Ever so often our group of friends gathers to enjoy a meal together, or a movie, or some other type of diversion. As I have been trying to imagine what church might have been like before 325 AD, I remembered back to the last time our group just hung out. Was that what church was like? Maybe church was alot like our coffee house forums, Or better yet maybe it was like a certain gathering we all used to enjoy at a certain person’s home. I have yet to see any Biblical commandment, authority or responsibility given to the church as an organization . Instead I see alot of what the Bible says directed to humans. What in all of our wisdom have we done to the community, fellowship, friendships, and power of the early church? Constantine used the church to build his kingdom and men have used the church to build kingdoms ever since. And in the process the church birthed of miracles was neutered. I used to intern at a sports club when I was a kid. One thing I remember was that the largest area of that complex was taken up by the rec pool. Not the lap pool or the weight area, not the tennis courts, basketball courts, or aerobics area. not even the “outdoor track” took up as much space as the gear shop/snack bar/grill/actual bar/sauna equipped rec pool area. Sure people went to work out but mostly people paid their memberships in order to sit by the rec pool in their expensive swimsuits (which they couldn’t get wet by the way) and socialize. They did no real working out, they made little to no effort at utilizing their membership to better themselves or others, And often that’s how I see church. Were a country club, We really aren’t learning, growing, or changing. We are as Christ said, “white washed tombs”. I’ll never forget the totally out of shape guy sitting on the bench in the locker room giving advice to the high school athelete on how to lower his 40 yard dash time. But isn’t that the church? aren’t we the ones all fat and ugly judging the world through our stained glass windows? Perhaps we ought to be like that freshmen cross country team, nowhere near championship material but nonetheless working as a team to better ourselves. encouraging one another, and win lose or draw you end up with a brotherhood, a family. Perhaps its not about how fancy your sound system is or if your church seats 60,000, or if your putting out the latest in contemporary worship. We have become a church unto ourselves. Even in non denominational circles where we tout our “freedom from religion” we are so very religious. There are whole markets that target Christians as a consumer group. We have become a demographic, a number. Very little of what the Church is, actually reflects Jesus the man, and we are becoming increassingly less reflective of Jesus the movement. One of our pastors came up to me one Sunday and told me that someone suggested we install elevators for handicap access to the upper levels of our facilities. The Pastor responded in thought with, “well if were a full gospel church, then why do we have handicapped people her?” I agreed. We’ve developed a world where Christians are to be catered to, and that is probably the most effective tool the enemy has been able to use against the people of God so far. When a group of people that shine under pressure, and excel when persecuted, willingly subject their faith to the law of this world, then essentially that group has hired the wolves to guard the sheep. “Christian book store”, ‘Christian Gift Shop”, “Christian hip hop, rap core, and contemporary music”, “Christian Schools”, “Christian theme Parks”, “Christian Radio” and now ‘Christian Movies” we have created our own exclusive subculture. A few years back I was thinking about this very same thing and I came up with a funny name with which to make fun of this attitude, FishCulture. Because rather than draw an Icthus on the ground out of fear for our lives, we proudly tattoo it on ourselves and wear it on our shirts, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Lets face it, being a Christian in modern America is nothing like being a christian in the first couple hundred years after Christ’s Ascension. As the post above mentions, I have come to realize that the cozy society we live in has done more damage to our faith than it has helped. Somewhere along the way we got it into our heads that as christians were are indowed with the rights to unreasonable comfort and immunity. We should all go back and reread the sermon on the mount. In a vain attempt to “help God out” we created a man made religious movement that recognizes false piety and acts of so called righteousness as opposed to an actual relationship with the creator. Christ didnt come to start a religion, he didnt come to give us another institution to live by. he came to fulfill God’s will to be reconciled to his people. We, (when I say we I really mean I) are so far from the heart of the father. So many christian things have kept me from getting closer to Christ himself. But I consider the fact that even though the church is a mess, and even though this is probably not what the Lord intended, and even though its all rank with religion and pride, Nothing is stopping me from willingly persuing the father. Nothing is holding me back from experiencing all that I can’t even imagine. nothing but my very own pride, laziness, and religion.
