I have no qualms with Republicanism and limited Democracy. I have no qualms with Capitalism. What I do have a problem with is the Churchs negligent acceptance of anthropocentric ideologies; ideologies that elevate man above God. It would seem that the same humanistic philosophies from which our current political system came, are the same humanistic philosophies that have infiltrated the Church in America. Too many Christians have confused individuality with individualism and thus the Church has suffered greatly in the area of fellowship and discipleship. While those outside of Christ strive to expound upon self-preservation and self-reliance, those who are in Christ are overtaken by the delusion that no more is expected of them than what can be attained by self; herein lies the issue. Christians in America are either ignorant of the expected affection in loving and caring for other brothers and sisters in the faith, or they impulsively avoid such an occurrence. The words of 1 John 3:16-18 seem to have been overlooked because of our efforts in trying to exist as the world exists. The Church is an organism; a body consisting of parts unique in their holy gift given by the Lord (1 Cor. 12:12; Rom. 12:4-5). These gifts cannot be disclosed, emphasized, and utilized in the expectation laid before us in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20) until or unless the Church sees itself as a collective body under the headship of Christ (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18), instead of a superficial community of individuals who meet in order to be served instead of serving. Was it not Christ who set this example in Matt. 20:28? Our gatherings have become so large with such emphasis on the first greatest commandment, that we have forgotten about the second; to love our neighbor to include our brothers and sisters of whom we have yet to make an acquaintance because of the overbearing crowd in attendance. How can we even say we love God, let alone that we are worshiping Him when we lack so much in true fellowship and discipleship? We cannot even know for certain if those with whom we worship are even truly in the faith; we cannot see their fruit and we cannot experience the siblinghood so often referenced in Scripture. We do not have true fellowship because the church attendee has been reduced to a mere rump in a pew and a bill in the plate in exchange for a carefully tailored worship experience. The goal seems to have shifted from making disciples to making the largest collection of individual attendees as possible. So as the seminaries continue to pour out graduates, the already established churches continue to fatten themselves and for what purpose? Some say to glorify God others allege it is for making disciples. My question is this: How can one assess the knowledge of a person or even see the sincere love they have for the Lord, if true fellowship is seen as trivial and mundane? What is true fellowship? It is more than potlucks and the cheesy handshake forced by the Pastor at the opening of service. It is more than rocking out to deafening worship music. It is more than praise dancing and carrying on like an animal. True fellowship is expressed affection towards those with whom we worship for the sake of their edification and growth; it is discipleship and encouragement to likewise go forth and make disciples. Fellowship and Discipleship is not about you; it is about Gods glory and our love for others in yearning for their salvation and growth in the Lord. #Church
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 20:26:14 +0000
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