2 Corinthians 5: 16 - 19 NKJV
Despite what the title proclaims, this is by NO means some hippie earth loving naration on how to grow vegtables. However, it may just be a example of how to grow a church. For just as fruits and vegtables are grown organiclly, so it is with our congregations. But what is organic christianity? This was a term thrown about by Dennis from time to time as he described this new era of believers. A new era of believers who had become disallusioned with the traditional trappings of the institutional church and are looking for something new in their faith. I am one of this new age of christians. Some time ago I had grown weary of the sermons, the rock music and the compulsive tithing of my local church and ended up leaving in search for something else to fill that void. The problem was, as I hopped from one congregation to another in the vain hope of finding one without the trappings of tradition, the more congregations I found which resembled the one I had just left. Was this all that there was out there? Was I wrong for leaving the church I had attended for so long? Was the problem not with the church but with myself? Well, the answer to all of these questions I had was...no. For the issues I encountered with the church had nothing to do with myself and everything to do with how I felt things should be. I felt that there had to be more to church than a weekly dog and pony show and performance based christianity. We've all been there, sitting in the pew on sunday morning listening to some Pharisee school educated pulpit pounder telling us that we could have peace and happiness in Christ...if we would only do this or give that much. Is this what God intended for His children? Were all of these man made traditions and drumbeat worship music my only connection to Him? I wanted more.
44Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2: 44 - 47 NKJV
I was not surprised when I read a recent survey which said that one in five christians were tired of organized religion. This was me, and I wasn't alone! Far from being on the fringe of a radical belief, I soon realized that others like me were also looking for more out of their local church...and not finding it. However, I soon realized that what I was looking for I would never find in any church I visited. See, most churches have long standing traditions which have been around for tousands of years. Along with these traditions more often than not comes organization and hierarchy. Somehow, the church seems more like a business than a house of worship. One in five christians seem to agree. We're looking for something more than a sound bite sermon or another christian fad. We want Jesus! Well, the good thing is that we already have Jesus. See, it is Christ Himself who lives through us today {Galations 2:20}. We need not suffer through the trappings of tradition in the local church hierarchy in order to get closer to Jesus. The church is by no means the gateway to Christ. He is alive and well in all believers. We will never need to pray more, tithe more or serve more often just in order to be in good standing with Christ Jesus. Performance based christianity is as man made as any church tradition I've ever seen.
I've told a few times before of a gathering which Dennis and I attended recently at the home of a friend. This gathering was unusual in that we were gathered with others who were searching for more than the church offered. We were tired of the traditions, organizations and rock music. All we wanted was to come closer to Jesus. It would seem that one in five christians agree with us.
~Scott~
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