A Question for the Road Time Readers (all 3 of you)

What is the purpose of "church"? Why do we go to this building on Sunday mornings? Sing some nice songs; listen to a guy talk about the bible, life, troubles, politics, work, etc.?

I'm curious to know your reasons. What do you look for in a church? Are you committed to a denomination? Why?

This is part of an ongoing struggle I've been having with church over the last few years. Now that my family has moved to a new area and we are in the midst of a search, these questions are weighing heavier with me. It's even harder since my wife and kids are doing the search largely without me.

You can respond on the site below, comment on the Facebook post, or send me a private email. I'll probably do a follow-up post in a week or two with some results of the query. Don't worry. The names will be left out to protect...well...me.

Focus and prioritize!

In 1997 I was starting to really follow Christ. I had grown up in the church. I prayed. I knew of God, but I didn’t really have a relationship with Him until then. I guess you could say that I was “saved” at that time, but I really think, for me, salvation has been more of a process than a single event. Maybe that’s a little heretical for some. All I know is “Christ and Christ crucified.” I don’t remember the day and time that I came to this revelation as some do, but I really don’t think it matters.

The big thing at that time was the “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. These books were HUGE! They chronicled the biblical events of the second coming of Christ. I must admit. I bought into the hype. I was mildly addicted to the series.  I remember the hand-wringing anticipation for the next book. What was going to happen to Buck and Rayford and Chloe? Every book ended on a cliff hanger. The funny thing is, there were people in the church who were really getting on my case about reading these books. Some even said that I shouldn’t be reading them at all. They were warning me that they are the author’s interpretation of the bible and are not a substitute for the bible itself. Thanks. Do you wanna check the presets for the radio stations in my car and make sure there aren’t any secular stations on there too?

I was a new Christian, but the “end times” stuff really fascinated me. The good thing about it for me and many others was that it ended up being a gateway to intense study in other areas of the bible. I was in a small men’s group that met once a week for coffee and prayer. One of the guys asked if I thought that the rapture was going to be pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or if there was even going to be such a thing. I remember saying, “Man, I’m still trying to figure out how to love my neighbor!”

The bible has a lot of commandments, guides, instructions, wisdom, stories of success, stories of failure, and hope for the future. With 66 books, 1,189 chapters, and 31,240 verses it can be a lot for most people to absorb and apply to their lives. In a lot of cases, churches or denominations will just focus on one or two things; worship; baptism and communion; or missions work and evangelism; or snake handling and poison drinking; or end times; or works. People will gravitate to the churches that focus on the areas that interest them or that they are comfortable with. I’m not suggesting that any of these things are bad because they all have their foundation in the Word of God. However, I might suggest that we as individual Christians refocus on what God considers the priorities.

Tell us, Pat. What are God’s priorities? I’m glad you asked, but let me first put out a disclaimer in an attempt to avoid a lightning strike. “ALL SCRIPTURE is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16  Now that the lightening rod is firmly in place, here are God’s priorities: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31. I believe that all scripture exists to support these two commandments…which are in the red, by the way. Jesus said that there is no commandment greater than this.

Thanks, Pat. We’ve been to Sunday school. We know this. So, what is the practical application? You want me to bake some cookies for my neighbors? Sure, if that’s what you want to do. Look. For most of us, God is not going to send us to a third world country to build a church. God will command some to do that. It's necessary and if you are called to do that, GO! But most of us are called to worship Him in our car on our way to work or while we are out for a jog (I wouldn’t recommend closing your eyes and raising your hands in either of those situations, however).  We are all called to get to know Him, His mind, His will, and His Word. We do that by spending time alone with Him intimately in prayer and study. We also do that by gathering with people who are committed to the same thing and learning from their experiences, successes, and failures. 

Loving our neighbors can be a bit tougher…especially if you lived in my previous neighborhood! When Jesus was asked what it meant to love our neighbor, He told the story of the Good Samaritan. How do we apply that? Try this: The next time you’re in line at Starbucks, buy a coffee for the person in line behind you. Maybe just hand the cashier an extra $6 for that purpose and don’t even let the person know what you did. When you go to work or to the store, put your antennae up and see if you can find a person that looks lonely or is having a rough day. Then, offer them some comfort; an ear or a cup of coffee (yes, I’m a coffee addict too) or a shoulder. A hug and a smile can do wonders for someone going through a storm. Use some discretion, though. You could end up in handcuffs! People who are hurting, especially the ones that don’t know the Lord, don’t always want to hear that God loves them. But most will welcome a loving word or gesture from you and THAT comes from the Lord. And yes, bake some cookies for your neighbors.

A note for the people around me: I like caramel macchiatos and chocolate chip cookies.

Poverty of Muscle

I hate going to the gym. There are a lot of reasons, but I think the real reason is pride. If I go run, I can run by myself. I don’t have to keep up with anyone or worry about slowing them down. I can put on my headphones and go into my own little world. At the gym there are all those muscle-bound, gym dwellers that walk around wearing shirts that are about 4 sizes too small, protein drinks in one hand and a 100lb dumbbell in the other…and that’s just the women! I always feel so self-conscious going in with my spaghetti arms and spare-tire waist and strain with a 25lb curl. I suppose you have to start somewhere and I’m sure that those folks realize that, but I can’t help but feel the eyes of judgment.

Why do we bother even exercising anyway? For some of us it is vanity. Some of us enjoy the feeling of being in good health. For others it is a job requirement. Some were told by a doctor that they had to or their family will be collecting on their life insurance. For me, it is a combination of a few. Whatever the reason, the starting point is the realization that we are not where we need or want to be. We have a shortage of physical fitness. We have a need to make a change to our physical lifestyle because our habits have led us to be overweight, diabetic, to have heart problems,  or a host of other health issues. We have identified a need for a change.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:3

Isn’t this the same for our spiritual lives as well? As Christians, at some point we recognized that doing things on our own wasn’t working. Maybe we were in an abusive relationship, addicted to drugs, alcohol, or pornography. Maybe we've walked away from God and are too ashamed to come back. Perhaps we just had such a low opinion of ourselves that we didn’t think we were worthy of “the kingdom of heaven.”  Theologian and author, A.W Tozer calls this “poverty of the soul.” What a great turn of phrase! What does it mean to be “poor” or in “poverty”? It means that you have a desperate need. That is us when we realize our need for a Savior.

So, what now? If you go to the gym when you’re in need of physical training, where would you go if you were in need of spiritual fulfillment? Church? That seems like the obvious answer, but it would be wrong…at least to start. There are certain things that are built into our sinful DNA that might make that trip counterproductive. Remember those muscle-bound, gym dwellers? Well, they exist in the church too. They are the “super Christians” that were saved in the womb. They are the ones that always have the smile that never fades and, on the outside, appear as if they’ve never had an illness, a bounced check, or uttered a swear word. They have good intentions…mostly, but they can be pretty intimidating sometimes and we can feel self-conscious in their presence until we come to grips with who we are in the sight of God. (Note: If you're one of those "super Christians" keep reading before you get offended.) The sooner we realize that it’s not their approval we seek, but the forgiveness and grace of the Father, the sooner we can break down the shame of our spiritual poverty.

From “The Pursuit of God” by A. W. Tozer:

                “…the burden of pretense [is]…the common human desire to put the best foot forward and hide from the world our real inward poverty. For sin has played many evil tricks upon us, and one has been the infusing into us a false sense of shame. …The fear of being found out gnaws like rodents within their hearts.”

If church isn’t the right answer, what is? Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come BOLDLY to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Need = poverty. Don’t go timidly. Don’t go shamefully. Don’t go thinking that God is like Caesar at the coliseum wondering if he is going to give you a thumbs up or thumbs down. Go BOLDLY! When we realize that the world will never see us the way that God does, we will no longer be self-conscious about charging to the throne of grace. We will go to the altar and kneel before Jesus and take His yoke upon us and learn from Him. And we will find rest from the daily grind of trying to cover up our inadequacies so that no one will find out. Then we can go to the gym (or church) and begin the work of physical or spiritual fitness with a “trainer” who is in good shape and can guide us to fitness so that we can be the trainer for others struggling with their poverty. That’s when you realize that those “super Christians” or “gym dwellers” are the same as you. They just recognized their poverty before you did and went boldly to the gym.