Last weekend my family and I drove up to visit some friends whom we have not spent time with for a long time. They moved to a city about 2-3 hours away from us 4 or 5 years ago and to our fault this is the first time we have gone to visit them in their new town.
Because they had left the area, they stopped attending the local "church" we attended at the time with them. While they were there, we had developed a close relationship with them and got together with them at times other than the "church services".
Since they left town we have only occasionally kept in touch with email and a few phone calls... that is about it. But visiting them this weekend was fun because it felt like we were able to pick up where we left off with our relationship. We had an intentional relationship with them. We got together with them to get to know them better and we did it on purpose, not just because of convenience or obligation.
Others at our old religious organization (church) that we used to know only because we saw them every week "at church"... we have not heard from them. I don't think we would have the same kind of relationship if we saw them again.
Our friends had noticed the same disconnect when they moved. They tried to stay in touch with people who they had done things with at the "old church" and found that it was no longer convenient for these people to keep the relationship going.
Now, I know we have not gotten together for a long time, and it is because of obligations and a lack of "convenience" too... but because we had established an intentional relationship with them before, there was a closer connection that we could re-establish with intentional effort.
During our conversation with them about this I mentioned that I didn't want to deal with "convenient" relationships anymore... I wanted to pursue more intentional ones because those are the only ones that mean anything.
I think this is where the institutional church has trouble successfully nurturing "relational Christianity" because by nature they are an organization and a program... they are gathering and a meeting more than anything else (or at least that is how most people define or describe a 'church') So people react in kind and establish convenient relationships more than intentional ones. Convenient relationships are also very easy ones to wear as masks and never let people into their lives.
It is much like a recent article I read talking about how orphans raised by the state institutions have so many problems and are lacking in the ability to relate to others as well as people who grew up in a healthy family based in love.
Love and true Christian community is founded in Christ's love, and Christ's love is intentional... not merely convenient.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Do You like an Old Testament Flavored New Testament?
I find little to no justification for a weekly "service" as defined today by whatever denomination (or non-denomination) you can find. It seems to me that so many have chosen to play out a New Testament flavored version of the Old Testament temple rituals. We have come up with our own rules and our own religious culture and imposed it upon ourview of New Testament. It distorts and colors the way we understand our life as the Church in Christ.
The church is not a place it is really my relationship with God and with others. Church really has nothing to do with the ceremony and procedures of organizations. We ARE the church. I really have to come to the conclusion that the church was never meant to be an organization. Not in the sense that most think of a "church" today.
Today we have "worship and praise" which is mostly just a concert. with people being "led" in worship by a special man-made priesthood which has musical abilities. When in fact worship has precious little to do with singing. (singing can be a part of worship... but it is not worship) Worship as defined in scripture is a life of service to God and showing love to others... a continual prayer to Him... and we sure don't need a "worship leader" to lead us in it.
Having a single man -- a "pastor" -- lead a group and being under his "authority" is not really something I can see clearly in scripture. at best we should simply be a part of group led by multiple elders... but I don't think it has to even resemble an organizational chart. We are all priests, we don't need a figurehead shepherd. We already have a Chief Shepherd -- a "Head Pastor" if you translate that phrase. We are to be sheep of HIS pasture, not someone just calling themselves a head pastor.
I am not saying that we should not be gathering with other believers regularly. I am saying I find no definition of a "Church Service" in scripture that looks anything like what we see today (or as the defined way to gather with believers), nor today's definition of "pastor", nor "worship", nor justification to collect "tithes" by which to support an organization. Instead I see people freely giving to help those in need.
I feel like the Book of Hebrews really lays it out -- that we should stop looking to the old procedures and letting ourselves be strangled by our 'religious culture' and comfort zones. The rituals were shadows of the freedom there is in Christ, That is, entering the REAL holy of holies boldly rather than letting a priest go into a man made replica of it.
If Jesus had intended we set up more religious rituals and structure I think he would have told us about it. All this religious stuff... for what it is ... it is fine (if it helps some) but I feel it does the same thing in many cases that the Jewish rituals did to the early Christians. It was an old way of life that they clung to for their own security. It kept them from progressing to Christ (or in Christ).
How much time, energy and money do we waste on the gyrations of "doing church" when we should be spending our time energy and money to BE the church?
I think that maybe the church as Jesus envisions it, was much more like the description he gave Nicodemus in John 3:8, rather than the tangible program based and ritual rich organizations we see scattered around the world today. We should be and act more like the wind, and less like a business corporation or a religious tradition.
The church is not a place it is really my relationship with God and with others. Church really has nothing to do with the ceremony and procedures of organizations. We ARE the church. I really have to come to the conclusion that the church was never meant to be an organization. Not in the sense that most think of a "church" today.
Today we have "worship and praise" which is mostly just a concert. with people being "led" in worship by a special man-made priesthood which has musical abilities. When in fact worship has precious little to do with singing. (singing can be a part of worship... but it is not worship) Worship as defined in scripture is a life of service to God and showing love to others... a continual prayer to Him... and we sure don't need a "worship leader" to lead us in it.
Having a single man -- a "pastor" -- lead a group and being under his "authority" is not really something I can see clearly in scripture. at best we should simply be a part of group led by multiple elders... but I don't think it has to even resemble an organizational chart. We are all priests, we don't need a figurehead shepherd. We already have a Chief Shepherd -- a "Head Pastor" if you translate that phrase. We are to be sheep of HIS pasture, not someone just calling themselves a head pastor.
I am not saying that we should not be gathering with other believers regularly. I am saying I find no definition of a "Church Service" in scripture that looks anything like what we see today (or as the defined way to gather with believers), nor today's definition of "pastor", nor "worship", nor justification to collect "tithes" by which to support an organization. Instead I see people freely giving to help those in need.
I feel like the Book of Hebrews really lays it out -- that we should stop looking to the old procedures and letting ourselves be strangled by our 'religious culture' and comfort zones. The rituals were shadows of the freedom there is in Christ, That is, entering the REAL holy of holies boldly rather than letting a priest go into a man made replica of it.
If Jesus had intended we set up more religious rituals and structure I think he would have told us about it. All this religious stuff... for what it is ... it is fine (if it helps some) but I feel it does the same thing in many cases that the Jewish rituals did to the early Christians. It was an old way of life that they clung to for their own security. It kept them from progressing to Christ (or in Christ).
How much time, energy and money do we waste on the gyrations of "doing church" when we should be spending our time energy and money to BE the church?
I think that maybe the church as Jesus envisions it, was much more like the description he gave Nicodemus in John 3:8, rather than the tangible program based and ritual rich organizations we see scattered around the world today. We should be and act more like the wind, and less like a business corporation or a religious tradition.
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