Labels

Sigh...

I've been reading up on this whole "emergent church", and "postmodern" church stuff tonight. A few months back I left the attendance of a "institutional church" or as some call it an 'organizational church" (at least those terms actually describe something). Within the "institutional church" there are Denominations with more labels... within denominations there are individual church names. Some of these practice 'movements" like "cell church" or "seeker sensitive" or "purpose driven". Then of course, there are the "non-denominational ministries" with all of their labels.

Will Christians ever get tired of labels?

I naively thought that when I left the "institutional church" behind I would ONLY find people who were tired of the labels. But I guess not. I have found many who are seeking something without all the trinkets of the instituional church, but it seems that just being outside of the instituional church does not mean everyone is free of the labels. I really truly just want to leave the labels behind and just BE the church that follows Christ. It does not need a name, it does not need a definition, it does not need to appeal to the new culture, or emerge from something (whatever that means). It does not need property or buildings. It does not need a 501c3 or a constitution in my opinion.

I honestly can't believe that when the church was brand new, just out of the box... that they worried much about such things. They could not have. They had no time for such foolishness! They were caught up with such issues as FEEDING themselves and their widows and orphans. They were busy finding places to live for all 3000+ out of town visitors who became the church. They were trying to comprehend this amazing thing that Jesus had told them of and that they were experiencing through His Spirit!. Yet, in the middle of all this, they seemed to find time to gather to hear of Jesus, and to pray and to tell others about Him. They found time to love one another and share and give. They didn't spend time labeling things.

When they started to get a little comfortable and maybe did try to become established, God spread them out all over the world through persecution. They started it all over again! It was like dropping a bucket of gasoline into a fire pit! Fires sprung up everywhere that the splashes of flame and fuel landed.

When Paul heard of people forming followings, and people trying to identify with other men rather than Christ, he rebuked them for it!

1 Corinthians 1:11-13
My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

I guess I was surprised (maybe without reason), to find that even in the midst of believers who have left the rituals and programs of what most will label "churches" today, I find new labels. I find that people are still trying to build a better mouse trap and label it and copyright it and distribute it and market it!

Come on people!

The church that Jesus founded was never such a creature! It was not meant to look or act like the institutions of the world!

Jesus described it as a family, as wind, as fire... things that HE established... not things that we have made.

Can we just simply BE the church?
or are we condemned to give it a name?

ps...
read another blog article by 'unchurch'