A Commitment to Read the Book

I wanted to take a few minutes to thank those who commented on the blog, “What Should the Perfect Church Look Like.”  There were some good thoughts and good views to consider written in your comments.

Now, that being said, there were a few things I wanted to address regarding the posts.  The first thing is very simple.  When I said my church, it was not as though I didn’t know who owns it.  I understand that the writer of that comment might have been trying to be funny, but there is a reason I bring that up.  That reason will probably be explored over a few posts, but let me sum this one up for the moment and get back to it later.  Many of us have college sweaters or root for different college teams.  Many of us have our home team.  Here in Michigan many of us bleed maize and blue in the fall.  The funny thing about that is that not many of us went to University of Michigan, and those who did, don’t own it either.  It is a sense of team pride and a sense of community.  We all share the common interest in football and U of M, well, except my Ohio State loving neighbor, but he doesn’t count;0)  (For those of you who don’t know, I don’t have an antenna, I don’t like sports, and I don’t know much about sports at all)

When I say “my church” I mean the place where God has put me to worship and serve.  It is the local team.  This brings me to something.  Those who have accepted Jesus as their savior are now a part of Team Jesus.  You wear a team uniform and have team colors.  Each local church and each person has a tiny slice of the identity of Jesus, and therefore wears a slightly different identity.  That is where “my church” comes from.  It has nothing to do with a feeling of ownership above the ownership of Jesus.  It has nothing to do with feeling superior because “my church” is better than “your church”.  It is just where God has placed me to serve.

Well, with all that being said I feel a need to explain “my church”.  Lord of the Harvest sits near the border of Warren and Detroit.  It is a church in a neighborhood that needs Jesus.  The body of believers who meet there are very focused on communitas.  What is “communitas”?  I found a good description of it on Communitas.org (no I am not sure of the whole website, but this line is very good.) “Service to the community lies at the heart of Communitas’ mission. By its very nature, to serve is a collaborative process; doing with, rather than for someone.”  Our local assembly not only believes in reaching the community, but t believes in partnering with the community to change it from within.  To take a few minutes to brag, we minister to over four hundred lost families a month through our various ministries.  We tithe more as a church than some families tithe.  We give more to the community than our Pastor makes in a year.

Now, I want to get to the thing that prompted me to post.  Many of you, as I already said, had some good points.  Brian Nash had some good points on his blog, and the only thing I would add to his points is about outreach and ministering to the poor.  It is funny that Jesus tells John the Baptist’s messengers to report what they see.  “Mat 11:5  the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them. “  You also cannot forget this one in “the perfect church”, “(Act 1:8)  But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  To me, reaching the lost is really an important thing.

 Steve Walden and Russ mentioned a book called, “So you don’t want to go to church anymore”.  I will admit that I have yet to read this book.  One of them mentioned that it was free on line, so, with much searching the internet, I found it.  I have to mention here, that they both mentioned home groups.  I guess I have to go into this point.  I am not a fan of home groups.  Just as there are problems in the local assembly, there are problems in a home church.  For the record, I have found that many home churches are started by offended Christians who have not learned to be unoffended.  Funny, many of them are also home schoolers.   (I am putting my flame proof suit on because I know what to expect by saying such things.)  My major problem with both home schoolers and home churchers is doing either out of offense.  (For my youth, A Fence).  Many who do this, look down on the general assembly with a self righteous smug and a heart burned with rejection.  This cripples the church and the home church. 

 Now, since I am making some bold statements, understand I am speaking from my own experience.  I am not sure all home churchers are like this, but offense is a big thing I see in this subculture.  There are a couple of verses that I want those who are convicted by what I am writing to consider.

 1Co 12:11  But the one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing separately to each one as He desires.
1Co 12:12  For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13  For also by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free, even all were made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17  If all the body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If all hearing, where would be the smelling?
1Co 12:18  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body as it has pleased Him.
1Co 12:19  And if they were all one member, where would be the body?
1Co 12:20  But now indeed many are the members, yet only one body.
1Co 12:21  And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22  But much rather the members of the body seeming to be weaker are necessary.
1Co 12:23  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we put more abundant honor around them. And our unpresentable members have more abundant propriety.
1Co 12:24  For our presentable members have no need, but God tempered the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member having need;
1Co 12:25  that there not be division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
1Co 12:26  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27  And you are the body of Christ, and members in part.

I can’t tell if your home church is based on the things I have written above.  Those are my experiences and why I am not a big fan of them.  If your home church is walking with the local church, and reaching the community, but you choose to study the Word of God differently, then great.  I am all for that.  I will add that I am going to take the time to  read the book mentioned in order to gain a better understanding.