Well, this has been a long time coming. It has been three months since I last wrote and for many reasons. At first I decided to take some time off from blogging as I've been discerning some things about my own walk. When I was ready to start reading blogs, my thoughts were still rather mixed up, which is why it has taken me this long.
My husband and I are discerning again as to what church we will attend. We made a home at a particular church for a while and have so much enjoyed the relationships and friendships that have come from it. Due to a recent move, distance created a bit of an issue. On a sidenote, I've been questioning and discerning some things about church in general which has caused me to want to seek and find possibly something else.
A friend of ours has been speaking to us about church and about Christ and about Scripture. He has been speaking about the importance of the cross and how crucial our understanding of that is in our salvation. We've also been talking about the importance of Scripture and interpreting Scripture so that we can mature in our walk as believers and so we can effectively witness to the lost. We've also talked about church. Something he said completely clicked with me. "Church is for the believer." Hmmmmmm. It didn't sink in right away. How could someone say that? We want all to be welcome in the church. We don't want to turn people away. Sermons must be taught so that ALL will understand. Little did I realize how damaging that has been in my life. I didn't actually realize this until I went to visit my old church. I heard a sermon teaching on Matthew 13. INCREDIBLE! Let me tell you why. This pastor took a good chunk of Matthew 13 and taught it. He taught the history and the background and made it applicable to today.
I'll try to make this brief, but I want to give an example or two. In verse 31-32. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field, Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Well, most people today would say that a mustard seed is not the smallest when you compare it to other seeds thereby diminishing God's Word, however we learned this is not the case. When you open an actual mustard seed, there are a bunch of tiny black seeds within the seed, which are the ACTUAL seeds. I never knew that! He also talked about the Parable of the Weeds. There were weeds mixed in with the wheat. The owner didn't want the servants to pull the weeds until the harvest because the wheat might get pulled with them. It's just like us. We, as believers, are the wheat, and we are intermingled with the weeds, the world. We have to be. Yes, this means evil is all around us, however the hope is that our light shines, it is the hope that word catches on about the joy of Christ.
There is a lot of talk today about relevance and reaching the unchurched. I'm all for relevance, but I'm seeing we don't need to change God's Word to make it relevant. We need good leaders who are willing to explain the history, then apply to today. I want to know why it was said in Scripture the way it was. This is what I've been lacking for so long. I'm tired of walking into church waiting for a brilliant teaching of the Word and getting the same basic message told 100 different ways. Sometimes I think this is why I've been dry for so long. I haven't gotten past the mark. I'm tired of hearing how I need Jesus and why I need Jesus, not that that isn't important, but now I HAVE JESUS!!!!! Now what? What did Paul mean in his teachings? What did Jesus mean by the things he taught his disciples? How does the history then link with where I am today?
I was talking to someone this week and both of us talked about how the church is where we get fed, and the rest of the week is for reaching out to the lost. The unsaved are welcome in church, however church is for the called out ones. We are already the body of Christ, and must be acting as the body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 talks about the body. We all have different things to contribute. We are all gifted in different ways. But it seems a lot of that is lost. In the churches I've been in over the last three years, I've experienced zero growth in my walk, but my growth has been outside Sunday morning. My question is, was it really meant to be that way? When Paul wrote his letters to the churches, he gave them spiritual food. He didn't mince words. He didn't hold back. He wasn't worried about who he would offend. Yes, he still taught out of love. You could tell he poured his heart and soul into the church, but he still never held back simply because he loved. And isn't that what Jesus did? He had some hard teachings. Teachings that some may not have looked at lovingly, but if we truly know Christ, we know his teachings were out of love.
I want to be taught. I want to learn. I want to grow, I want to understand. It's not to say the pastor knows everything, we also must be trusting the Spirit as we read Scripture, however I only pray that churches today would get back to maturing the believer. Teach the hard truths of Scripture to the believers. How can we disciple others if we aren't being discipled properly? I want to be encouraged to be in the Word. I want a reason to open my Bible every day. The more I'm truly being taught, the hungrier I am for more. "Lord, teach me more!"
I could go on and on, but I'll stop for now. Anyways, that is my next step in this journey, to find a place where I can be taught Scripture so that I can grow. I know this is only one piece of the whole pie as to what the church is about, but I think I know where I stand with community and prayer, etc, but if I want to be an effective disciple, I need a good solid foundation of Scripture as well.
My husband and I are discerning again as to what church we will attend. We made a home at a particular church for a while and have so much enjoyed the relationships and friendships that have come from it. Due to a recent move, distance created a bit of an issue. On a sidenote, I've been questioning and discerning some things about church in general which has caused me to want to seek and find possibly something else.
A friend of ours has been speaking to us about church and about Christ and about Scripture. He has been speaking about the importance of the cross and how crucial our understanding of that is in our salvation. We've also been talking about the importance of Scripture and interpreting Scripture so that we can mature in our walk as believers and so we can effectively witness to the lost. We've also talked about church. Something he said completely clicked with me. "Church is for the believer." Hmmmmmm. It didn't sink in right away. How could someone say that? We want all to be welcome in the church. We don't want to turn people away. Sermons must be taught so that ALL will understand. Little did I realize how damaging that has been in my life. I didn't actually realize this until I went to visit my old church. I heard a sermon teaching on Matthew 13. INCREDIBLE! Let me tell you why. This pastor took a good chunk of Matthew 13 and taught it. He taught the history and the background and made it applicable to today.
I'll try to make this brief, but I want to give an example or two. In verse 31-32. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field, Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Well, most people today would say that a mustard seed is not the smallest when you compare it to other seeds thereby diminishing God's Word, however we learned this is not the case. When you open an actual mustard seed, there are a bunch of tiny black seeds within the seed, which are the ACTUAL seeds. I never knew that! He also talked about the Parable of the Weeds. There were weeds mixed in with the wheat. The owner didn't want the servants to pull the weeds until the harvest because the wheat might get pulled with them. It's just like us. We, as believers, are the wheat, and we are intermingled with the weeds, the world. We have to be. Yes, this means evil is all around us, however the hope is that our light shines, it is the hope that word catches on about the joy of Christ.
There is a lot of talk today about relevance and reaching the unchurched. I'm all for relevance, but I'm seeing we don't need to change God's Word to make it relevant. We need good leaders who are willing to explain the history, then apply to today. I want to know why it was said in Scripture the way it was. This is what I've been lacking for so long. I'm tired of walking into church waiting for a brilliant teaching of the Word and getting the same basic message told 100 different ways. Sometimes I think this is why I've been dry for so long. I haven't gotten past the mark. I'm tired of hearing how I need Jesus and why I need Jesus, not that that isn't important, but now I HAVE JESUS!!!!! Now what? What did Paul mean in his teachings? What did Jesus mean by the things he taught his disciples? How does the history then link with where I am today?
I was talking to someone this week and both of us talked about how the church is where we get fed, and the rest of the week is for reaching out to the lost. The unsaved are welcome in church, however church is for the called out ones. We are already the body of Christ, and must be acting as the body. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 talks about the body. We all have different things to contribute. We are all gifted in different ways. But it seems a lot of that is lost. In the churches I've been in over the last three years, I've experienced zero growth in my walk, but my growth has been outside Sunday morning. My question is, was it really meant to be that way? When Paul wrote his letters to the churches, he gave them spiritual food. He didn't mince words. He didn't hold back. He wasn't worried about who he would offend. Yes, he still taught out of love. You could tell he poured his heart and soul into the church, but he still never held back simply because he loved. And isn't that what Jesus did? He had some hard teachings. Teachings that some may not have looked at lovingly, but if we truly know Christ, we know his teachings were out of love.
I want to be taught. I want to learn. I want to grow, I want to understand. It's not to say the pastor knows everything, we also must be trusting the Spirit as we read Scripture, however I only pray that churches today would get back to maturing the believer. Teach the hard truths of Scripture to the believers. How can we disciple others if we aren't being discipled properly? I want to be encouraged to be in the Word. I want a reason to open my Bible every day. The more I'm truly being taught, the hungrier I am for more. "Lord, teach me more!"
I could go on and on, but I'll stop for now. Anyways, that is my next step in this journey, to find a place where I can be taught Scripture so that I can grow. I know this is only one piece of the whole pie as to what the church is about, but I think I know where I stand with community and prayer, etc, but if I want to be an effective disciple, I need a good solid foundation of Scripture as well.
2 comments:
That's awesome, Sarah...it's so refreshing to hear about the growth and relationships others are experiencing in our great God. What an encouragement!
AMEN and AMEN !!!!!!!!!!
Jesus said, we will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set us FREE!
Glory be to God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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