Most people will equate religion with church and with Christianity. As I said in a previous article, religion or the act of being religious does not necessarily have to involve God, Church, or Chritianity. But most commenters when they hear religion instantly think church and God.
Since that is the way people tend to think, and since so many have negative connotations of religion, what can we do to improve these attitudes.
My wife and I were talking the other day and she was telling me about having some Jehovah witnesses come by the house. It seems we are getting a new "Kingdom Hall" in the area. She said that she did not think door to door was a very effective method of evangelism. I agree with her.
Likewise; how effective are formal Sunday church meetings? I mean, if you are going and being bored and getting nothing out of your Sunday worship time; what benefit is it? Should we be taking a different approach to our Sunday mornings?
I say let's improve our religious experience and I think I know the way how. And it is an old example from Acts 2:
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Our ideals of church and religion are so short sighted. We see it as a block to check each week instead of a chance to know God through community. It's not all our fault; the church also has developed a weekend mindset. But note above in verse 46, they met daily. And note also that they broke bread in their homes. The problem with church today in most cases is that we have loss the sense of community. We don't look at our religion as a daily thing but a weekend event. And we don't look at chuch as family and community but a place to go once a week to feel good about ourselves; like we really did our duty for God that week.
God wants all of us. Not just our weekends.
If you are disillusioned by Christ, God, Religion, and the church I understand it. But its not because of Christ and God; it is more the fault of the church and the people at the church. But there are some people out there that are trying to develop this community through their churches; getting back to the roots of the New Testament church. I encourage you to try to find that or start your own fellowship.
But you also need to have a pardigm shift in your own mind about what church and religion are and are not. As there are no perfect churches and religions; the followers also are not perfect. Christ only is perfect; go for Christ and don't let imperfect members keep you away. And also realize your experience in your relationship with Christ and God is limited only by the time you devote to learning of him. Christ said in Matthew 11:
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The shift we need to make is to make our religion, our faith, our relationship with Christ and God a daily adventure, not a weekly chore.
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Comments: 8
I am so blessed in that the church I attend is fresh and new & growing. Not that I would like it to become a "megachurch" per se, but as we have discussed over the past 10 years, who would we turn away when the church got too full? How would we choose when to bar the doors & what number to allow in? It's not like a popular restaurant or nightclub - the doors have to be open and welcome for ALL who enter.
The freshness also comes from our sense of community. A lot of that has to do with our pastor. Unlike many pastors who hop from church to church looking for pay raises and prestige, Kenneth has been with our church since he was fresh out of college - for the past 27 years. It's the only church he's ever pastored. While some may find this "boring", his sermons are always from the Bible and usually timely as well as spot on. But the fact that he and his wife (whose parents are charter members and has attended our church since she was a child) raised their children in that church and their lives have always intertwined with ours is the difference. I am lucky to be able to call our pastor a dear friend. As our church has grown, it is harder for us to spend as much time together as we used to. But he is still my friend who I could call at any hour of the day or night, and there is a deep love between us and our families.
No point is that churches with a strong sense of community exist, but they are few. That is why visitors to our church usually become members & why we are growing leaps & bounds. We opened out new worship center in April. It was built so that we could have a single service on certain days - the Sunday before Christmas included. But we've grown so much that we may still have to have 2 services for our first Christmas! What a blessing that is - not because of 2 services, but because the auditorium holds just at twice what our old auditorium did! We may have to start having Christmas at the high school like we do for Easter!
So keep looking. Try a church for a fe visits & if it doesn't offer you that sense of community, keep looking. Some want to disappear - we have numerous megachurches in our area, but I have walked into services there and seen between one and five thousand people - and none spoke to me. None shook my hand. My church? Be ready for everyone to come up to you before church, during the greeting & afterward. Someone may invite you to lunch. So I know that these churches are out there. Keep looking until you find a home.
I know there are fellowships and ministries of all sizes that offer the community of the Acts church. We may have to look for them; or start community in our own church if they need a push.
I was not trying to "knock" megachurches. They obviously have their place and are serving a great purpose. My remarks were intended to reflect that there are a number of different sized churches to attend and that one must sometimes look to find the right fit. In my case, the megachurches in my area didn't work for me but a smaller homey type of church did. But that doesn't take away from the valid place and purpose that all churches play. That's why I followed it up to note that it doesn't matter what size your church is - what matters is our own individual relationship with Jesus. I obviously didn't voice that clearly enough.
I have been a member of several different churches of different denominations in my life (all protestant faiths though - nothing against the catholic faith; I just never got it).
One question I would inevitably get would be what was wrong with the prior church that I attended which kept me from staying. My message is; there was nothing necessarily wrong with some of the churches I left; it was just a time in my life for me to move on to something else, somewhere else God wanted me. The experience has been a positive in that I know there are a number of good fellowships that are out there; you just have to do the leg work and put in the time to find them.
Ultimately though; the point is, its not about church, its about relationship with Jesus and with other people in the community of believers and seekers. Its practicing the greatest commandments:
Love the Lord God with all you heart , soul and mind.
Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
This is what religion, faith, practice of our belief needs to look like on a daily basis.