. we've been studying ephesians with kay arthur (not really WITH her, just watching her and her big broaches and earrings and shoulder pads on video). and we're to the part where it's talking a lot about unity. it's talking about speaking the truth in love. it's talking about one body of Christ. and i have to tell you, i've been pretty fired up about it.

i might get on my soap box for a bit, so don't say you weren't warned. :) here it is:
i think we might be missing it. i think the church in america can easily get carried away with productions of beautiful lights and great music and never really teach truth. i think we can easily come together on sunday mornings, say hey how are yah, and go on with our week without much thought to sacrifice or loving others in good times and bad. i think it's much easier to make eye contact, smile, and never speak up about sin or struggles. and heaven forbid we talk to someone else about something we see them struggling with OUT OF LOVE. --or appreciate it when someone does that for us.

so here's my idea. here's my Christmas wish: i pray desperately and earnestly for truth to be spoken in love to our fellow brother or sister in Christ. to share with each other so honestly and openly that there is NO doubt in their mind that if the time ever arises where we have to say something that might be a bit painful, that they will know beyond a shadow of a doubt we love them and love (not our own agenda) is what's the driving force behind our accountability.
i desire a church that doesn't have padded seats or nice lighting because i personally struggle with it all looking like a production and not an authentic act of worship. (i'm sure others don't have the same issues i do. it's probably just me). i desire to give up things that i think would make me happy at this moment so that i can have resources to help provide for someone else who is in want. i desire to reach out to my community and love them and help them and meet needs and point it all to Jesus. i desire to see the body of believers discipled in such a way that they seek God on their own and are united together with others knowing the foundation of truth.

are you convicted of the same things? do you desire a more grass-roots type of worship? i'm just wondering if anyone else out there is a bit disenchanted with what we've been doing...and desiring something more. more God, less us. i think that's what i'm looking for.

"...being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." --Ephesians 4::3-6

4 comments:

  1. Amen! I kind of needed to read that and get fired up today. thanks. ;)

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  2. Here's what I find to be true in my area, and since my husband is the Media Director at our church, I can speak from a little bit of experience on this subject. I've been a Christian since I was a child and have been in and around many churches, and much of it is about preference. I prefer a largish church where the Pastor knows my name, but I don't know everyone. I like to stand in the middle of a crowd and worship on Sunday morning, listening to all the voices around me. I also like concert style worship, with the words on a large screen. I don't care so much about the lights, but we do have stage draping and such on our platform. This is what I like. I don't feel comfortable in a church of just 75 people.

    Okay, so about sound and lights and such. What we're seeing, in our area, is that churches are starting to age out. The youth groups are getting smaller as the older folks keep getting older. The sound and the lights are a way to make it more relevant to a generation with shorter attention spans and a 21st century lifestyle of gadgets.

    BUT, and I use capital letters, this all means absolutely nothing if the pastor standing up there is not teaching the truth! If the guy standing at the front is afraid of telling it like it is, afraid of talking about hell, is only worried about whether people like him, and only teaches the happy kind of Christianity, you've got a problem. Luckily, I'm in a church with a pastor who isn't afraid to speak the truth and teach it on a weekly basis.

    Our church is big on foreign missions and ministries for recovering people (drugs, prison, abortion, etc). Some people struggle with the fact that we aren't more about our community, and find a church that does more soup kitchens and that sort of thing. It's all about preference.

    So, all this to say that I'm currently happy with my church and happy to be involved in it. If you aren't being fed, and you aren't learning, then it might be time to make a switch.

    Love ya!

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  3. I agree with you. I feel like that in the church I am in right now. I grew up in this church... It has changed leadership as of late and I am not growing or being fed. I actually feel awful about my walk. I know it is time to move on. I am not the only one who feels this there. Why don't we ever say anything?
    If we do it is always behind closed doors... I have been thinking about this same sort of thing lately.

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