Church…
Well, it has been over a week since I’ve posted on this blog. It has been a busy time for me… without much time for contemplation or study. Lately, my thoughts continue to revolve around the church. “Church” is not something that we do, its something that we are. It is my goal to learn how to live as the church with those believers God has placed in my life. This goes far beyond a weekly gathering. It goes far beyond a membership list. It has little to do with “preaching” and much to do with love. It has little to do with “pastors” and much to do with brothers and sisters. It has little to do with “worship sevices” and much to do with hospitality. It has little to do with “programs” and much to do with discipleship.
I have much to learn about what it means to live as church with other believers. However, I have learned some… and what I have learned, I must practice.
Being the church by loving others, living as family, being hospitable and discipling others. That sounds like a good start to understanding what it is like to live as the church. Keep on brother.
Theron
One other thought. As we try to understand what it means to live as the church, we must be careful not to make a checklist out of it. Rather, I think we are looking at the patterns of the way that we live our lives and ask whether the way that we are living matches up with the way the Scriptures say we should live. There is definitely a relational aspect to living as the church. It is not simply completing a series of tasks and thinking that we are OK. This is something that is difficult for me since I am many times task driven.
T
Theron,
You’re right. It is so easy to make being a Christian nothing more than a check list. But it is so much more important to live for Christ – wherever you are, whatever you are doing, and whoever is around you. I’m learning that this is what it means to be the church – the same as what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ.
Alan
Alan,
Just to add my two cents…What happened at our place Tuesday night was the church in action. It was love in action–following the Lord’s command to love one another. The main task, as Theron was mentioning, is the task of loving one another. Not to make it sound like drudgery or a hardship–but what I mean is that we can purposefully plan to love on others and then carry it out. Eric and I have been the recipients of this over the past few weeks, and it has been what has gotten us through it. You can see my related thoughts on my NEW BLOG: thinkingasawoman.blogspot.com