Stop "Going to Church"

I read an article this weekend written by Al Maxey titled "Being the Church" that got me to thinking about the vocabulary we use to describe things religious. While I don't always agree with Brother Maxey he does place things in front of you that force you to think. This is not a review of his article, just the result of the contemplation it spurred in my own mind.

Undoubtedly you have used or heard used the phrase, "going to Church" or its various forms. We know that when people use this terminology that they are most likely referring to the worship services. Growing up we always "went to Church." It wasn't until I went off to college at Lipscomb that I heard someone (a roommate) consistently identifying the worship for what it is. He was always going to worship or inquiring what time I wanted to get up to get ready to go worship.

I never have thought that getting the terminology correct was that important. My thought has always been that if the people with whom you are communicating understand you then there is no problem. For example, where I live, in Tennessee, if you invite someone to dinner then you have just set up a lunch date. The reason being is because it is common usage in our area to have breakfast, dinner, then supper. But if you ask someone unfamiliar with our regional terminology to go to dinner, they may assume you mean the evening meal. This thought has caused me to reconsider the language I will use when referencing the church and the worship of the church.

You may find yourself asking, "What is the big deal?" Well, it's not a "big" deal but it is a deal. It is not an issue of salvation but proper terminology certainly could give birth to fuller understanding and fuller understanding can lead to a stronger faith. Church is important. In fact, one cannot be saved and be outside the church. All the saved of the world, past and present, make up the church. Man has no say when it comes to the makeup of the church, the bible tells us that those who accept the gospel and are baptized are added to the church. (Acts 2:41) The church's worship of God is necessary but is only one action a Christian participates in as part of their walk with God.

When referencing the church their are several truths we can proclaim; we are the church, we can be a church, the church is made up of the saved, the church can "do" certain things but church is not something we "do," church is a living organism of which we are a part. Worship is one of those things that the church does, We (the church) worship God.

In the mind of many people, the church does not exist outside the confines of the four walls of a "church building." How sad! In actuality, the overwhelming majority of the works of the church takes place (or should) outside the confines of the building. Notice that I inserted the word "should," this is because some congregations (local churches) have either fallen into or purposely followed the way of the language we speak. These congregations indeed "go to church" twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday but when it comes to "being a church" their worship services are often the only evidence to which thay can point. When church becomes something we do instead of something we are, or when worship is the only practice we regularly take part in then we are in a pitiful condition.

Am I naive enough to think that our language is the sole cause of this attitude among us or that a change of terminology alone will miraculously solve the problem? Of course not, but there is validity to the saying, "as a man thinks, so is he." When we "go to church" then what we do when we get there becomes, for some, the very definition of church itself.

Let's stop "going to church" and start worshiping God. Let us stop playing church and start being church.

Meet in the Middle

Just the other day I heard an old song that was once one of my favorite tunes. The song was "Meet in the Middle" by Diamond Rio. The chorus of the song goes something like this (forgive me if this reads a little off key but I have to sing the words in order to write them!);

"I'd start walking your way, You'd start walking mine, we'd meet in the middle 'neath that old Georgia pine. We gain a lot of ground when we both give a little, ain't no road too long when we meet in the middle. I love the way we work it out , thats what love is all about."

As I listened to the song I began thinking about something very near to my heart, the church. I know it might seem strange that a country music song would turn my mind toward the church, but it's true. This song extolls the lengths one will go to to be united with the one they love.
Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus prayed for the unity of believers in that time as well as those in ages to come. Jesus' prayer for Christians was that we would be one so that "the world may believe that you (God) have sent me." (John 17:20-21) I fear that we often ignore, dismiss, or refuse, to work at what Christ deemed to be a vital part of Christianity.

If we truly love each other and the church that brings us together then we will, at the very least, work toward unity. When Paul lists the "seven virtues" in Colossians 3:12-14, he concludes with this statement concerning love and unity; "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." The other virtues we are to put on as Christians are compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. It doesn't take too long browsing the various Christian websites, blogs, and message boards on the internet to realize that compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness are all in short supply. If these virtues are missing then it is obvious that love, "which binds them all together," is missing as well. You can find a lot of "lip service" paid to love in these places but what you don't find is the is the evidence of this proclaimed love. Instead of compassion you will find a lack of understanding, instead of kindness there is a mean spirit, instead of humility is pride in position, gentleness is replaced with aggression, and patience with a quick temper. This lack of unity is fostered on both ends of the theological spectrum, conservatives and liberals alike are guilty. Before anyone starts digging into some of my older writings, I will freely admit that, in the past, I have exhibited the same attitude and lack of love that I am presently writing about and I have a great deal of regret concerning this. So what are we to do? Is Christian unity one of those proverbial "pipe dreams" only good for theorizing but not actually achievable?

I submit that we can find the answer in the song I just sang to you, we need to meet in the middle. Our love for Christ and his church should compell us to hit the road walking to meet our Christian brethren in the middle. The middle need not necessarily signify compromise, we cannot compromise concerning the gospel. However, meeting in the middle will require all of us to compromise in things that don't concern salvation. It takes more effort to be a unified body but, if this is what Christ desires, we should all be willing to extend the effort. "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification." (Romans 14:19)

Wouldn't it be an amazing and historic day to see proudly self labeled "conservatives" and "grace-centered" Christians singing, "I love the way we worked it out, that's what love is all about." Let's set aside our labels and work toward unity

Friends and Family

This has been a great weekend. Our weekend started before sunrise Saturday morning traveling to Lyles, Tennessee for a Cub Scout camping trip. I was amazed at the amount of people that turned out for this event, there must have been well over a thousand people. The campground at Cedar Crest was covered with a varying array of tents. The highlight of the weekend for my son was earning his shooting badge and his archery badge. He also excelled at roasting marshmallows, no badge for this skill though.

Early Sunday morning, once again before sunlight, we broke camp to get home in time to get ready to go to Midway church of Christ for Friends and Family day. This was our first return to Midway since leaving the congregation to become Family Life minister at Waynesboro. It was good to get back and see all of our brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we had grown so close.

Cary Crews, of the Wayne Furnace church, did an outstanding job preaching God's word. The food was great. I got to meet Frank Foust, Midway's new minister and his wife Linda. But most of all I enjoyed the handshakes and hugs, those displays of genuine love from one Christian to another.

One thing in life you can never have too many of is friends and family. God has blessed me with many loyal friends and the love of an awesome family!