The longer I pastor the more I realize how much I love to be around the unchurched. Don't get me wrong, I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, but most of my heart wounds and headaches have come from them. Especially former members of the church. That is why I prefer to be around the unchurched because they haven't formed any Christian pretentions that are put on by church people. It amazes me how much we as Christians get stuck in the "It's all about me" mode concerning church. The songs have to be a certain way, the preaching better be good every week, we must have programs for every conceivable problem with people and so on. Church Inc. gets very tiring after a while.
But you know what, Jesus loves the church. He died for the church. It is his bride. So I love the church too, with all its warts and moles. That is why I cannot figure out why people who call themselves "Christians" leave the church to start their own home "cult" churches. It seems to me most people who do this have a problem with authority. Meaning they either cannot or will not submit themselves to anyone but themselves. Heaven forbid if you were to point this out to them, then it's hell for you. Or as they put it, "corrupt Christianity". They always say that the early church met in homes therefore that is the "Biblical" way of doing it. But there is a couple problems with that.
One, the Bible also says they met in the temple daily to worship God. It seems to me that would be equivalent to going to church. Second, the church was just born therefore there weren't church buildings to meet in. Third, just because the church didn't start meeting in "church buildings" until the mid 4th century doesn't mean that is not what God intended. The reason they only met in homes was because of severe persecution and it wasn't until around 300-325 AD that the persecution stopped under Emperor Constatine. Trust me, their persecution meant death, unlike in the US. We think we are being persecuted when someone calls us a "Jesus freak". Heaven help us. Lastly, home churches do not seem to welcome God's gifts to the church, namely Eph. 4:11. They seem to reject anyone who is called by God to pastor a church and reject his authority, which btw is God given. Some people take authority for themselves and call themselves into ministry. God help them. For when they stand before Him on Judgment day all their works(ministry) will be burned up. When God calls someone into ministry, He will confirm it through His church. That means if someone is called then their local body of believers will recognize that call. It the local church doesn't see it that person better think again. Especially it's leaders who have a call on their lives and can recognize it in others.
So I guess before I digress anymore, I wanted to say that the church is for the unchurched. We are the church.
But you know what, Jesus loves the church. He died for the church. It is his bride. So I love the church too, with all its warts and moles. That is why I cannot figure out why people who call themselves "Christians" leave the church to start their own home "cult" churches. It seems to me most people who do this have a problem with authority. Meaning they either cannot or will not submit themselves to anyone but themselves. Heaven forbid if you were to point this out to them, then it's hell for you. Or as they put it, "corrupt Christianity". They always say that the early church met in homes therefore that is the "Biblical" way of doing it. But there is a couple problems with that.
One, the Bible also says they met in the temple daily to worship God. It seems to me that would be equivalent to going to church. Second, the church was just born therefore there weren't church buildings to meet in. Third, just because the church didn't start meeting in "church buildings" until the mid 4th century doesn't mean that is not what God intended. The reason they only met in homes was because of severe persecution and it wasn't until around 300-325 AD that the persecution stopped under Emperor Constatine. Trust me, their persecution meant death, unlike in the US. We think we are being persecuted when someone calls us a "Jesus freak". Heaven help us. Lastly, home churches do not seem to welcome God's gifts to the church, namely Eph. 4:11. They seem to reject anyone who is called by God to pastor a church and reject his authority, which btw is God given. Some people take authority for themselves and call themselves into ministry. God help them. For when they stand before Him on Judgment day all their works(ministry) will be burned up. When God calls someone into ministry, He will confirm it through His church. That means if someone is called then their local body of believers will recognize that call. It the local church doesn't see it that person better think again. Especially it's leaders who have a call on their lives and can recognize it in others.
So I guess before I digress anymore, I wanted to say that the church is for the unchurched. We are the church.
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