Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Church Or Not To Church..That Is The Question?

In the first chapter of " Tangible Kingdom" the author shares with us his progession of events that led him to, lets say, his breaking point. That pivitol point in his life where he felt absolulety "done" with the church.
The author was part of a church plant and spent several years; leading, teaching, equipping, mentoring and grooming who he presumed to be natural leaders for this church. After turning the reigns over, leadership began bickering about who's getting paid what, who gets to preach when, should we wear this or that ect ect. In the end, the author resigned. Frustrated, defeated and exhausted. But to me, all that stood out was the word "Church".
We always say, "Where are you going to church?","who's the pastor of your church?" But, before we move on, let me ask you this.....

What is the origin and meaning of the word "Church"?

Time for a little research and homework :)

3 comments:

  1. Interesting…
    When researching this, I found opinions that ran the gamut about church. Some would have you not meet at all, live in the woods eating pine cones and not tithe either time or money. Others are closer to how I believe Hebrews 10:25 would view “meeting together”. We know that we are to continue meeting together, tithe, support each other and reach the lost, but what does that look like? Of course, the original model was more like “home meetings” without the church building. There are examples in the Bible of followers of Jesus meeting in homes and it seems productive. There are other examples of established “super religious” types meeting in fancy building (temples) that didn’t seem to have too much of a positive affect at spreading the gospel. Well…they helped spread the gospel by persecuting those that met in homes…didn’t they? I’m sure some of the temples did some great things, just like some churches today seem to be doing fairly well, but temples in the New Testament seem fairly negative where home churches seem fairly positive. Sorry for rambling a bit there. Nate

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Hebrew definition of church is "gathering." But, I'm pretty sure if a large group of people just gather without any sort of structure, nothing will really come of it. I did say large group. Now, if smaller gatherings happen, with those of your chosing, stuff naturally happens. I'm naturally going to connect with those in which I have the most in common with. We meet, greet, eat and share life. What comes of it? Always....struggles, dreams, hopes, and God is always center stage.
    Meeting for Sunday "church" should be more of a celebration. Throughout the week, during your daily lives...thats where "church" should happen. Not on some given day, set aside, once a week. Live out the gospel everday and use Sunday as rest and celebration. What a concept...rest.

    If those around you aren't drawn to you throughout the week, then why would they be compelled to join you on a sunday, to sit through worship and teaching of a God whom they dont see in your life let alone theres? They should see the Gospel in you, through you and naturally be wanting to spend more time with you. If they dont feel God through you, then dont even throw the "you should come to church with me" card on the table. You'll look like a moron. They should be asking "where do you go to church?"

    ReplyDelete
  3. The following is a quote from: UNChristian; what a new generation really thinks about Christianity....and why it matters
    "Many modern-day Christians have lost touch with the all-encompassing gospel that goes beyond personal salvation and reaches every corner of society. When conversion growth is the single measure of success, the hard work of discipleship gets ignored. When Christian faith is relegated to a personal, spiritual decision about where you will spend the afterlife, the here and now matters less. When being a Christian can be determined by whether you "prayed the prayer," the focus shifts easily to who is in and who is out. As a result, Christians can be found primarily on the edges of society, pointing fingers at outsiders, judging and condemning them. Subsequently, the lifestyle of being Christian shifts from being winsome and engaging to pessimistic and manipulative. Many have separated themselves from the world and unknowingly mimick the actions of the Pharisees for who Jesus had the most contempt when he walked the earth.
    Losing the theology and practice of common grace and focusing on conversion over discipleship have contributed greatly to Christianity's perception problem. When we no longer know what it means(much less care) to be salt and light among those in our culture and to be an influence for good, we forfeit our role as agents of Christ's kingdom. As I've observed current culture, examined church history, and wrestled with Scripture, it seems clear to me that the source of these negative perceptions is a poorly understood and lived expression of Christianity."

    ReplyDelete