These are the two things that keep me coming to church. Disengaging from these, I'll feel easier about staying home from church, which is my plan at least for the summer.
As someone who has seldom missed a Sunday at church for the last 17 years or so, this is a radical move, but it seems right for me just now, since church only makes me grumpy these days.
This means that for a while at least I'm not going to have a church. I don't really imagine this to be a permanent condition, but then it wouldn't disappoint me if my interaction with fellow-believers came in other settings than Sunday morning church.
Brant Hanson has a timely post on this subject. Here's a snip:
If you see "preaching", Biblically, as a sermon delivered each week to roughly the same audience by the same guy in the same building, and you regard this as an essential, or a near sacrament, you are not going to pose the question. And I respect your opinion, even as I don't hold it. (I heard a very popular preacher the other day say, on the radio, "When someone causes you to doubt or question, you get away from them, and get into the House of the Lord. I know I need to do that, because I need a talented man of the pulpit to help me understand, and...")I'm kind of expecting people to be worried about me, about my faith, perhaps a few of them even for my immortal soul. Whatever. I think this move will be good for me. I'll keep you posted.
You may be a person, like this Talented Man of the Pulpit, who really needs, who must have, a Talented Man of the Pulpit. In which case, you've likely stopped reading this blog. You may think his sprawling campus is the House of the Lord, too, in which case, you've likely stopped reading this blog.
7 comments:
well, i am not worried.
i think you will continue to follow the Holy Spirit.
i guess there might be some that could find reason to worry. seems that there usually are.
I would love, absolutely love to do just that. I want to. But I also want to be around believers. I just hate how we're doing it. Church makes me grumpy too.
I wish you the best, I hope this really works out for you.
Then I hope you blog about it so I can glean.
I'm going to try to hang out with believers at least as often as I do now . . . if they'll let me hang around with them. Then again, I'm also going to try to hang out with unbelievers more too.
Really, I will remain a part of the body and seek to pray with people, talk about faith stuff with them, even worship with them at times. I love lots of the people at my church. It's just the Sunday morning ritual I'll be foregoing.
Bob,
No worries for you, only prayers from here. Your testimony from your blog, Facebook, etc. shows fruits of your sanctification process.
Maybe we as American Christians have always had these feelings of discontentment with the religiosity of "church" but didn't understand how common the feelings were... until now when information and opinions are easily accessible, instantaneously transmitted, and fairly anonymously submitted.
I don't know where it (the personal evaluation of "church")is leading but know that God is shaping His body to become more like Christ.
I would like to say more but am already getting too long for a comment. Maybe I'll put more thoughts down later. Just wanted to wish you the best as you seek Him.
Still hoping you are going to keep blogging!
Brent
I wonder if your words betray what you really believe about the church. The church is a people, right? Not a building to enter or a service to attend. It's a people, a family of God's rescued ones through faith in Jesus.
So is it really "the church" that is making you grumpy? or is it they we we live out our identity as the church? (and if it's WE, not them, doesn't that apply responsibility on both them and us, you and me?)
I'm super glad to see that you're still committed to meeting with your church family and others too. (That's kind important, eh?) Our calling is celebrate the gospel, encourage each other with the gospel and commend the gospel with our lives (Hebrews 10:24-25; 13).
As you meet with other Christians in non-Sunday morning gathered worship times, I'd love to see how you will live with more gospel-intentionality. I'm also pumped to see how you will encourage other Christians to pursue that same gospel intentionality on Sundays, too.
In my humble opinion, that's always the problem. People lose sight of the value of gathered worship because there is no gospel there or because they don't want gospel.
I'm so glad you want gospel!
How deos Laurie feel about all this? Curious.
Well, she doesn't like me grumpy. She accepts the situation as it is. She's not necessarily delighted with church either, but probably not as disgruntled as I am.
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