Being a Church

So then, let us aim for harmony in the each other up. 

Romans 14:19 (NLT)

I know that organized religion is not for everyone. I know that churches aren't for everyone. I know that you don't have to go to church to be a Christian. I know it doesn't make you a better Christian the more times you go to church each week.

But, to me, it's important to be a part of a church, to be committed to a place, or more accurately a group, a family. What does it mean to be a "church family"? To me, it is being a group of believers who can share, help, and fellowship with each other.

What an amazing feeling it is to know there are people who will be there when you need them! To know that there are people praying for you, as there was for us when O was little and we didn't know what was coming, what the outcome would be. At least we knew that we had people praying for us. I've heard others in our church talk about just that power, that knowledge that there are people praying for you and your family or your circumstance, is sometimes all the comfort you need, whether or not those prayers are answered to your liking. It's very important.

Sometimes finding a church can be difficult because we focus on the wrong things. We focus on the music or the way people are dressed or if there is anyone who seems to be "like us" or the length or the times of the service. While all of these things are a part of convenience and fitting into our vision of church or into our busy lives, they should not be the most important.

Churches are not perfect. After all, they are filled with humans. Humans are not perfect.

But, I think it's time that we shift our focus away from the people or things that make up a particular church, moving instead toward God and the development of his kingdom.

In Revelation, John writes letters to seven different churches, based on his visions of Jesus and the message he was asked to relay. Last week, our pastor began a series of sermons related to these letters. The first letter was to the church in Ephesus, regarding their loss of love for Jesus and for each other. John writes these words of Jesus,

"But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first." (Revelation 2:4, 5 NLT)

Here, Jesus brings us back to the core of His message, the greatest commandment...love. As a church, we should gather with one common interest, and that's Christ, building a relationship with him, and building a kingdom of believers. A kingdom that is filled with love.

What do you think about church?