Friday, January 15, 2010

Why Do You Go To Church?

I overheard part of a conversation at Biggby’s today. Two men were reading newspapers and one turned to the other.” Why do you go to church?” The man hesitated a little. “Why do I go to church? That’s a good question.” He mentioned how he enjoys the fellowship and other benefits, and then he said, “…I guess it’s kind of like a habit… but it’s a good habit to have.” This man continued with many more questions. Questions about the “sacrament”, where the other man responded with, “Some of those things you do repetitively; you don’t give it a second thought.” He asked about the music and who played what and other questions. I was starting to wonder why they were having this conversation. The first man seemed like he was spiritually hungry, yet this conversation sounded like business. Did the second man not realize that this was the perfect opportunity to witness to his friend? Or did both men need to be witnessed to? “Does your church have an organist?” the second man asked his friend. “Yes.” Apparently he goes to church too…

Why do you go to church?

Has it become just a habit to you?

Do you participate in church without “giving it a second thought”? Has church become simply a tradition to you?

In Matthew 15, the Pharisees and teachers of the law approached Jesus about his disciples, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?” Jesus replied in verse 3, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?”

Many of you tend to look at those “of the world” as foolish and evil. But what of those in the church who go to church because it’s always been that way, yet continue to live their lives in sin? Is this you? Or do you befriend these people and make no effort to correct them out of love?? This problem is BIG in America, because this is supposedly a Christian nation… But people have forgotten what true Christianity is. It has become a habit, a tradition, and the relationship with Christ has faded away; Christianity has simply become another religion.

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 5 for more.

We, as Christians, are to be imitators of Christ. We are called to love one another. There is no better way to love another than sharing Christ with them. Even those in the church need to hear the truth. So many people in the church have become so calloused to true Christianity and so blinded to the sin that they live in.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Being a Christian does NOT mean changing our surroundings; it means changing our hearts.

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1 John 1:5-6).

Are you a “Sunday morning” Christian? Do you call yourself a Christian yet continue living in sin? Don’t you know that God’s kindness is supposed to lead you to repentance?

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:8-10).

Examine yourself with the word of God and do not be deceived with empty words.

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 5:6).

As 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”

So let me ask again…

Why do you go to church?


P.S. And if you wonder why I wrote this... This used to be me.

In His Grace,
Rachel Joy

We Have Forgotten

In this time and age where secret sins are prevalent - where it is so easy to live a double life, there is no shame in what we do. We have fallen from the grace that God so freely gave us. We do not find His grace to be enough. We push Him away, then feel empty and try to fill that emptiness with worldly passions, with ANYTHING other than God. There is a lack of accountability and community in the church. The church has lost its definition, and is now simply a building we gather in once a week.

During the week, it is not obvious that we are Christians. It is not obvious that our lives have been radically changed by the grace of God. We have lost the excitement, the drive to try to know God and to seek Him. We have His word so available to us, yet we don't take advantage of the freedom we have. We push God aside, and try to add to His grace, as if it isn't enough. We put other people and things above God. We no longer want His will to be done, but ours.

The Christian lifestyle is no longer appealing unless it has been added to. If we are constantly thinking of what we can get away with or how far into sin we can go, do we really love God? Are we really under His grace? Do we realize that the very same Spirit who was in Christ, is in us, as believers? The church in America today has forgotten these things, they have forgotten that God's grace is more than enough. They have become less interested in God and who He is, and more interested in themselves.

Isaiah 28:12-13
to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
And the word of the Lord will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.

2 Corinthians 12:9a
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

If we add to God's grace, it is no longer grace; it is the law. Christ has set us free from Jewish ceremonial laws and regulations but not from obedience to God's moral standards. If we depend on the law for salvation, then the question is raised: are we truly saved? Of course, we can never lose our salvation, but if we do not rely solely on the grace of God, we follow a totally different gospel (a man-made one).

We need to rest in the grace of God and stop looking at ourselves. Our calling is to be so interested in what God is doing and what he has done, that we don't care about what we are doing. We should only care about Him and the overwhelming truth of the gospel of Grace.

What are your thoughts on the state of "the church" today?

In His Grace,
Rachel Joy

The Clutter

My goal in life is "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" (Philippians 3:10).

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through life:
'Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox


I am learning a lot about the Bible and the theology and ethics of the Bible, but am also learning about all the different views, many of them in conflict. I find myself debating issues that I am suddenly unsure about. I even find myself getting offended and offending others. I think back to my time in Peru this past summer - the simplicity I experienced there was amazing. I had so much time in the morning to simply read and meditate upon God's Word. The silence and solitude of those times... that is where I want to be. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I have the opportunity to learn more about theology, ethics, the Bible, history, etc... but I still long to "unclutter" my life, to simplify it, to have faith like a child. In So, You Want to Be Like Christ, Charles R. Swindoll said it best, "The message of Christianity is quickly becoming a system of enlightened thinking instead of a simple call to turn from sin and pursue a relationship with God. The desire for greater theological knowledge (as good as that is) has supplanted the simple call to know Him intimately...in the power of His resurrection and in sharing His suffering." Of course, it is all good and well and fine to learn about theology, but this should not replace the simple call we have to know God intimately. At times, at least for me, I feel like it does. Swindoll continues, "The simple message that Jesus proclaimed doesn't require a giant theological intellect in order to receive it and implement it." It is important to read and study God's Word, however.

It is a problem for us here in the United States, and others elsewhere, to live cluttered, complicated lives. Will our simple devotion to Christ be lost among the clutter? Will our time with Christ be replaced by trivial distractions that are meaningless? It sometimes seems so hard to find time to spend with God. "Too much clutter in your mind leaves insufficient room for devotion to Christ" (Swindoll). As Psalm 119 says, I long to store up God's Word in my heart(11), meditate on it(15), and delight in it(16).

Pray that, as I seek to be like Christ, that I would take time to live in simplicity and submission to the will of God. Pray that I set my priorities straight in this busy North American lifestyle, and that I would put God's will above my own and others'. I pray the same for all of you.

Referring to the poem above, Charles R. Swindoll asks the following:
Where is your ship going? Is it blown here and there by the shifting winds of complication? Is anyone at the helm? Are you reacting to the needs of the immediate or ordering your priorities to enjoy deeper devotion to Christ?

In His Grace,
Rachel Joy