CHURCH FOR ME, contd

I've had a few more thoughts since my last post and since I got a bit of feedback on it, I'll say more. 

Part of the problem I see with us, is that we seem to have less capacity for disagreement and friendly discourse. We all lose when all of our friends and fellow church members have all the same viewpoints as we do. 

Romans 14 is helpful. Paul tells the mixed group of ex-pagans and Jews who are now Christians: 

"Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them."

I rarely eat pork. For a period of time, I was a vegan. I still strongly believe that Americans consume too much meat filled with hormones. I know that is far out to say here in the Midwest where burger is king! I like essential oils and my wife and I have utilized chiropractic medicine. (GASP!)

But I would suffer loss if I insisted and propagated my beliefs regarding these things in a way that's equal to my love for the gospel! There is no comparison! These are secondary issues compared to teaching doctrines like: our identity in Christ, the grace of God, life in the Spirit, the End of all things, etc. 

This is why in some way every Christian church needs to review some form of the Creeds. Believers through the centuries have relied on these when life was literally "at stake." When Christians were fed to lions, what did they qualify as reasons for fellowship? Not secondary issues but those primarily found in the Apostles' Creed, the Westminster Catechism, etc. 

So go ahead and have those strong opinions on secondary things like immigration, healthcare, child-rearing, politics, and more. But then gather around the Lord's table and set those aside to drink from the cup of spiritual fellowship brought to us by the Son of God, sacrificed and raised from the dead for us--the united body of Christ. 

A good question to ask: Do I have any friends who disagree with me? 

Jesus, make us one even as you and the Father are one. 

Jesus loves the church

Yes, I've seen some bad stuff under the name of "church." Here's a few: abuse, division, quackery, mishandled funds, affairs and more. For this reason, some have said, "I'm a part of the invisible church." Or, "I don't believe in organized religion." Behind every statement like that is a hurt or disappointment. Someone somewhere in the church let them down.

But I've also seen some amazing, miraculous things in the "church." Just this weekend, here are a few stories from people. (Names changes to protect identity):

T.S. - former alcoholic, suicidal, marriage "on the rocks." Now? marriage restored, secure in Christ, solid Bible teacher
K.W. - rape victim, suicidal, raised by single parent. Now? secure in Christ, great leader, financially stable
R.K. - sexually abused as a child, disappointed and hurt by church leadership, struggled with homosexuality. Now? secure in Christ, training for vocational ministry, leading and helping others.

For every bad story about church, I could give you several good ones. No wonder Jesus loves the church and gave Himself for it.

You need to love it too. Don't love Jesus and dis' His bride. (see Eph. 5.25, 1 Cor. 3:16-17)

Healthy Community?

Sunday night we celebrated our C3 partners. Great night. Everything felt fresh. The youth did a fun dance-off with excerpts of songs through the decades.

I talked about our reaffirming our C3 values of connection, commitment and contribution and how we can do better at helping people with the first one--connection. A healthy community is a place where people connect to Christ and deeply in relationships with others. But what does that look like?

Someone said that community must include accountability, belonging and caring (ABC). What is an organization with some but not all? Name a community that has a sense of belonging but no accountability? A club. How about an org with accountablity and no sense of care? The IRS. The church needs all three. We need to communicate care but with accountability. We need accountability but with a healthy sense of belonging.

What about your circle of friends? Which is lacking?

Grits

Some things always come in groups. They just don't come by themselves or if they do they are insignificant. Only as a group is it powerful.

One of the hallmarks to my past is Louisiana food: things like grits. I love the story of the Yankee who walks into a Louisiana diner and orders the lunch special which comes with grits. He asks the waitress, "What's a grit?" She says in her Louisiana drawl, "They're GRITS honey. They don't come by themselves."

Neither do Christians. I may have a personal relationship with Christ, but Christians don't come by themselves. It's a group thing. Think of the symbols Jesus used when talking about his followers: flock, family, city, church (which means "an assembly of those who are called"). What's the common characteristic of these? They are plural. It's a group thing. We don't come by ourselves.

I've been stunned by the movement that says we don't need to meet together anymore. "We can see church via satellite in the privacy of our homes--solo." You might see the "church" but to be the "church" means we have to get together often. This isn't my idea. It's God's idea. For centuries, the "church" has gathered and found courage, refuge and hope. Maybe God knew what He was talking about.

I'm so excited to be a part of community of faith that understands this. Most of our folks here at SCCC understand the power that comes from connecting with others.