Now before you think I have lost my mind hear me out. I have called this post "Stop Going to Church" so we can really look simplistically and deeply at the role of churches and how our opinions and actions affect and even effect others.
I believe a huge misconception that people have about going to church is that it's not going to be for them. Sometimes people have a twisted view of the church, and sadly, we can't blame them. People come from every walks of life and have experienced different things. Some people grow up thinking that the church is a place to go on Sunday mornings so everyone can see them there and think they are a Christian. Others may have grown up on the outside looking in and wondering why people would dress up, sing songs, act happy and speak like they are from the 1600's but then go home and do the exact same things as everyone else in this world. Some think church is for old people. Some think church is a money scheme. Some think church is a therapeutic session that allows people to coupe with the hardships of life. PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED ABOUT THE CHURCH!
We can go in the direction of looking at passages of scripture that show us that the church is not the building we meet in. We can read God's word and find that the people of God are the church, but we are going in a different direction today. A way that may step on toes. Let me say that if I step on your toes while you are reading through this that must mean your feet were not moving. That must mean that you were stationary and needed someone or something to step on your toes so that you would begin to move for Christ. I will not say sorry for any discomfort because that means that God is convicting your heart and you need to repent and get a move on. This is exactly what He has done to me.
Now, let's get going. The "church", as the world would see it, is a building that millions of people sit in on Sunday mornings for all sorts of reasons. It is not until the attitude of the Church, the body of Christ, is changed and renewed that we will see the views of "church" changed.
When we gather together on Sunday mornings with our suits and dresses, smiles on our face, freshly dusted off bible in our hand, sing songs that don't mean anything to us and suffer through a 20 minute speech, we are just going to church. We need to stop going to church and start being the church. Stop faking your way through an hour once a week. Stop worrying about whether the pastor is going to go a little longer than you hoped and you miss your reservation for lunch. Stop worrying if the pastor is going to talk about the real issues of life that make people uncomfortable like sex, money and addictions. Stop going to church.
This is in no way a report card for the church. I am not above these thoughts and hypocrisies. I struggle with some of these issues and God has really touch my heart in becoming more like Him and I just want to share with you what I'm learning and encourage you.
In case you haven't made the connection, Jesus preached and taught in a way that would shock most of us. We have put this picture in our minds of Jesus walking around petting lambs and playing with children and telling people to love and everything will be alright. Jesus wasn't a hippie! He was and is the Son of God that came here to die for us. The bible isn't a fluffy and gooey romance novel. It is a 66 book love letter with real people facing real life and a holy God that is always in control. Jesus wasn't a pushover. In Matthew 21:12 we see Jesus flipping over tables and benches and driving people out of the temple area. He told people to eat his flesh and drink his blood in John chapter 6. Skip over to John 7:43 and it says, "Thus the people were divided because of Jesus." Jesus spoke the truth in ways that rocked the foundation of everyone's beliefs. He told parables that dumbfounded people. People turned away from Jesus because of Jesus. So why do we think we need to dumb down His word and skip over topics that people don't want to talk about?
Think about your church for a minute. Think about the preaching style. The music. The people that show up every week. What would your church look like if your preacher stood up and didn't apologize about talking about money and showed your church that Jesus talked about money more than any other subject and spoke boldly about greediness and giving? How would your church react if your pastor stood up and talked about sex and how it is ruining a generation of youth because it isn't talked about enough in the church? These two topics alone can divide a church. But that didn't stop Jesus from talking about it, so why should we be afraid to? Pastors, leaders, volunteers and staff...listen up! There are people at your church that struggle with finances because their heart is in buying the newest and best and going further in debt with credit cards and loans and they need help! There are people at your church that struggle with sexual purity, thoughts, pornography and lust and they need help! When we talk about real issues people on the outside of church will come in. People long to hear how they can be helped. People long for salvation. I would much rather have someone turn away from God because I spoke biblically and in truth than to have them turn away from God because I spoke out of ignorance and judgement.
Sitting around on Sunday mornings praying for changes to be made is not a bad thing. But if there is no movement on your behalf, nothing is going to get done. If you don't move God won't move. Now I'm not saying he can't move. He can and He will. But unless we get off of our lazy spiritual butts, nothing is going to happen through us. It takes faith and it takes action. James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead. We have to move. We have to step out. We need to stop going to church and start being the church. Spending an hour once a week singing and listening to the word through someone else is not going to be enough for your "spiritual tank" to last you all week.
If you're thinking that this little blog post from a young guy in Leland, NC isn't for you, great. I hope that God is working through you and you are moving and being the church. I pray that you would continue to do so. But I also hope that this will give you a clearer view of your surroundings. A lot of people that don't go to church don't go because of their view of what church is. I hope my sharing in this will encourage you and lift you up. I hope that all of us can really see what the church is supposed to look like from what scripture teaches and we can get out of this rut we find ourselves in. I want to encourage you to take action. Bring people to church. And if they won't come, bring the church to them. You may be the only Jesus they see. So get up, move and stop just going to church.
"Take up your cross" is not for the faint of heart
Why do you go to church? More specifically, why do you go to YOUR church? What attracted you there? Was it the closest church to your house? Was it the band? Or the people? Or even the furniture? Do you like churches that are big and pretty? Churches that have state of the art technology?
What if I told you I found the most amazing church that anyone could go to and wanted you to come? The only catch is you have to walk or ride a bike all morning to get there. Everyone arrives at different times throughout the day and you get started once everyone is there. You wear very non-formal clothes. The service is hosted in a small crowded room with poor lighting and lasts for many hours. Would you go? What if I told you that the spirit of God is felt every week and people are weeping, excited, praising, coming to Christ, praying, learning, and studying? Would you go then?
Rather than considering it a blessing and giving back, we have prided ourselves and want to show everyone what we have. Now, I'm not saying every big church, or any church for that matter, is like this, but I'm sure there are many out there. Before I continue let me clarify a few things. There is nothing wrong with having things. Having the latest and greatest is good and helpful. It is when the church is investing more time, energy and money into the things that are going in the church than it is for things and people going out that we begin to see failure through the church.
Hearing and reading story after story of believers coming together to worship in a way that many people here would refuse is amazing. It is so easy to become complacent in our walk with God. It is so easy to get in a flow and just go with it. I had a teacher in high school that always said "Repetition is the motherhood of all learning." That has a lot of truth to it. But if we go through the same motions day in and day out we always end up less fulfilled. We begin to loose interest in things and we get bored.
If you have read my post before then you know I grew up in church. After years of hearing sermons from many pastors, youth leaders and speakers, I learned the stories and meanings of the bible. I know most of them by heart. But it isn't until I really try to hear what God is saying through His word that I actually know it. Digging deeper to have a full understanding of the power of God's word should be our goal. A daily goal. one that I know most people, including myself, struggle with.
An example of this would be a story that has been pressing on my heart lately. Mark 8:31-38. These are the verses we talked about tonight in echo)), my churches youth ministry. Now to set the scene for you. This is early in Jesus' ministry and he has called his disciples already. He has already performed some miracles and people are starting to talk. In this part of the story Jesus and the disciples are together and Jesus is telling them that he has to die. Now, we know that Jesus died and we know why, how and what happened after. But let me shed some light on this situation. The disciples didn't know that. For years the Roman Empire had occupied Israel and the Jews hated it. Non-Jews taking over and establishing their culture, rules, unfair taxes, and lifestyles. The Jews had studied the writings and prophecies and believed that a strong militaristic man would free them from Roman oppression. That is who Jesus was supposed to be for them. So when Jesus told them he was to die it was a shock.
Mark 8:34 says, "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" This verse should give you chills. But due to overplaying it to the point were we are tired of hearing this verse we don't get chills. We think of this verse as saying "stop being selfish and do what I did." We get this thought in our minds and then we totally miss the power of it. "Take up your cross" was not coined by Jesus. He didn't make it up, the Romans did. When you heard those four words that was it. It was time to die. You would be forced to carry a cross around town until a Roman soldier said stop and you would be crucified right there. And it wasn't you stop, you die, there is a funeral, life goes on. You were on the cross for days. Pleading for help, food and water that nobody could give unless they wanted to suffer in the same way. Screaming in pain as your muscles twitch and spasm making splinters into open gashes. You then drift in and out of consciousness until you died. Then you stayed there for possibly years. No funeral. No ceremony. The sight and the smell from your body due the weather and animals lingered. Your family and friends were constantly reminded by your disgusting body or bones about how you died. And as a tactic by the Romans it worked well. It was a radical show of the power and fearlessness of the empire. So when Jesus said "take up your cross" every one knew what he meant. Prepare yourself to die.
Are you prepared to die? Die to your selfishness and the sins that consume your life? There are people all over the world that are beaten and killed in violent ways because they are trying to do what we have an open opportunity to do here. Just to go to church and learn about God is a life risk to thousands of people. Why is it so different for us? Why do we put more effort in materialistic things rather than God? Some would argue that we are blessed to have these things and we should spend resources to improve the churches. This is true and good, but if you are using a blessing as an excuse to keep your church members happy rather than feeding them the word of God and sending them out into the world then you are missing the point. I consider myself blessed that I can drive to my church on Sunday mornings without fear of dying because I am going. But if I go to church to talk to people, listen to music and hear a story about God that I've probably heard before without true intent to listen to God speak then what is the point of going?
I want to challenge you to go to church this Sunday and truly worship. Give it all to God. Don't worry about anything. Go in wanting to hear from God. He wants to hear from you too. Worship him with all you have. Matthew 22:37 says love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Take up your cross. Prepare yourself for what God has in store for you.
Before I end I would like to encourage you to pray for those that are not blessed with the freedom to worship God openly. Pray that they will be bold and courageous. Pray that these people will take up their crosses and share the gospel with those around them. Pray for their enemies, the ones that torture them and kill them, that they may see God through these men and women and come to accept Christ.
What if I told you I found the most amazing church that anyone could go to and wanted you to come? The only catch is you have to walk or ride a bike all morning to get there. Everyone arrives at different times throughout the day and you get started once everyone is there. You wear very non-formal clothes. The service is hosted in a small crowded room with poor lighting and lasts for many hours. Would you go? What if I told you that the spirit of God is felt every week and people are weeping, excited, praising, coming to Christ, praying, learning, and studying? Would you go then?
Rather than considering it a blessing and giving back, we have prided ourselves and want to show everyone what we have. Now, I'm not saying every big church, or any church for that matter, is like this, but I'm sure there are many out there. Before I continue let me clarify a few things. There is nothing wrong with having things. Having the latest and greatest is good and helpful. It is when the church is investing more time, energy and money into the things that are going in the church than it is for things and people going out that we begin to see failure through the church.
Hearing and reading story after story of believers coming together to worship in a way that many people here would refuse is amazing. It is so easy to become complacent in our walk with God. It is so easy to get in a flow and just go with it. I had a teacher in high school that always said "Repetition is the motherhood of all learning." That has a lot of truth to it. But if we go through the same motions day in and day out we always end up less fulfilled. We begin to loose interest in things and we get bored.
If you have read my post before then you know I grew up in church. After years of hearing sermons from many pastors, youth leaders and speakers, I learned the stories and meanings of the bible. I know most of them by heart. But it isn't until I really try to hear what God is saying through His word that I actually know it. Digging deeper to have a full understanding of the power of God's word should be our goal. A daily goal. one that I know most people, including myself, struggle with.
Mark 8:34 says, "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" This verse should give you chills. But due to overplaying it to the point were we are tired of hearing this verse we don't get chills. We think of this verse as saying "stop being selfish and do what I did." We get this thought in our minds and then we totally miss the power of it. "Take up your cross" was not coined by Jesus. He didn't make it up, the Romans did. When you heard those four words that was it. It was time to die. You would be forced to carry a cross around town until a Roman soldier said stop and you would be crucified right there. And it wasn't you stop, you die, there is a funeral, life goes on. You were on the cross for days. Pleading for help, food and water that nobody could give unless they wanted to suffer in the same way. Screaming in pain as your muscles twitch and spasm making splinters into open gashes. You then drift in and out of consciousness until you died. Then you stayed there for possibly years. No funeral. No ceremony. The sight and the smell from your body due the weather and animals lingered. Your family and friends were constantly reminded by your disgusting body or bones about how you died. And as a tactic by the Romans it worked well. It was a radical show of the power and fearlessness of the empire. So when Jesus said "take up your cross" every one knew what he meant. Prepare yourself to die.
Are you prepared to die? Die to your selfishness and the sins that consume your life? There are people all over the world that are beaten and killed in violent ways because they are trying to do what we have an open opportunity to do here. Just to go to church and learn about God is a life risk to thousands of people. Why is it so different for us? Why do we put more effort in materialistic things rather than God? Some would argue that we are blessed to have these things and we should spend resources to improve the churches. This is true and good, but if you are using a blessing as an excuse to keep your church members happy rather than feeding them the word of God and sending them out into the world then you are missing the point. I consider myself blessed that I can drive to my church on Sunday mornings without fear of dying because I am going. But if I go to church to talk to people, listen to music and hear a story about God that I've probably heard before without true intent to listen to God speak then what is the point of going?
I want to challenge you to go to church this Sunday and truly worship. Give it all to God. Don't worry about anything. Go in wanting to hear from God. He wants to hear from you too. Worship him with all you have. Matthew 22:37 says love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Take up your cross. Prepare yourself for what God has in store for you.
Before I end I would like to encourage you to pray for those that are not blessed with the freedom to worship God openly. Pray that they will be bold and courageous. Pray that these people will take up their crosses and share the gospel with those around them. Pray for their enemies, the ones that torture them and kill them, that they may see God through these men and women and come to accept Christ.
Offended By Sin: Turning Souls Away From God
How many times have you seen someone on the street and instantly thought they were a homeless person, drug dealer, prostitute, gang member, ect? How many times have you thought about the life they "look like" they are living, and then frowned upon it? What goes through your mind when you are watching the local and/or national news and see the stories about murders, rapes, thefts, violent protest, deaths and disease? How about when a friend or someone you know does something wrong or upsetting? When you attend church each week who do you see? The same people from last week that are smiling and dressed nice? Would those negative thoughts come up again and cause you to sin more if the people you saw on the street or the news walked in on Sunday morning? What are you offended by and why?
I'm sure most of us know about leprosy. There are many accounts of leprosy in the bible and people around the world still have this disease. Some cultures banish men and women from there villages and towns if they have it. In Mark chapter 1 we see a man begging Jesus to cleanse him of leprosy. Most of us would have been disgusted and fear the man due to his condition. But Jesus was filled with compassion (vs. 41) and healed the man. He wasn't showing off. He didn't do it to prove who he was. In verse 43 Jesus tells him to be quiet about it and go show himself to the priest and make a sacrifice. This was not an act of self proclamation but an act of love! If you continue reading through the book of Mark you will find Jesus' personality through his actions more than his teachings. I think this book reveals the fact that Jesus was here to love the people that the church wouldn't. How different are we from the church back then? Our churches should be packed with new faces every Sunday.Rich or poor, strong or weak, sick or healthy. I see Sunday morning church as a place to be encouraged from the week past and to proceed into the coming week with a stronger fire for God. Fellowship with other Christians, like Sunday morning services, is a way to stay accountable and to be renewed.
It seems that we, as the church, have grown up in this moralistic society that praises good and condemns bad. This is not to say that sin is not bad. The tragedies of sin and the consequences are bad but I think that we need to learn to not be offended by them. We should approach those that have fallen with love and raise them back up again. As the body of Christ we need to learn to forgive. Things change, people change and laws change. We need to never condemn those that are lost. Never push them away because of who they have become or what they are doing.
In Mark 2:13-17 we see the call of Levi. Levi was a tax collector and was most likely hated by other Jews because of it. Jesus was having dinner with Levi and other tax collectors. Some Pharisees saw this and asked why Jesus was eating with these people. Verse 17, "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'"
So many times we miss opportunities to tell others about Christ because we are offended by other people's sin. We may invite people to church but do we invite believers more than nonbelievers? Should we not encourage those that mess up or are living a life of sin and don't know God to come to church? A growing church, as in the membership of a single church, is an awesome thing, but, unless we are growing the kingdom of God we are failing to do what God is calling us to do.
Lets say you get some new neighbors. Whether they are homosexuals or a dating couple living together we shouldn't cut them off from your life because of it. Love them more! Pray for them more! These are the people that need to know what Christ did for them! Showing anger and disgust will turn them away from you and from God. Accept them for who they are and love them for who they can become in Christ. Jesus died on the cross for everyone of us. Not a certain group of people. This isn't a invite only religious club. Jesus was beaten, bruised, stabbed, nailed, mocked, bleeding, dead and risen for those we sometimes shun away too.
Though there are different punishments that governments have establish for laws we must keep in mind that "the wages of sin is death." Sin is sin. I would encourage you to go through the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7, and really see the perspective Jesus puts on things. Anger = murder. Lust = adultery. Those that do these "lesser" sins are still judged by God as if they did the "greater" sins. We all deserve death for our sins. It doesn't matter if you have sinned less than someone else, you deserve the same fate as everyone else. But God is a merciful and saving God.
Learn to love and have compassion on others. We can not judge others because we were once lost. If those influential people in your life that helped you along the way to coming to Christ had judged you and decided not to talk to you because of your life, where would you be? Denying ourselves is so much more than we sometimes think. Lift up your brothers and sisters in Christ when you are together and love those you come in contact with. Remember that you are still a sinner even if you are saved.
Get excited! Share with those that need God. Invite someone to church this week that you know isn't saved. Pray for them continuously. Pray that God would change their heart so that they will have a yearning to know God. Also pray that God will change your heart and the heart of all believers to love people first. Show compassion, understanding and humbleness to those that need God in their lives.
"Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.'" -Matthew 9:37
I'm sure most of us know about leprosy. There are many accounts of leprosy in the bible and people around the world still have this disease. Some cultures banish men and women from there villages and towns if they have it. In Mark chapter 1 we see a man begging Jesus to cleanse him of leprosy. Most of us would have been disgusted and fear the man due to his condition. But Jesus was filled with compassion (vs. 41) and healed the man. He wasn't showing off. He didn't do it to prove who he was. In verse 43 Jesus tells him to be quiet about it and go show himself to the priest and make a sacrifice. This was not an act of self proclamation but an act of love! If you continue reading through the book of Mark you will find Jesus' personality through his actions more than his teachings. I think this book reveals the fact that Jesus was here to love the people that the church wouldn't. How different are we from the church back then? Our churches should be packed with new faces every Sunday.Rich or poor, strong or weak, sick or healthy. I see Sunday morning church as a place to be encouraged from the week past and to proceed into the coming week with a stronger fire for God. Fellowship with other Christians, like Sunday morning services, is a way to stay accountable and to be renewed.
It seems that we, as the church, have grown up in this moralistic society that praises good and condemns bad. This is not to say that sin is not bad. The tragedies of sin and the consequences are bad but I think that we need to learn to not be offended by them. We should approach those that have fallen with love and raise them back up again. As the body of Christ we need to learn to forgive. Things change, people change and laws change. We need to never condemn those that are lost. Never push them away because of who they have become or what they are doing.
In Mark 2:13-17 we see the call of Levi. Levi was a tax collector and was most likely hated by other Jews because of it. Jesus was having dinner with Levi and other tax collectors. Some Pharisees saw this and asked why Jesus was eating with these people. Verse 17, "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'"
So many times we miss opportunities to tell others about Christ because we are offended by other people's sin. We may invite people to church but do we invite believers more than nonbelievers? Should we not encourage those that mess up or are living a life of sin and don't know God to come to church? A growing church, as in the membership of a single church, is an awesome thing, but, unless we are growing the kingdom of God we are failing to do what God is calling us to do.
Lets say you get some new neighbors. Whether they are homosexuals or a dating couple living together we shouldn't cut them off from your life because of it. Love them more! Pray for them more! These are the people that need to know what Christ did for them! Showing anger and disgust will turn them away from you and from God. Accept them for who they are and love them for who they can become in Christ. Jesus died on the cross for everyone of us. Not a certain group of people. This isn't a invite only religious club. Jesus was beaten, bruised, stabbed, nailed, mocked, bleeding, dead and risen for those we sometimes shun away too.
Though there are different punishments that governments have establish for laws we must keep in mind that "the wages of sin is death." Sin is sin. I would encourage you to go through the sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7, and really see the perspective Jesus puts on things. Anger = murder. Lust = adultery. Those that do these "lesser" sins are still judged by God as if they did the "greater" sins. We all deserve death for our sins. It doesn't matter if you have sinned less than someone else, you deserve the same fate as everyone else. But God is a merciful and saving God.
Learn to love and have compassion on others. We can not judge others because we were once lost. If those influential people in your life that helped you along the way to coming to Christ had judged you and decided not to talk to you because of your life, where would you be? Denying ourselves is so much more than we sometimes think. Lift up your brothers and sisters in Christ when you are together and love those you come in contact with. Remember that you are still a sinner even if you are saved.
Get excited! Share with those that need God. Invite someone to church this week that you know isn't saved. Pray for them continuously. Pray that God would change their heart so that they will have a yearning to know God. Also pray that God will change your heart and the heart of all believers to love people first. Show compassion, understanding and humbleness to those that need God in their lives.
"Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.'" -Matthew 9:37
Taking Steps to Help Expand the Kingdom of God
Matthew 28:19 calls us to make disciples of all nations. I have been hearing the call for a while now and I am excited to go! Things are not that simple though. Prayer and financial support are greatly needed. I don't like to ask for money but the fact is that money is needed to go. I plan on going on The World Race to experience God in amazing ways in many different countries. Lately I have had the feeling that God is calling me to Africa. The World Race usually has a few stops in Africa during their routes. I'm hoping and praying that if God has me go on this trip that He will reveal to me where He wants me and that I will be willing to follow Him. Whether through prayer, messages of encouragement or donations I pray that God will bless you for giving. I am striving to post more blogs more frequently to keep everyone updated on what's going on with my life and what God is showing me.
Below is a donate button. If you are able and willing to support me financially the button is a safe way to donate directly to me. Though it is through PayPal.com you do not need an account to donate.
Below is a donate button. If you are able and willing to support me financially the button is a safe way to donate directly to me. Though it is through PayPal.com you do not need an account to donate.
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