Have you been one who is apprehensive about the local church? So often this topic comes up with people I talk with or hear, and someone will say, they’re all just a bunch of hypocrites.. I don’t always say it, but I feel like saying, come on over! You’ll fit right in!
You’ve really gotta be careful about this, because the term “Church” is not a building; it’s a people. And it’s Christ’s people - it’s his bride. And Christ died to save his bride. If you’re a believer, you’re part of God’s upper-case “C” Church; you are bought with an indescribable blood sacrifice. Paul says,
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” - Romans 12:1 KJV
After a person commits his life to Christ, s/he is a disciple. The term “disciple” μαθητής in Greek, carries with it the notion of being a student, as well as a follower. Becoming a born-again Christian is just the beginning - learning about Christ and growing in Him is where it’s at.
Your local attorney and your local physician refer to their work as a “practice.” Why? Because they’re working out their craft every day to become better at it. But even these gifted men and women, by inference, admit that they are imperfect at what they do and are learning as they go.
But why do we expect Christians, in their day-to-day lives, to live lives free from sin the moment they accept Christ?
I’m not writing this to give Christians license to sin. God forbid. What I’m trying to express, imperfectly, is that becoming a Christian doesn’t make you perfect. And people who would have you believe they haven’t sinned in months or years (they’re out there!) are liars from the devil’s own Hell, and are deceiving themselves according to God’s own Word:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. - I John 1:8 KJV
But really, Christianity isn't about what you CAN'T do - a religion of laws and customs and checking off boxes. Christianity is a personal relationship with a Father who says, "come to me and I want to give you freedom to do all you ever wanted, but I also want to protect you because I love you!" And the Christian life isn't easy, and Christian people still make mistakes and still do sin. But God calls Believers to come together and worship: NOT to be saved, get saved or “keep” your salvation.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 -
Going to church has NO relationship whatever with salvation. There’s a person close to me who has the mistaken belief (I think subconsciously) that church attendance is somehow tied to salvation, and it just isn’t true! As much as I’ve tried to convince him that salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ’s work on the cross, I just can’t seem to get him to understand that church attendance, while something that every believer should want to do, has NOTHING to do with SALVATION! Would somebody shout from the top of their lungs, “AMEN!!”? So, by all means, go to church because:
* you love your brothers and sisters in Christ and you want to support them and RECEIVE their love and support
* to worship Jesus (despite the fact that we can and should worship Jesus outside of a church building in everyday acts)
* to learn more about the God we worship
* provides corporate venues and forums for service
* the Bible tells us to!
And as a caveat, I'm one who has some deep problems with the lower case c church - the building - the way things get done. For example, I can't stand the word and idea of church "membership." I love the idea of commitment, but membership implies exclusivity, and so I've just long held a real problem with that. I also can't stand denominations. When Jesus was on this earth, there was only denomination: Jesus. So if I had my way, there'd be only one denomination and his name would be Jesus. So I understand how those couple things could be distracting to some.
Tragically, there are millions of people who line the pews of American churches week by week and they have no clue what's awaiting them. They've attended Sunday services across this land faithfully and they think they're going to Heaven perhaps because they're good people, because they've generally never done anyone any harm. Many are faithful about putting some money into special church projects or sponsoring missionaries. Those are all worthwhile endeavors and we should do them. But God calls us to a relationship with Him!
I was listening to the Al Smith Charity dinner recently as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton roasted each other. Al Smith had been elected Governor of New York four times and was a noted Catholic. The 2016 Al Smith dinner raised some $6 million for Catholic charities. But during her speech, Hillary Clinton noted, "I believe the way we treat others is the highest expression of faith and of service. I am not Catholic, I'm a Methodist, but one of the things we share is a belief that in order to achieve salvation, we need both faith and good works."
Now I never intend to make these blogs political, and I don't intend to make this one political. I'm not picking on Mrs. Clinton because of her politics or for any reason. In fact, I know for a fact that her line of thinking is NOT abnormal. But her words stuck out at me: "in order to achieve salvation." You see, achievement implies merit. But there really isn't any implication involved in this particular equation because she goes on to mention "good works." Salvation isn't deserved and can't be earned. The Bible says,
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. - Romans 10:9 KJV
What God wants is for you to recognize the depth of His son's sacrifice for you - not to try to trump it with some tythe or missionary trip. God says all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6. So we shouldn't try. If you haven't accepted Christ, come to Him as you are and receive Him into your life without condition. Do you have issues? Don't worry, we all do. He'll take care of them. God Bless You. Reach out if you need help.
You’ve really gotta be careful about this, because the term “Church” is not a building; it’s a people. And it’s Christ’s people - it’s his bride. And Christ died to save his bride. If you’re a believer, you’re part of God’s upper-case “C” Church; you are bought with an indescribable blood sacrifice. Paul says,
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” - Romans 12:1 KJV
After a person commits his life to Christ, s/he is a disciple. The term “disciple” μαθητής in Greek, carries with it the notion of being a student, as well as a follower. Becoming a born-again Christian is just the beginning - learning about Christ and growing in Him is where it’s at.
Your local attorney and your local physician refer to their work as a “practice.” Why? Because they’re working out their craft every day to become better at it. But even these gifted men and women, by inference, admit that they are imperfect at what they do and are learning as they go.
But why do we expect Christians, in their day-to-day lives, to live lives free from sin the moment they accept Christ?
I’m not writing this to give Christians license to sin. God forbid. What I’m trying to express, imperfectly, is that becoming a Christian doesn’t make you perfect. And people who would have you believe they haven’t sinned in months or years (they’re out there!) are liars from the devil’s own Hell, and are deceiving themselves according to God’s own Word:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. - I John 1:8 KJV
But really, Christianity isn't about what you CAN'T do - a religion of laws and customs and checking off boxes. Christianity is a personal relationship with a Father who says, "come to me and I want to give you freedom to do all you ever wanted, but I also want to protect you because I love you!" And the Christian life isn't easy, and Christian people still make mistakes and still do sin. But God calls Believers to come together and worship: NOT to be saved, get saved or “keep” your salvation.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 -
Going to church has NO relationship whatever with salvation. There’s a person close to me who has the mistaken belief (I think subconsciously) that church attendance is somehow tied to salvation, and it just isn’t true! As much as I’ve tried to convince him that salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ’s work on the cross, I just can’t seem to get him to understand that church attendance, while something that every believer should want to do, has NOTHING to do with SALVATION! Would somebody shout from the top of their lungs, “AMEN!!”? So, by all means, go to church because:
* you love your brothers and sisters in Christ and you want to support them and RECEIVE their love and support
* to worship Jesus (despite the fact that we can and should worship Jesus outside of a church building in everyday acts)
* to learn more about the God we worship
* provides corporate venues and forums for service
* the Bible tells us to!
And as a caveat, I'm one who has some deep problems with the lower case c church - the building - the way things get done. For example, I can't stand the word and idea of church "membership." I love the idea of commitment, but membership implies exclusivity, and so I've just long held a real problem with that. I also can't stand denominations. When Jesus was on this earth, there was only denomination: Jesus. So if I had my way, there'd be only one denomination and his name would be Jesus. So I understand how those couple things could be distracting to some.
Tragically, there are millions of people who line the pews of American churches week by week and they have no clue what's awaiting them. They've attended Sunday services across this land faithfully and they think they're going to Heaven perhaps because they're good people, because they've generally never done anyone any harm. Many are faithful about putting some money into special church projects or sponsoring missionaries. Those are all worthwhile endeavors and we should do them. But God calls us to a relationship with Him!
I was listening to the Al Smith Charity dinner recently as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton roasted each other. Al Smith had been elected Governor of New York four times and was a noted Catholic. The 2016 Al Smith dinner raised some $6 million for Catholic charities. But during her speech, Hillary Clinton noted, "I believe the way we treat others is the highest expression of faith and of service. I am not Catholic, I'm a Methodist, but one of the things we share is a belief that in order to achieve salvation, we need both faith and good works."
Now I never intend to make these blogs political, and I don't intend to make this one political. I'm not picking on Mrs. Clinton because of her politics or for any reason. In fact, I know for a fact that her line of thinking is NOT abnormal. But her words stuck out at me: "in order to achieve salvation." You see, achievement implies merit. But there really isn't any implication involved in this particular equation because she goes on to mention "good works." Salvation isn't deserved and can't be earned. The Bible says,
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. - Romans 10:9 KJV
What God wants is for you to recognize the depth of His son's sacrifice for you - not to try to trump it with some tythe or missionary trip. God says all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6. So we shouldn't try. If you haven't accepted Christ, come to Him as you are and receive Him into your life without condition. Do you have issues? Don't worry, we all do. He'll take care of them. God Bless You. Reach out if you need help.
