Tuesday, November 1, 2011

What's Your View of Church?

Has the focus of Church changed over the years.  It seems that church used to be about church.  Now there are social activist churches.  There are Pro-Life churches.  There are churches that take on current political issues.  There are churches that focus on self-help or self-improvement.  There are even sports or activity churches.  There are coffee churches and family churches and singles churches there are even churches that spend their time on the homosexual agenda, either fighting to promote it or to squash it.

I'm not saying that all these things are necessarily bad.  I think the church should have an impact on social, political and personal issues.  But too often these areas the church is supposed to impact end up being the main focus of our gatherings.  I personally know of a church that had a pro-life focus and the preacher actually got up in the pulpit and celebrated the fact that he had been arrested and spent a night in jail during the week.  (I thought we were supposed to obey the law of the land - like as a command from Scripture.  Romans 13:3-5).  In many cases the church no longer influences society as a natural expression of changed lives through the Holy Spirit, but makes a social issue the focus and uses it to teach some truths about God.

In my Bible reading yesterday I came across this passage from 1 Chronicles 29:1 (Great stuff in this chapter about humility; vs 14 and parenting; vs 19).  In this chapter and those leading up to it, King David is preparing to hand the reigns of the kingdom to his son, Solomon.  He's is talking to all Israel about God's decision that Solomon would build the permanent Temple for God, for which David has prepared most of the materials.  But it's in David's presentation about this building that got me thinking about how we view church today.

Here's what David said, "This place (the Temple) is NOT just a place for people to meet each other, but a house for God to meet us."  Profound.  Simple.  Perfect.  This building is not about getting together and catching up with those you haven't seen for six days.  It's not about fundraising or social/political conversations. Those things may happen at church and that's fine, but that is not what church is about.

No, church (not the building, but the gathering of God's people) is about a place for God to meet us.  It's where God's children come together to hear from Him.  To worship Him.  To honor Him as the beginning and the end.  To surrender to Him.  Confess their sins to Him.  To seek accountability so that we might receive more of Him.  To raise the call of holiness and righteousness that can only be found through Him.  It's not about us, but about Him.  So church should be a place where the heart of God is made known.  Where God's commands to love Him and love others are evident by actions.  Where people serve because He served and left us that example.

How would your view of church change if you really saw it the place where God was going to meet YOU?  Would it cause you to prepare for church differently?  Would you be more expectant when you entered?  Would you listen more intently?  Would your attitude be self or others focused?  Tell me how it would change your Sunday morning routine if you KNEW God was going to meet you in church...

...And then expect Him to meet you this Sunday.

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