Walking With Caution.
We’ve have covered a a lot of different discussions in the last couple blogs, and as basic as they are I hope I have been able to plant a path that you can follow and understand how one can learn how to develop an unbiased one on one relationship with the big man upstairs. Now we come to one of the most uncomfortable subjects you will have to face in your crossroad to God…..CHURCH!!!!!
I want you to understand that in writing this blog I too walked in your shoes, church was new to me and I totally understand what it feels like to hit this subject face on. As you read through my blogs it is obviously clear I am a huge opponent of organized religion, but the oxymoron to this is in reality you need church in order to grow in your walk with God. So here’s my warning: Just because it’s church doesn’t mean it’s right, and not every religion is a true follower of God, even though it carries the title of Christian. This is why I push you so hard to start at the source (the bible) and read about what church looked like as Paul traveled around founding churches throughout the new testament. Take this opportunity to understand what a true Christian church looked like, what they taught, what they did, how the people lived, and what they believed. We have the Corinthian Church, the Galatians Church, the Philippians Church. You read in Timothy what a pastor and deacon looked like and what kind of lives they were to live to hold such a role.
I push this so much because there are thousands of churches out there and I believe only a hand full are governed and structured in adherence to what a biblical church looks like. If you have allowed yourself to build a good biblical foundation, you will allow yourself to see past the charismatic pastor, the greeters, the handshakes, the cards in the mail, and all the fluff that comes with being a new visitor. You will be able to discern what they are teaching and is it biblical, is the church as a whole a godly organization, or just a weekend social club, a house where the congregation and it’s members are Christian on Sunday and worldly on Monday.
I go to a Assembly of God church and I sat back in the distance studying the congregation itself, how they acted towards one another, was their goal to fill seats and collect tithes, or was it centered around the growth of their congregation’s walk with God? Did they push their dogma, their governmental rules, or was their focus on the bible? How did the kids act, and this is important. Were they wild, or could I see God working in their hearts? The bible states you can tell a false prophett by the fruit they bare. A good tree bares good fruit and a bad tree in turns bares bad fruit. The members of a church are the fruit and their pastoral government is the tree. My church is a pretty big church and I was blown away by the overall love of God they haveand the role he played in their every day lives in and out of church. The deal maker for me was watching the youth and seeing so many children and young adult who earnestly loved God and how obedient they were to him when no one was looking, it wasn‘t a fake or a put on. There is no dogma, and every Sunday it’s about the bible and how it fits into our lives.
Can you grow in your relationship with God without church, sure..but I don’t think it can reach the pinnacle it can without putting yourself in front of others with like mind who are there to help that growth, that relationship. What I appreciate is getting to know others who have help me along my spiritual journey and learning what love and friendship is truly about. As humans we can only get so far on our own, but as a team we are unstoppable.
As I mentioned I’ve been there and your first couple experiences with church are some of the most uncomfortable, and because of this most people will choose not to finish this journey. Lets take a look at my first experience.
It was my wife that took me to my very first church service. As I pulled up I looked and began to feel this overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety in not knowing anyone in this intimidating building that I was going to walk into, how did she talk me into this. As I looked around I couldn’t help to notice my clothing was far to relaxed compared to the majority. As I walked in I am faced with this river of people who all seem to know one another and yet I feel like the outcast. I have to be the only one in this church with a history, and by no means can anyone relate to the hardships my life has faced. As I am taking in this experience I couldn’t help feeling as if I was the only one with imperfections, everyone looked like they had it all in order. I felt like I was the only one in this entire church that was new to this Christian thing.
As I walked around I began to feel like everyone was looking at me, as if they somehow knew the skeletons I had in my closet. I felt like I had this sign on my back that said here walks a sinner. As we took our seats random strangers would come up and shake my hand with a smile that made me feel like fresh meat. My wife would begin to introduce me, and in doing so I felt like there was this spot light following me around. Then it happened: the service began. This music kicked in and everyone jumped up and bam…everyone’s singing. First off, where’s the bass. Then I noticed everyone’s singing with their hands raised, it was different but weird to me.
So I closed my eye’s and slowly and slowly the music began to cause this euphoria in my heart which was something I hadn’t felt before, it was almost like God was there rubbing my back telling me to calm down and enjoy the moment. I found my guard slowly getting lowered, and then I caught myself muttering the words of the songs under my breath. As the sermon started and went on I felt as if he wrote it just for me because everything he was saying seemed to relate to my life. It was the end in seeing the passion the Pastor had and how I learned there were hundreds of others like me in the audience when an alter call happened.
I decided to continue with this church thing and in doing so I realized that church is much like a hospital, when your there you feel like you’re the only one with issues but in reality everyone there is in need of healing in someway, shape, or form. There is no membership required and no commitment needed. Church is what you make of it. It’s your choice on how much or how little you get involved. Church is a different experience and takes time, for me a long time, before it becomes comfortable. In the end I can honestly say it was church that helped me grow in my relationship with God and in life. I have made some of the best relationships I have ever had in my life, and have had more support in my spiritual journey then what I could of done on my own. I hope you to will one day have the opportunity to enjoy God in this manner, and I promise if you really give it a try..beyond one or two visits…you won’t regret it. It may take a couple different visits to different churches, but through prayer and research God will lead you to the church that will be another chapter in you journey with God.
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