Shopping Around For A Church - Really?
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 2:11PM
2-12-12 blog
Hi Everyone,
I hope you had a great week. Mine has been filled with hospital visits and dying people, but that causes you to think . . . yes, I know, strange for me.
As I talked with people this week it struck me that we modern day Christians have some really funny ideas about church. We somehow believe we are apart from the church and get to choose which church best fits us, and some in this modern church environment are like a kid in a candy store.
Some like the more liturgical churches, especially those that give the parishioner a sense of awe and being close to God. That did not work in Europe but what does history matter. Some like those that give them the most fulfilling worship experience and that often means a concert-like experience; Woodstock but under a cross. Some go for the best Bible teacher while others just go for the one that the kids like best. Where did this thinking come from; certainly not from God and not from the Bible?
Once we are born into God’ kingdom, we are babes in Christ. And even in the animal world every infant knows the first thing it must do is get nourishment if it is to survive (Rom.1:20). We Christians should have two scriptural priorities; spiritual growth and learning to serve Christ through the body of Christ and the mission of the church. Those two things alone should be the priority of every Christian believer.
True spiritual growth comes only from one source (1 Peter 2:2) and that is the word of God. Whether that comes from a sermon message or a great Bible study program in Sunday school, scripturally that must be our main objective. Everything else pales when compared with that. You can cloud the issue as much as you want with personal desires, needs and excuses but God is a perfect parent and growing in Christ must be foremost in your life, if you are to spiritually survive. The problem is that many Christians are so lukewarm spiritually they are spoiled and don’t know it (Rev. 3: 15-19). Learning God’s word and discovering his purpose for your life must be paramount for a true Christian. You can billygoat (but – but) all you want but you will not change the facts of how God looks at this.
If you are a mom and a dad finding a place that ministers to your children is still secondary to your own spiritual growth. It’s in the home where the difference will be made and you must be spiritually mature for that. Only after you grow spiritually will you be able to minister God’s words and principles to your own children by living God’s truth in front of them. I don’t care how cool some church program for kids is. You must spiritually mature first. I talk to church-going people all the time whose children are off in the world being destroyed by Satan with worldly desires and attitudes. They may have talked the truth but they did not live the truth.
How many today go searching for a church for all the wrong reasons? How many actually think that they get to choose what is convenient and comfortable instead of seeking God’s leading in where they can best grow and serve?
God has a plan for each of us, and a purpose for our lives. Unfortunately much of what God would do gets circumvented or quashed by the choices we make. Yes, he will continue to work in our lives (Phil. 1:6). Yes, he will present us faultless before his throne of glory (Jude 24). But realize that when we are born again we are God’s children; we are spiritual babes, and God will lead us to the place we will best grow and serve, if we let him. Many if not most Christians today are like insect larvae or tadpoles being eaten before they ever reach maturity. Satan cannot steal our eternal life but he sure can and surely does steal our earthly lives for Christ and our ability to glorify God.
God will confirm where we should go to church by our spiritual growth and the fruit we bear. Sorry, but God’s mission is not your happy heart anymore than comfort is the soldiers goal on the battlefield. We will get that when we go to be with the Lord. And understand that just like our physical lives, growing in God’s word and living its truth is not always the most enjoyable experience but you will know when it is right and good. You will know when the Holy Spirit is blessing your life, and you will know his joy, not the worlds. By your fruit will you be known.
Give God proper place in your life this week. Truly, let Him be Lord.
God bless,
Pastor Bob