Within the past couple of weeks it seems like I have come across some conversations about the church. What is obvious is that something has to change to reach the new generation of the lost and dying. Someone said that his church would not due to save the majority of people that need to be saved. I will say that there is validity in that statement. In my mind there is no way if I took a classroom of highschoolers or went to a major college and took a handful of students to the traditional church that has been stuck in the same routine for 10 or 15 years it would be something one would want to be a part of. This is understandable as times are changing and the old ways of doing things will not work in our generation for the most part.
What seems to be the most troubling to me is the idea of getting rid of the church. Now I am not saying that all feel this way or anyone has blatantly flat out said we don’t need the church, but what I fear is the thought of the church eventually being abandoned by a “radical” generation of thinkers. Here are some of my thoughts...
1) A need for the church
Someone told me “the bible doesn’t say that I have to go to church.” I began to think that can not be true. In Mathew Jesus says He will build the CHURCH. What is the church? In the Greek the church means a group of people or a gathering with a common interest or goal. So the church by this definition is not individual but community oriented. Paul rarely ever addresses individually but addresses the church as a whole community. We see this all over Paul’s writing, the need for community, to be as one, and to be together. In Acts we see the church as one devoting themselves to each other, eating, praying, and taking care of each other. It seems by this one could argue that there is no need for the church corporately worshipping in a building. But as time goes on we know of churches that did exist as places of corporate worship, Paul writes to them and in Revelation John speaks to the 7 churches in the beginning of the letter. As a church we are told to teach, edify, build up, bear God’s name together. I am not sure that without the church we could do this on a regular basis. Yes it is possible to be in community with friends, but where is accountability, where is authority over one’s life, how can we pour into those who need it, who are we teaching, are we building, are we edifying, who will we help send out with us, there must be more that just discussions. I am not saying this can only be done in a church building, but sometimes I think it is where is begins and we are able to take it out of the walls...
What seems to be the key problem from what I am hearing is the church is the lack of action in our world, the lack of relational connections, and the spreading the gospel message. People are tired and can not bear to think that going to a service hearing a message and going along on our merry way can really be Christianity lived out. We will find true satisfaction when we are living out the Gospel together. Lets grow together, love together, learn together, reach together, inside the church but outside of it as well, 10 times more... We are the church, let us not be to quick to dismiss the church because Jesus wants to build this church in a new (creative) way like never before...
Soon I’ll post number 2...
