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The Purpose of This Site

Once this site was just for me. It was a personal blog, journal or diary of my journey with the Lord. However one day reading it I found that this could also be a real testimony to the world. Evangelism is my heart. Jesus is my life. This is my real account of my Christian walk and revelation that I share with you. In all things take them to scripture. I do not claim to be an expert though I study, research and seek the truth daily. My purpose it to stir your heart towards the Heavenly Father so you can pursue your own Journey with the lord through his word and in spirit.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Why I Go to Church?

It has been some time since I have made a entry. I suppose it is because of the questions that was asked just this Last sunday from a person serving some of the guys from my church at a Resturant. The question was "Why do you go to Church?" Now you would think a bible believing person would be able to answer that question easily however I challenge you to try it? Upon more times of reviewing this question for now what has been around 3 days or so. I have realized why this question is so difficult to answer. First is challenges the Sunday ritual of our Faith. Or does it? First why do I go to church? If the Church is me? We are the Church. THose who a does it? Those who are called by God (Saints = set apart). Scriptures such as do not forsake the gathering of the saints. or Iron Sharpens Iron. Or they gathered daily, worshiping praying and breaking bread with eath other in the temple courts and gathered even more frequently as the day approached also could be used. But are they not others words. Are not the action that man do also driven by other things as well. After thinking about this I realized that one does not have one given reason why they do anything. Much less attend a church. Or for the sake of not wanting to sound religious. Gathered at a place in which to Worship Our Lord. I will say I attend church for one main reason. I love to worship the Lord and learn more about him daily. So on Sunday I actually set that time aside just to do that. However Monday through Sat I also attend church as well. It is the testifying, witnessing and walking in the Light that God has given me. Shy a few days here and there from the hunanity that I am.

Serving the Lord
I do enjoy to serve the lord. I do however say that with a reserved thought in the back of my head. ANy and all the time. No ..Truly sometimes serving the lord can be gruling and testing. It is not always a joy in and of itself. However the Lord has a way of enabling you to do the difficult and many times come through with a lesson that is learnt. I hope you understand that there are most definatly pratical reasons why we go to Chruch. If we give a spritual reason for those who do not know Christ will they understand or will they listen..will they attend.



Why does someone attend a basketball game. Go to a soccer game to go see their kids play soccer. Go to the local club every certian day. A bar or certain gathering place every night or specific night. I have observed 3 reasons. Obligation and Expectation.

If you love your child you go and watch him play. You want to be involved in his or her life.
If you have friends and want to keep them you will occasionally or ritually pick a certain day to gather or meet with them. If you do not however love your child (which is possible today) you would attend out of obligation or exspection and in the same case as with a friend at an event weekly, biweekly or monthy yearly so fort.

However many people believe that the church has become to same type of gathering. Sadly many people do exhibit and believe this. However as in a child. If you claim to love God would you not want to be involved in his life. His plan and his purpose for your life? God and the Bible are not always easy to understand when you try and meet with him just in your home. This is why the Bible says Iron sharpens Iron. If I never attending an event with friends, went to a baseball game with my child and only heard of them in short burst of coversation would I know my child. If I never gathered at all with my child would I even have a relationship with them other than the functional realtionship of being his or her parent. Or the functional relationship of being so and so's friend.

The problem comes with the misunderstanding of the defintion of friend, parent and of what a true friend is. What defines unconditional love and what defines a church. The problem is people treat church as a functional occasion or ritual to pay the man for a ticket into heaven. Eternity Insurance. However what church is or the defined reason for Church is to be built up, grown if you will, taught, instructed and planted firmly into the life of Spirit of God so that one might both walk with understanding so that other might see the light through them an be saved. This is why Bible + nothing Bible - Nothing is essential to a strong church and strong body.

I do believe that the BODY of christ as interpreted in the NIV is exactly that. A body. The only place to feed the body would be through worship and through exalting that which created you. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Son of God. If you do not feed the Body that you today live in what will happen? If I refuse to eat I will die. If I refuse to drink I will wither away slowly. I will dehidrate. First with Dehidration comes weakness, The mouth becomes dry, Vision is lost, Your body begins to cramp up and eventually if you do not take care of the issue your body will begin to reject food and water all together and you will die.

Use that the illustration for Gathering of the Saints (church) one must drink. As humans we do not all drink and those of us who daily live in the spirit need to come to gather so that those that do not can learn and we can learn from them. God does not teach us and bare fruit in us so that we may eat of it of ourselves. I challenge you this. I you love God. Then go to where he has asked you. Worship him as you have been created for. Love him as he has asked so that you might learn to Love others.

Is Church the Answer?
No...A Relationship to Christ is. However how can one have a relationship with A Christ if one does not visit him in his dwelling place as he has asked?I rememeber attending a Logic class in my days of college. The instructor was dicussing the validity of a true existing God. His claim was that God did not exist becasue if he did he could touch see and know him. I very puzzled realized that for logician that he was the answer was very illogical. I asked him if he knew who Calvin Clower was? He said to me "NO" and stumbled in his voice "Who...what do you mean?" I replied "Calvin CLower..don't you know him." He replied "I do not understand and do not know where you are are going with this?..." I seeing the opportunity of using Logic to deconstruct his argument. Said "Calvin Clower lives in my neighborhood he is a living human being" I said like Jesus you have never visited Calvin so you do not know him. However I assure you if you come to my neighborhood you will understand that he does exist. However you have not so to you he does not exist." I assure you with confidence that I know, talk and visit him he does. However until you come to my neighborhood I could not prove to you otherwise. I could show you his Driver license or Birth Certificate. A Historcical Document. However since you say the Bible is not a Histrical document even though it has never in over the 1000 years of its first authgraph has never been disproven. Your desire not to look at this document as being valid as led you only to believe he does not exisit."

The Church. The Body of Christ is the Lord's dwelling place. I will assure you so is my bedroom. My car and sometimes pratically anywhere else. However only through me and my father in heavens connection that I learn to improve and refine through attending with saints at a place of worship is that all possible. So I say Church is the source of the things of God. Much like why I am the Church. However once my ideals become skewed because I no longer attend. Have not sharpened my sword. THe Lord I serve no longer becomes the true Lord but a made up idol of a God that I thought was but never was. Something of my own imgination not biblical because as a human being that I am. I become rusty.

Picture one LARGE Pool and smaller Pools of Water. The Large Pool is the Church (Gathering Place of the Saints) the smaller pools are the people of God. If the Ground dries up or if the Large Pool is what feeds the smaller Pool what occurs if the
Larger Pool dries up. The Church is like a Directory List at a Mall. We all have issues. Marriage, Love, Sex, Morality issues, Leadership, Parenting. Well the Church is like that Mall Directory List sending you to the right places so you don't wander or grow tired. It is not place with the answers but a place in which you can learn the locations of answers so that you are not going by man made rules that change twart and twist but God set values that never change. This enables you to live a life that is for The God you serve and worship thereby making your life fruitful in him.

1 comment:

  1. WOW... that was a really long post, and a powerfull one at that! Today I received a email about your comment in my blog which has seemed to go down hill over the last few months. I was quite surprised and excited that someone from the NCMI had actually read it! so I have no just read your most recent blog and must say that you are truelly on fire for Christ and have Him close at heart. You must have a wonderfull family! I must try put more effort in to writing some blogs, since I used to really enjoy it... but there is something strange about human beings, like it says in Romans somewhere, what I should do I do not do, for the spirit knows what will truelly make us joyfull, but the flesh seems to be the louder voice. - I'm sorry but I have to rush off now, but I just had to let you know that I got your comment, and will read your blog from time to time. Keep well, and never stop giving thanks to God for the small little things in life... your friend in Christ Charlie (digitaltinder.com/charlie)

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