What if?

Recently a family member whom I respect and love deeply approached me with a barrage of questions as to why I believed a certain way.  They were informed I was way off the tracks by someone else. 

I can usually handle myself in situations like that but these were delicate matters, family was involved and I didn’t have all the answers.  I also didn’t want to have the appearance as someone who could thrash them with scriptures.  They just seemed so shocked and genuinely hurt with my change of core beliefs.  They even asked about my finances in regards to my giving during this discussion.

I pretty much summed it up by saying to him that after examining things for many years, I just can’t blindly give to men I don’t know, respect, align with or understand. I can’t just go, “Well, God just told me to give to the work so here you go”.  I’m against that mindset. It’s foolishness to me.  It lines up more with the OT philosophies of physical blessings because of offerings. We don’t give to receive any blessings! We give today selflessly, to recieve nothing in return. 

Now, months later, in retrospect, I guess I would say to them, “I just view the church drastically different than you.  I don’t buy in to the nonsense in it.” It's formulas and modern day programs, gimmicks and contemporary styles. It’s not about being disillusioned either!  It’s about waking up to the blatant reproaches! Many fail to acknowledge or examine the symptoms of these reproaches because of the work of the ministry. 

It is so much more than the giving principles and following commissions! How long can we listen to pragmatic teachings and traditions over and over and over? I see so much of “the machine” in our doings, in all of it now that I fear that the best of the independent local churches are now average traditionalist churches, whether they realize it or not!  Just an observation.  Just an onlooker.

My church that I frequent, it is a great little hub for believers in this area.  It has genuine sinners in it that are trying to live for God.  It has a pastor that sees certain dangers with traditions but has to teach the people slowly because of that snare of traditions and our mindsets with them.

I am with these folks because I believe them.  I believe their professions.  I know the pastor and he has no life of luxury and is a very giving man himself.  I know the staff and they are just normal believable people with no pretense. Their pastor is open to God moving, no matter the cost, no matter the changes that may be made to a traditionalistic portion of the church. God will bless a people with a man like that regardless of the outcome of dissension. But ultimately I must think; how far is he willing to go.

The fact remains evident still, thousands of Christians are frustrated with traditions. I am one of them!  It is truly a catch 22 when it comes to finding a church to have fellowship with Christians now.  They are programmed to be among a congregation and often act like a dumb sheep as they follow their leaders into a ditch. 

Because of the above, thousands have left their churches now and are kind of the unspoken renegades and outsiders.  Thousands never accepted institutionalized religion. Thousands haven’t “joined the church” yet but they are still among believers!  Many were run out of churches by wolves or left voluntarily because of gross misconduct.  We are living in a day where it truly is becoming rare to find real unity.

These same Christians that have fled the churches actually do hunger for unity and real, true fellowship that is unfettered by traditions and assumptions of the church ideologies.  People crave it and can’t find it in our local churches going through the motions.  

People long for something unhindered from divisions and preeminence.  They are out there. Scattered. Starving.  Hoping to find things the NT speaks of among men today. Even if it’s a small group, it’s a union of common fellowship. This is what GOD wants! 

Not the attendances, programs, the themes, the seminars, the offerings, the buildings, the special funds, the projects the plans.  Thats all us.  That is the work of our hands.  That is us, mucking it all up. Mankind, adding our own twist on things.  

Seriously people?  Do we do it like we see in the Book? Do we? Nope.  And you know I’m right. You pastors, you know there are certain principles in Paul's epistles you avoid for the more convenient things in the Gospels.  

So what if?  What if people just began doing it differently.  Not by way of revolution but by way of simply returning to principles that have always been present.  Imagine if every Christian in a local church just starting doing things drastically different on a Sunday morning.  Stopped going to church, started opening their garage doors, or sitting in their front yard, setting up 15 or 20 chairs in a circle, and sitting down with a Bible, visibly in their own neighborhoods, among those they live around most in their lives, yet rarely touch, ready to answer, ready to testify to their neighbors and whoever else. Bizarre right?

What if people no longer were going to a church building, stopped inviting folks to the church and special services, stopped giving tithes and offerings and faith promise, but just being a visible assembly where one lives on Sunday mornings. 

Or how bout this? What if a few Christian men, just got 20 chairs together, went to a public park, set up, and just sat down. Same concept as in a garage or front yard. Would you believe if I told you this is more in line with the NT idea of what “church” is. Probably not...

Who says anything has to be done any certain way? Well, they have, the Fundamentalism, the denominationalist, yes Baptist included, have been saying it for years!  Men have been saying things for years that lead us to the assumptions we have of church and the ministry.  

That is the half the problem.  Truth is, men in Acts, who spoke to the people did it with no precursors.  No prayer, no singing.  So don’t be afraid to be different. I’m not saying do likewise, just proving a point.  We all say we do it like the book, but we have kinda added our flair and spin on things haven't we?

I realize these questions are difficult.  I realize I like to go places pastors hate.  I think most men I have sat under look at me as a nuisance not a needy sheep.  I understand I question everything their school taught them and their spiritual forefathers in essence have guided them. I understand their apprehension.  

What if there would be no never ending announcements to endure, to celebrate every little mediocrity of everyones life? No pointless/rushed hand shaking and people greeting just to be formal and polite but actually interacting with your public instead of entertaining them. Oh what a thought, the horror of it all.  

What if I man decided to stop playing church and be the church? No creeds, committees, no salient verses or murky passages, no numbers games, head counting, sheep herding, just sound doctrine, exhorting teaching and preaching, edifying believers who assemble, teaching and preaching God’s words. 

Heres a thought, how about just preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Just scripture proclaimed. Plainly quoted. You sons of thunder out there would find it hard to just stick to scripture. 

No screaming, just preaching to your neighbors. I wonder where all you “Preach it from the housetops and highway” guys would be then?  You have to leave off your “repent of everything” points. Again, I am not necessarily saying do these things but proving some points here.  Can we put aside our preaching and our desire for it to have open dialouge?

This is not street preaching! This is not Sunday rant hour. This is not “I am here to help you time”. This is not “I am upset with the world so I’m going to get it off my chest time.’ This is not “You have been led here to recieve a blessing…” Blah, blah, blah.  This is not some scripted, pre-planned loosely prepped sermon. 

The conversations and dialogue could dictate the instruction.  Do we trust the holy Spirit that much?  There were many passages in Acts that we make churchy that were nothing more then men debating in public.  It's just the truth.

They held counsels in Acts to establish doctrine. Today, it is every wind of doctrine and then some.  We are lost in doctrines and ideologies now. We really have in some cases been brainwashed.  We need to be re-established with the Lord, reacquaint ourselves with the order of the Book, read through the NT again, coming out of Fundamentalism and Denominationalism.  Some men are just afraid of that change, losing their control. But think of what you may gain.

Simply exploring the abundant life through the teachings of the New Testament, focusing on the Biblical instructions of “rightly dividing” and “searching the scriptures”.  Reasoning among ourselves, finding sound doctrine together, growing into the unified body that we see Paul’s epistles speak of, this is how we are unified in growth. 

It is normal, and human of us to discuss and reason.  God gave us minds and brains that do incredible things, only by maximizing 15% of it. How many capable men with incredible gifts for the body of Christ are not allowed any exercise because of the current traditional seat belts in place.  Do you not ever think about that stuff.  Thousands of gifts squashed just for the status quo!

I realize I some radical ideas when it comes to stuff, but I think John the Baptist was a radical, Paul, Stephen, our Lord, etc.  I’m not saying we should close the doors to all the churches, but we have to observe our ways through the mirror of God’s word.  How do we really mirror a NT church?