08.01.06
“A CHURCH FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE ………………..CHURCH”????????
What’s up with that? Perhaps you’ve seen those billboards advertising a new ‘breed’ of church and Christianity. Often times they use slogans like ‘Blue jeans, coffee and guitars’ as a hook to bring the people in. Their not so subtle point is that they are rejecting anything that smacks of ‘religion’, and want people to come into their church who ‘don’t like the way church has been done lately’.
I’m sure their intentions are good, but they seem to be missing the point. I believe that they are correct in seeking to worship God without all the religious trappings or ceremonies or standards that are man-made. There has been way too much of that in almost every denomination. Often, ‘religion’ can get in the way of finding Christ and entering into a true relationship with God.
But there is also something seriously wrong with believers who don’t LOVE church, and an equally serious flaw in expecting ‘unsaved’ people to ‘enjoy’ church… …because if a church (a local assembly of followers of Christ) structures their worship around the likes and dislikes of people who do not know God, do not love God, and are actively rebelling against God (whether they know it or not) then that church will not be functioning like a true church. Would a Jewish synagogue accomodate MY requests for them to change their worship on account of my non-jewish desires? NOT! One of the main reasons that our churches in America are failing to make a positive impact on our culture is because so many churches are imitating the culture!
My last thought on this subject is how miserable it must be to be a ‘Christian’ who doesn’t like church. Really, it is sad to think of people who claim to be born again, redeemed from sin, given eternal life, cleansed from guilt and depravity…yet who don’t love their Savior, and aren’t grateful enough to God to spend a little time with fellow believers praising and worshiping the God who redeemed them with the blood of His own Son. I’m thankful that we have been blessed here at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a great family of believers who LOVE church! We LOVE to sing praises from grateful hearts! We LOVE to share with our fellow believers! We LOVE to hear from our God and Savior through the reading and preaching of His priceless word! We even LOVE the people who worship with us,visitors, friends or family!
If you ever get the chance to visit Cincinnati Ohio, please take the opportunity to come to a Church family that LOVES church, because we love the Savior who founded the church, and gave His life for her. By the way, it’s HIS church, and He will be checking up on us to see how faithful we are in following His instructions. JESUS LOVES THE CHURCH!
