Informal Gatherings Are Such a Relief

Did you grow up getting dressed up for church in your Sunday best?

I did.

I also did most of the other stuff that goes along with institutional Christianity. The normal Sunday included getting dressed up in uncomfortable clothes, attending a Sunday School class, attending a worship service (ceremony), going home for a few hours to hurry up and relax, then returning to the church building to do much of the same all over again.

I do not fault my parents in this; it's just the tradition that had been handed down to them. Even after I became an adult I kept doing this same stuff for many years. I even went to seminary, and then became an institutional church pastor for a few years. I was at the core of institutional church activities.

What a relief simple gatherings are! Sundays are now something I genuinely look forward to. On most Sundays we get together informally with some friends. Sometimes it's at our house, sometimes not. I can wear shorts and a T-shirt if I want to. We almost always study the bible and pray. We also do a lot of hanging out and eating. Sometimes we even watch some football. It is so relaxing. What a relief from institutional trappings!

When you meet with other believers, is it a relief? Is it a Christ-centered get together? Are you relaxed? Do you look forward to it? I hope so.

Why The South Is The Most Dangerous Place To Live On Earth

The final vestiges of Christendom reside here. That's why they call it "The Bible Belt."

At a physical level, the most dangerous places to live are probably Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, North Korea, or any inner city of the United States. However, if we're talking about spiritual danger, then the southern U.S.A. has got to be the most dangerous. That's because it's one of the few locations on earth where it's still more socially advantageous to be a Christian than not be.

Persecution, while unpleasant to say the least, has a way of purifying the church. It separates the wheat from the chaff. When trial comes, those who aren't truly in Christ bail out quickly. This type of thing is happening increasingly across the United States (albeit to much smaller degree than the persecutions many of our brothers and sisters in Christ face overseas). The South remains different, at least for now. Many folks continue to have some sort of vague connection to both the term "Christian" and an institutional church of some type. They may even be a "local church member."

As most of you know, I call Savannah, Georgia my home. I was raised in Western New York State, so I know what life is like outside of the Bible Belt. When I was about twenty-five, Alice and I moved south. I soon realized that almost everybody called somewhere church. The odd folks were the ones with no church home. This despite the fact that many only "went to church" on Easter and Christmas.

Things are changing. As our culture in general becomes increasingly secular, the South does as well. It's just that the South is, in my opinion, two to three generations behind the rest of the country in its movement away from Christendom. Because of this, many Southerners continue to believe they are fine spiritually despite the lack of fruit (evidence) in their lives.

And that's what makes the South so incredibly dangerous. A person who thinks he is in Christ but who is not is in a more dangerous place than a person who knows he is not in Christ. A false sense of salvation is a terrible place to be. This type of person sees no reason to repent and believe because he thinks he's already fine. However, Jesus made it clear that His followers will bear fruit. No fruit = no salvation.

I love living in the South. However, it is an odd place. I'd bet that no other spot on earth has such a high percentage of cultural Christians. This is a tragedy because they think they are fine but are in fact doomed. Some persecution might do them some good. Persecution is coming; however, since it's still a few years away it might be too late for them.

The South is indeed a dangerous place.

A Bad Reason for Returning to the Institution: You've Been Told You Are Being Disobedient

How many times have you had Hebrews 10:24-25 used against you?

For review, these two verses say, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

When you leave institutional Christianity behind for greener pastures it can at times be very difficult to find like-minded others. Frankly, sometimes it takes a lonnnnnnnnnng time to meet up with believers who have the same convictions you do. Because of this, many of us have faced extended periods of wandering in the church wilderness. You may be there right now.

If you are there, please know that you are not being disobedient. Simply because you are not part of a local church or not going to weekly "worship services," this does not mean that you are somehow sinning. Please rid that thought from your mind.

The author of Hebrews (whoever he was) wrote his letter to a largely Jewish, Christian audience. His purpose was to encourage them in the midst of persecution. In particular, he warned them repeatedly about turning away from the faith back to Judaism. It is within that context that Hebrews 10:24-25 comes along. Some had fallen into the bad habit of not meeting with other believers at all; they had the opportunity, but they simply weren't doing it. This passage has absolutely nothing to do with Christians who want to gather simply with others but cannot locate them.

The last thing you want to do is return to institutional trappings because you've been told you are being disobedient. First, you would be miserable. And second, you are in no manner disobeying our Lord. In fact, I would argue that you are being extremely obedient by venturing away from the comfy, easy institution into the unknown. If you are pursuing the church as modeled for us in the New Testament, then God will be pleased. If you are done with going through the motions and are seeking to live out a vibrant, active church life, then I commend you. Keep it up.

A Bad Reason for Returning to the Institution: It's Easy

This is part five of the blog series entitled Ten Bad Reasons for Returning to the Institution.

This particular post is short and simple. Quite frankly, it's easy to go back to an institutional church. It is especially easy if it is a place you feel comfortable and have friends. The easiness comes from being able to arrive at the building, sit in a Sunday School seat, sit in a pew, and then go home for lunch. Since the pastors do almost everything, you can just sit and relax. After a long week of work and (some) play, you simply want to sit still. The institution happily lets you.

Simple church life, while more rewarding, is also more difficult. It requires activity. It requires investment. It requires action.

Please, I exhort you not to allow the lure of easiness draw you back to institutional Christianity. I guarantee that you will despise it after a few weeks. Put forth the effort to be the church we read about in the New Testament (well, the good aspects). An active body is a vibrant one.

It's worth the hard work.

A Bad Reason for Returning to the Institution: Kids

Institutional churches tend to offer lots of activities for kids. These are generally heavy on entertainment and light on theology. The fun keeps the children happy, which in turn keeps mom and dad happy.

When Christians depart the institution they leave the fun and games behind. In simple church life the kids tend to be right there with mom and dad regardless of what is happening. This can be during bible study, eating, or whatever else. If the kids are used to church being full of fun and games, they might long for a return to institutionalization. Likewise, if mom and dad desire more peace and quiet, they too might want to go back.

The reality is that simple church life can be messy. Kids are messy. They are active and they are loud. They are also awesome to have around because of their energy and vibrancy. If a small group embraces children as a real part of the group then wonderful things can happen. The kids benefit from being part of everything that is happening. The older folks benefit from the kids' enthusiasm. As the apostle Paul tells us that the entire church is a body; the kids are part of that body. The church needs them.

Parents, I strongly encourage you to resist the temptation to go back to Rome for the sake of the kids. They don't need any more church entertainment. It's your responsibility, with the assistance of the church family, to raise your kids in the knowledge of the Lord. There's no better place to do this than in the small group setting. Children gain immeasurably from watching and listening to their parents as part of the group.

Even if your small group has no other children, your kids will be fine. They will learn better how to be around adults. They will not suffer from not being with other kids when the church gathers. They don't need to make more crafts, play more silly games, or watch another lame video. What they need is to be with mom and dad as the body gathers. Keep them with you and resist the pull of the institution.

A Bad Reason for Returning to the Institution: Failure to Find a Small Group

The feeling of leaving the church institution behind is an exhilarating one. The shackles are off and it's time to be the church God wants us to be! Woo-hoo!

This wonderful feeling is often accompanied by an expectation that it will be relatively simple to find like-minded believers. Not so fast. Sometimes it's very difficult to come in contact with Christians who hold to a simple view of the body of Christ. After leaving the institution, believers frequently wander in the wilderness attempting to locate a small group with which to meet. After a while some of these believers even return to the institution due to the lack of fellowship.

The struggle is real.

(This is part three of my ten part series entitled Ten Bad Reasons for Returning to the Institution.)

One of the primary reasons Christians leave institutional trappings behind is that they desire true fellowship and community. Worship services, Sunday School, potluck dinners, etc. fail to provide people with the opportunity to truly get to know one another. Because of this, they depart. Departure does not, however, necessarily lead to a quick finding of community. For many the search takes quite some time.

One reason for this is that simple church does not advertise itself. People who gather simply generally do so without much fanfare. These groups can be very difficult to locate. Therefore, when other Christians say good-bye to the institution, they sometimes cannot find anybody to meet with (even if they happen to live right down the street).

Failure to find a small group can be frustrating and depressing. After a while, some Christians even drag themselves back to the institution (often very unhappily). Let me be clear: this is not a good idea. It will only lead to misery.

But what if you leave and cannot find anybody to meet with? My suggestion is to continue to pray about it and continue to look. Also, pray that God would give you opportunity to share your faith. New believers are often extremely open to meeting simply; they do not have tradition-based hangups. Invite new believers over to your home. It's amazing what can happen when Christians eat together. Food and fellowship truly do go together.

Fact: it is not fun at all when you cannot locate other believers to gather with. It can be a very dark time. This does not mean, however, that you were incorrect to leave the institution. Rather, it may simply be a time that God uses to test your faith. Rely on the Lord and keep looking. Use your own home as a place to gather. Invite new believers. Meet days other than Sundays.

Don't go back to the institution. That decision will only lead to regret, pain, and sorrow. Rather, keep looking for others. And then look some more.

A Bad Reason for Returning to the Institution: Family-Induced Guilt

When you depart institutional Christianity many within your biological family will not understand. Those who are not Christians will not care, but those who are followers of Christ will not be able to comprehend the significant step you have taken.

Since you are reading this blog, my guess is that you are either outside the institutional bubble or are considering it. You may know from experience what I’m talking about when I use the term “family-induced guilt.” This particular form of guilt comes not from within self, but rather from those closest to us. It stems from family telling you that you are wrong for “not being in church.”

I’ve talked to many Christians over the past several years who have moved into some form of simple church life. This is a monumental step for most people in part because they are bucking/rejecting many of the traditions that their families hold dear. While they still agree with their families on the Gospel, they now have vastly different views on what the church is and how it ought to function.

One massive problem is that lots of Christians think that “to be a good Christian you have to go to church.” This specifically means that in order to show you are a believer you must regularly attend worship services. When simple church folks stop doing this their families begin to fret about their spiritual conditions. Some even think salvation is at stake.

With good intentions (but with a faulty view of ecclesiology), the family begins to confront those who departed about said departure. What this amounts to is a guilt trip for not being in church and Sunday School. The family just cannot see its own equating of salvation with its own very narrow view of church.

Please let me encourage you in three things. First, just because your extended family doesn’t understand what you have done, this doesn’t mean you are wrong. If you’ve taken the step to leave the institution, chances are that you have studied the church far more than your family has. I guarantee that you’ve looked for descriptions of the body of Christ in scripture more than they have.

Second, the problem actually lies with your family, not with you. Without knowing it, they have adopted a model of church life that is based more in Roman Catholic traditions than in scripture. You’ve taken a step toward what God desires for his church.

Third, know that many others are going through the same thing you are. I hope you find some of these folks near you. Family-induced guilt is something we all face. I encourage you to love on your family, pray for them, and talk with them if they will listen, but reject the guilt they are trying to foist upon you. In the end the best thing to do is to live and let live.

As it pertains to this particular blog series, family-induced guilt is a horrible reason for returning to institutional Christianity. If you follow that dark path you will be miserable. It’s far better to remain on the outside whether or not your family understands.

A Bad Reason for Returning to the Institution: Personal Guilt

Quite a few Christians have departed from the church institution only to return again. Their reasons for doing so vary widely; some are much more valid than others. My purpose in this blog series is to point out some of the most common invalid reasons for returning to Rome.

The first reason I’m tackling is also one of the most common: personal guilt. By “personal guilt” I’m referring to feelings of guilt that a Christian brings upon himself or herself. These particular negative feelings are directly related to the perception of having done something wrong. The wrong thing in this case is “not going to church.”

It is an odd thing that so many Christians act as if God takes worship service attendance. The Gospel is not works-based after all. We don’t merit our way into heaven by being in church whenever the doors are open. Despite this, some who have departed institutional Christianity feel guilty for not doing the Sunday School and worship service thing. Where does this idea come from?

My guess is that this personally induced guilt flows directly from years of routine. Said routine is simply that you get up on Sundays and head to the building. This can be a difficult pattern to overcome. After leaving, Christians know that many other believers are still sitting in the pews.

Please let me be clear: God is not taking attendance. You do not need to go to a worship service to make our Lord happy. In fact, you don’t even have to gather with a small group of any sort each week. Salvation is the finished work of Christ. Our duty now is to simply enjoy knowing Him. No guilt needed.

It is, of course, beneficial to gather with other believers. When and where you get together is a matter of freedom. Do so when you want to. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Be creative to keep it from getting stale. And by all means eat together.

Please, I exhort you to rid yourselves of any feelings of guilt you have related to attending weekly worship services. God doesn’t care and neither should you.

Ten Bad Reasons for Returning to the Institution

"Return to the church institution? That sounds horrible!"

It may indeed sound horrible to you, but it is a reality that many believers face. Some folks who have departed for simple church life have also made the difficult decision to go back to Rome. Although it makes them feel sick to their stomachs, they return nonetheless. I suppose some valid reasons may exist for going back (I can't think of any right now), but many bad reasons are also in play. In fact, I'd say that the vast majority of the motivations for why Christians return to the worship service/salaried pastor/expensive building thing are poor.

Tomorrow I'll be starting a brief blog series entitled Ten Bad Reasons for Returning to the Institution. My purpose is twofold. First, I want to point out lame reasoning. Second, I hope to encourage followers of Christ to stick it out on the outside. It is not an easy path. It's simpler to just go back to institutionalization. Let's not give in to that pull. Rather, let's stick to the course of trying to be the church God wants us to be.

In tomorrow's post I'll tackle a big motivator to go back: personal guilt.

Dear Institutional Christianity, I Beg You To Stop Crediting Your Foolish Activities to the Holy Spirit

Institutional Christianity is an odd mix of things based in scripture and things based in man's ideas. For the most part, the aspects of the church institution that are founded in the bible are solid (this of course depends on whether or not they are New Covenant-based ideas, but that's for another post).

The massive problem embedded within institutional Christianity is all of the practices that cannot be supported by scripture. The three-headed monster of the church institution have been, are, and will continue to be worship services/religious ceremonies, salaried pastors, and massive buildings. These three prongs do not invite questioning or challenging by anyone or anything. Trust me, I've tried. It usually doesn't go over very well.

How, then, do those within the institution, especially the leadership, justify their man-made practices? Some make the sad and pathetic attempt to go back to the Old Covenant to support the things they do. This is absurd in light of the fact that Jesus came to usher in the New Covenant, and we can/should all be greatly thankful for that. To point to the Old Covenant as the "way to do church" is mind-bogglingly backward.

Another tactic used by institutionalists is to say that the Holy Spirit led them to do what they've done. I write this post today as a call for this to stop and desist immediately. Please institutional Christianity, stop crediting your foolish, unbiblical activities and practices to the Holy Spirit. You have absolutely no biblical reason for doing so. To do so is to rely on your own imaginations, desires, hopes, and dreams.

It's clear from the outside looking in that some institutionalists see crediting the Holy Spirit as a sort of trump card to silence all debate. After all, who can argue with what the Holy Spirit has led? I'll happily argue, not with the Holy Spirit, but with those who blame the Holy Spirit for their sound and light shows, their puppet ministries, their capital campaigns, their youth groups, their children's church, their massive building debt, their women pastors, their choreographed meetings, their nurseries, their altar calls, their ordinations, their seminaries, their budgets, their fund raisers, etc., etc., etc.

I realize and readily admit that many with the church institution are my brothers and sisters in Christ (however, many pew sitters have no knowledge of God). It is to my brothers and sisters that I send this call: please stop giving credit to the Holy Spirit for the things you do that have no biblical basis. Instead, simply have the chutzpah to say, "We do these things because we like them. That's our basis, that is all, and we're sticking to it."

Thanks.

Meme Sunday

Meme Sunday

Avoid the Tempting Root of Bitterness

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled (Hebrews 12:14-15).

As we enter this new calendar year, I'd like to challenge both myself and my blog readers to fight against bitterness. In particular, let's actively battle against the tempting tendency to be bitter about the state of the church in the West.

Due to its institutional shackles, the church in both the United States and Europe is largely stagnant and ineffective. We know what the problems are. As followers of Christ, we desire to see a vibrant, active, joyful, growing, serving church. Because most of us do not see this (at least for the most part), it is extremely easy to become bitter about the whole situation. I'm guilty of this.

The author of the book of Hebrews warns believers about allowing a root of bitterness to spring up and cause trouble. We must pay attention to this exhortation. We Christians have the responsibility to guard the church against the danger of bitterness. We need to start with ourselves before looking at others.

In Hebrews 12:15 we see the phrase "root of bitterness" in quotes. This is because the author is pointing back to Deuteronomy chapter 29:

Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, 19 one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven. 21 And the Lord will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law. (Deut. 29:18-21, emphasis mine)

Clearly, God takes bitterness seriously. Not only does it damage the bitter person, but also those around him. The Deuteronomy passage even suggests a relationship between bitterness and turning to other gods. This is no insignificant matter.

I don't generally care for New Year's resolutions. They make people feel good about themselves, but are largely forgotten by the end of January. In this post I'm not offering or hinting at some sort of New Year's resolution. Rather, I'm pointing to something significant that we must war against: the root of bitterness.

Especially for those of us who want and hope to see something drastic change within the body of Christ, we must not fall prey to anger, resentment, and bitterness. We can and should point out problems within the church; a problem cannot be solved without first having a correct diagnosis. It is how we do this that is key. Let's point to a better way for the church, offering both suggestions and solutions.

The root of bitterness will only destroy us. We must avoid it at all costs.

I'll conclude with an appropriate quote from puritan John Owen, "Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you."

Meme Sunday

Absolute Nonsense

Click here to read some absolute, undiluted, 100% nonsense. The inanity is stunning.

#MildlyOffensive

Meme Sunday

Meme Sunday

Papal Ponderings

Pope Francis has come and gone. The church in the USA remains the same. After all the pomp and circumstance we are left with the vast variety of problems that we had prior to his visit.

I'm not surprised that many American Roman Catholics were thrilled to have Jorge Bergoglio (his real name) on U.S. soil. He has been lauded by many as a Pope who is willing to change things for the better. In some situations this is, in fact, true. For example, this particular pontiff shuns some of the ceremonial nonsense that normally goes along with his position.

In addition, Jorge truly does appear to care for the poor and downtrodden in society at large. Furthermore, he speaks out in favor of peace, for which I am grateful. Finally, the Pope not only accepts but also recognizes at least some of the Roman Catholic abuses of the past; he recently apologized for Rome's vicious persecution of the Waldensians in the years leading up to and during the Protestant Reformation.

In light of all this, should we be thrilled? Should we even consider, as many evangelicals now do, this Pope to be our brother in Christ?

Despite some of his outward uniqueness, Pope Francis has not been willing to change one thing about Roman Catholicism that never changes: Roman dogma. The Council of Trent showed us this hundreds of years ago. As a reaction to the Reformation, the Catholics gathered on and off over the course of eighteen years to basically say, "We still believe what we've always believed." Rome does not compromise or change any of its theological positions. It still has seven sacraments. It still celebrates the Mass. Most troubling, it continues to reject salvation by grace alone through faith alone.

Put simply, this Pope continues to believe the Roman gospel, which is a different gospel from the one clearly taught in the Bible. Therefore, this Pope cannot be a true follower of Christ despite his outward actions.

On a related note, Pope Francis is not a big fan of definitions. This leaves things messy. While he speaks much about the social side of life, his statements on theological matters are unclear at best. We are left to assume that he believes what Rome always has.

Finally, Jorge remains at the epicenter of THE largest church institution on the planet. If there is one position on earth that exemplifies all that is wrong with the leadership, authority, and power that has warped the church into an institutional framework, it is the papacy. The Pope is the hub.

In the end, little has changed. Although this new Pope does some things differently, he still rejects the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the key issue.

To learn more of the excesses of the Pope and the Vatican, watch the two videos below:

Now This Would Be Refreshing to See...