Churches aren't just about listening to a man in a suit preach after singing 3 songs and throwing some prayer in there. Over my 19 years I've learned a lot from the various churches we churched hopped. I've been to approximately 8 churches over my 19 years and I have to say though I learned many lessons from the man in the pulpit, many of my lessons came from those in the seats. Here are some of them:
1. Be Christ like, not Church like
This lesson has come more recently in my walk with Christ. As I was heading into college I was faced with a major decision. Like most christian college students I had to decide was I going to continue that path of Christ follower or fall a prey to following the world. As I examined my choices and the devil whispered to me I realized something, I wasn't following Christ at all. Yes, I was a christian. Yes, I was saved. But I wasn't following Christ, I was following people who I thought were good christian kids. When I saw this I was appalled by my actions, especially the very unchristian like ones. Then I went off to school and began seeking God not because my family sought Him, but because I wanted to. I learned that lost people see when you are following Christ and when you are just simply following the Christians.
2A. Talk is Cheap
As I had stated before, I started reevaluating my life and where I wanted to go. This major step really happened after someone unknowingly convicted me of my actions. My best friend now, had mentioned to a friend about how much they adored me and how much my walk with Christ motivated them to be closer to God. While this girl was adoring me from a far, I was bashing her. I couldn't stand her and I let everyone know. She wasn't the only one that I nor my group of friends at the time did this to. We had a very good way of excluding people, bashing them and then acting like it was their fault for doing so. When I realized this I was so angry with myself. I couldn't believe that I allowed my character to stoup so low.
2B. If They Talk About Them, They'll Talk About You
I was extremely active in the church that I was previously attending. I did everything. My best friends went to my church and I found every excuse to be there. I loved everything about my church and I grew knowledge about Christ there. I discovered my calling to ministry there. I had so many "mamas" and best friends and people who looked out for me. I had women who cared deeply about my walk with Christ. Women who basically treated me like there own. I had best friends who I thought I'd never see go, best friends that I thought I'd have at my wedding and raise our children together with. Looking back now though it pains me. In the last few months I lost most of that. My family felt a very real calling in our lives to switch churches. We prayed persistently about moving to the current church we were attending. Every Sunday we got in the car after church and discussed how hard it was for us to leave a church that helped us grow so much as a family. A church that every Sunday pushed us to go further. In the end though we chose to follow God. In the months after that, my family and my new church family members have been called out for leaving a church that many of us so dearly loved for being disgruntled, losted, and various other false things. It didn't end there, but I realized this wasn't any different. I too had participated in the "Oh it's so sad that he's lost his way" conversations or the "You need to take better care at making sure she is included so she'll become closer to God" discussions. I sat and listened to them calling out many of other brothers and sisters in Christ. I realized that if they can talk about others in the faith, they'll most likely find a reason to discuss you.
3. There's Only One Church
Not only do I attend a church in my hometown with my family but I also attend various church functions in the city I attend school. I attend Fuse which is with Ignite Church, Uprise which is apart of Open Door Church and Integrity on Sunday mornings. I realized though it isn't about which building you attend on Sunday mornings, but one big church. The Bride. At college I meet many different people from various sectors of the Christian faith. I realized, I don't care what domination they associate with, my only concern is that they know Christ and that they follow Him and only Him. Over my 19 years, I've attended many churches that had thousands of members. It seems to me that we as a collective group of Christians strive to be mega churches. Somewhere in the midst of fancy instruments, large choirs, and the best programs, we've lost the community. We've lost developing relationships with others and diving a mile deep in others' walks. Instead we point out the flaws of other churches. How they are doing it wrong. When I attend non-denominational churches they made fun of the Baptist, when I attended Baptist churches they made fun of another group. I'm just as guilty at this as well. But the idea isn't who's better, because none of us are. We all fail in some aspect of churching [Yes, I believe I just made that word up], we all fail at telling the Gospel, but what we really fail at is putting ourselves more in a battle amongst one another instead of putting ourselves in battle against the world. As we sit here and viciously attack the church down the street, the world is snatching up our youth. As we sit here and maliciously talk about a brother and sister in Christ, another lost person dies and sent to spend eternity in hell. We aren't one church against a thousand other churches, we are one church against one lost world.
- Amanda
No comments:
Post a Comment