Disconnect: meanings from practice

Did you know that there are words used by Christians, which seem to have a "yeah, I know" meaning, as well as a "Well You know..." meaning?

Take, for example, the word "Church" as the most common of these kinds of words. If someone is using this word to describe their local religious organization, or a building in the city, and you remind them that the "church" is really the people, the Christians... not the building or the organization, you will usually get the response, "Yeah, I know"... they will agree. They "Know" that. But they will continue to use the word "church" in the other way saying, "Well, You know what I mean."

I guess some could say I am being picky about that. Maybe they are right, but when you start to realize how many other words there are like this, maybe you start wondering like me... "Just who stole the meanings of all these words and replaced them with religious cultural meanings!?"

Let me make a short list:

"Worship" is one of those words. Many people today will talk of a "worship service", or a "worship leader" or even "we start church with about 20 minutes of worship". Try to fit the meaning defined by Paul in Romans 12:1 into those statements--

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. "

So... when was it that worship become music or something that could be done in 20 minutes on Sunday?

Then of course there is the word "Service" itself, used in the "Well, you know" sense to describe the meeting on Sunday. Last I checked, service was something we are all called to do. (I have always wondered why a meeting was called a service anyway... what or who is being served? or who is serving? Does it mean the "pastor" is serving the people? or does it mean that this is all we have to do to be of service to God... I don't know what it means.)

"Fellowship" has come to mean shaking hands with someone.

"Head Pastor" (literally defined could be rendered "Chief Shepherd" -- a Title that I think belongs only to Christ) seems to be the name given to the primary leader of a "church"... although the office of "Elder" seems to be the leadership position spoken of in Scripture... (whereas Pastor is a gifting, not an office).

I could go on, but you get the picture.

Beyond all of the creative re-definitions that I see in all these terms, what frightens me more is that if you confront someone on how they are defining these things they still respond by saying, "Yeah, I know..." and will totally agree that these words mean something more or even totally different than how they are using them, but they will continue to use these words in their familiar way and continue to read the Bible with those tainted glasses.

If you keep thinking of a "church" as an organization or a building, or a "pastor" as the head man, or "Worship" as a time of singing and shouting to God... you will inevitably color and distort the plain truth of the scripture you read.

Take the "Well, you know " definition and try to forget it for a moment...
Read the Bible with the definitions that the Bible gives to these words. You might be surprised at how many tainted meanings there are out there in Christianize – land !

Am I a Lone Ranger?

I admit it...
I used to be one of those people who called people outside of a local church organization a 'lone ranger Christian'. I used to consider them as a branch separated from the body that will wither and die. (little did I notice that the vine they were connected to was the Lord... Not the 'church'). Funny thing is now, I guess the Father's sense of humor comes out...

I used to call others lone rangers... Now, I is one!
or am I?

Although I now believe that the organization can never (or at least rarely) ever sprout an organism (as in the life of Christ... the church as it should be) and I have not been attending a religious institutional service or program based group for almost a year, I am still torn by a few thoughts.

I agree that much of what it means to live as a Christian is to let God love you as you are, serve His purpose out of love not obligation or to get His love, and to pursue Him with all my heart... these are personal things. Me and God. There is also the element of being a 'part of the body'... letting others with differing gifts fill the places that you are not gifted in. One is a hand, one is an Eye... This can happen in the natural (or supernatural?) connections we make with other believers as we meet with them either on a scheduled or non scheduled gathering in a home or park or a coffee shop. My family and I have been doing this and also gathering regularly with a loose knit group of believers who have also left their former religious institutional life.

Yet, the passages in the New Testament about leaders, elders, ruling elders, the authority of elders... these things spoken of in the Bible still haunt me and make me wonder if there is something more structural to the church locally than this very nebulous individualized way of being the church.

I keep finding it hard to reconcile this new freedom I have found from the mechanical religiosity and the obvious call to leaders and authority in even the localized gatherings of the church. Maybe it is just my history, conditioning and religious background (baggage?) that makes me think there must be something more structural about it all... but I am still trying to find the Father's heart on that. I know that those things we sometimes think of as 'offices of the church' are in reality (when you really study it) gifts to the church... spiritual gifts... but it does seem that 'elders' are appointed and given an 'office' or an authority... maybe not the kind we usually think of... but something.

Any thoughts?

Do you ever wonder if there should be something more 'organizational' about the church in spite of the way that most religious organizations tend turn into institutions of man and his pride?

Still working that one out.