I started thinking the other day what would today's Church think of the early Church. I came up with it quickly and couldn't quit chuckling about it all day. In all seriousness, I believe the early Church would be labeled a cult. You know, the things we all worry about our friends and family possibly being fooled by.
I actually had a small discussion about this with a fellow member of my church. I wonder what our families would think if we sold all we owned. If we lived with the rest of the Church, and came together at least once a day to worship, would we look a little insane? Would our churches think we had lost it if we stopped having someone preach and instead asked the people to share what God has laid on their hearts? We would go into a gathering without a plan, singing whatever songs expressed our thoughts. The Church would care less about the materialism with which it's plagued in our country and care more about each other's maturity, our neighbors needs, and loving our enemies. We would join in communion every day, and employ other traditions and symbolism while striving to keep these practices pure and not rote.
My church right now is involved in remodeling extensively. I feel as though this money could better be used to meet people's needs. I understand the prostitutes gift of love consisting of pouring out perfume on our savior's feet instead of selling to feed the poor, but I really don't see how updating our church to seem like the dry, businesslike place which resembles corporations, is going to glorify God.
That is the Church's ultimate purpose: To glorify God. If the Church isn't producing mature christians who reflect God's glory then it's worthless, except to our enemy. I believe Satan loves the churches of America because we encourage mediocrity of spirituality. We've become content to let the pastor do any connecting with God we might think is necessary. Yes, our pastor should guide us, but they shouldn't be the only one crossing the river.
In glorifying God, a true relationship with God must be nurtured and the first step is prayer. Prayer had dissappeared from America's churches. This is how we must return to our first love. God must once again take first place in our lives.
True worship should be played out in our lives. We automatically worship whatever is first in our lives and only by placing God there do we truly worship him. Feel good songs, chants, and raucous praise do nothing for God if they aren't backed by love for him, and if love is the motivating factor these acts are transformed miraculously to a gift to God, as are all of our actions no matter how mundane.
I'm going off on a tangent now so I'll save this for another day. NeWayz, the question was, would the early church model seem like a cult to our devolved way of doing church?
2 comments:
I believe I said this a few months ago. Granted that weather would allow, and it wouldn't always, a church isn't needed, only an altar. If you truly have God in your heart, you are already at church. The land all belongs to him, so it is your choice where you decide to put your altar, if it is home, stand tall knowing that you are still saved and a strong follower, even though there will always be those that will look down on you because you didn't go to "the building." And since all christians are equal followers of God, why don't we take turns in preaching his word and each having our chance, before the congregation, to express our love so that we ARE all working together to understand one another and not just leaning on one leader? Because a college says we can't? I agree with you that we should be more concerned with what the people have to say about what God has laid on their hearts and not just one person.
Yes, church is about community, but everyone has a community, regardless of whether or not they attend church on a daily basis; a community of family and friends that we allow into the closest and deepest parts of our souls. These are the people that we should invest our trust, love, and relationship with the Lord with, before the rest of the community. These are the ones we should give our time to help them with projects and errands and support. Yet, these are the very people that we tend to leave behind as we attend the very ceremonies that should be the most intimate in our lives. They are my church. They are the ones that are there to support my every choice and belief. They are the ones that know that I have found God, even though I don't know every story about him, don't understand different religions, or put my life into a church. If I never go to another service, who would lose faith in me?
Offering is hard for me to understand. I, myself, feel very disturbed to look around a church and see anything that is not needed for the celebration of our salvation. Why do we have tvs? Or computers? Who decided that it was hard to open the Hymnal and read it from the source? I don't believe in giving money to help people's needs, unless it is terribly drastic. There are so many other ways you can help a community or a person, but money doesn't solve really solve any problems, it usually just creates more. Loan a friend money or give them a gift to help them along generally will give them more reason to waste what they have, offer more chances to make stupid mistakes, and guarantee that they will need your money again. A reason it is hard to go to church and feel completely accepted. If you don't give offering, you feel like you aren't doing what you should. Anyways, there is the tangent.
Just a few reasons why, all those years, I didn't go to church. Doesn't make me any less of a believer, just makes it harder to be known that way. I don't always do or say the things I should, I think things I shouldn't, and I usually don't work to try to change those things but I am not perfect, nor do I want to be. I have a hard time talking to people about religion and beliefs because usually the people that want to talk about it or want to ask about it are so much more knowledgeable about what they have been taught, it leaves me feeling a bit intimidated. I enjoy learning about jesus but not so much on knowing about different religions. I would think it would confuse you as to how you think too, not just how others think. I am not really sure where this all came from. I don't usually get the notion to comment or to share this stuff but anyways, I enjoy your blog. You should write more often. You have a lot of wonderful thoughts and you know so much. I don't know what you are waiting for. You could have your own church and it would be so much more and you could start changing things, as we know it. Always there and loving you John Dear.
John,
I didn't get a chance to read your whole blog but I thought this section on the church being a cult was very interesting. Just recently I was taking a step back from church and really taking a look at it. I attend a church with about 1000 members...I came from a church of about 100 where we were really a church. But this 1000 member church really made me think if what we are doing is the right thing. I felt like I was a part of a club...not so much a cult. A cult woudl be if we did like you said and actually drastically changed our lives like the early church did. But all the programs that I'm a part of or the ones I lead I really was struggling with the difference between a church and a Christian club. I mean we hung out together on the weekends, week nights, life group, special services, and the list goes on. And it frustrated me because it didn't leave anytime to spend with the unchurched. This may be way off the subject but it kinda relates. I came to the conclusion that it's all about relatioinships. And the depth of relationships that I put into them is what I will normally get in return. I've stepped back from alot of ministry opportunities so I can just focus on one and I have free time to really invest energy and time into non-church related activities.
It is important to care about others needs but how, practically, can we do that? It would have to take a major culture change for America...
I'll read more of your blog at a later night...blessings, Ciel
Feel free to check my blog out. I'm really new at this thing...
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