Not Giving Up Meeting Together

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Making our way through 16 Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith, this Sunday at The River, we'll talk about number 11, "The Church". Here's what the actual Nazarene Article of Faith says:

We believe in the Church, the community that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, the covenant people of God made new in Christ, the Body of Christ called together by the Holy Spirit through the Word.

God calls the Church to express its life in the unity and fellowship of the Spirit; in worship through the preaching of the Word, observance of the sacraments, and ministry in His name; by obedience to Christ, holy living, and mutual accountability.

The mission of the Church in the world is to share in the redemptive of Christ in the power of the Spirit. The Church fulfills its mission by making disciples through evangelism, education, showing compassion, working for justice, and bearing witness to the kingdom of God. 
 
The Church is a historical reality, which organizes itself in culturally conditioned forms; exists both as local congregations and as a universal body; sets apart persons called of God for specific ministries. God calls the Church to live under His rule in anticipation of the consummation at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 So here's my question: Do you buy all that? Really?


In years past, Christians went to church... all the time. That's just what God's people did on Sundays, right? But today, it's not an automatic that Christians go to church... and, if they do, it's certainly not all the time, right? I know it's a wide swath I'm cutting, but I mean it in general terms, not specific. Obviously there are still many people who are extremely dedicated (and heavily involved) in their church body. But I wonder... what has happened since the "good old days" when church attendance was as part of the weekly schedule as "The Wonderful World of Disney", or "The Red Skelton Show", or (homemade) Sunday dinners with Grandma? Life has gotten a bit more complicated, huh? Or maybe I just lived in a sheltered world as a kid?


Anyway... all that said... is "church" still necessary in this day and age? Or is it a purely optional activity?  If I had a dollar for every time I've heard the phrase, "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not into 'organized religion'"... I'm pretty sure I'd be retired by now. It seems as though lots of people believe in Jesus (just in case?)... but relatively few of us believe in participating (and serving) in His ordained community of faith.


So I ask you... really - Is church attendance an old-fashioned idea? Is it really necessary to gather together weekly to:
1.  Confess Jesus Christ as Lord?
2.  Be the covenant people of God made new in Christ?
3.  Assemble as the Body of Christ, called together by the Holy Spirit through the Word?
4.   Express our lives in the unity and fellowship of the Spirit?
5.   Worship through the preaching of the Word?
6.   Observe the sacraments?
7.   Minister in His name?
8.   Show obedience to Christ?
9.   Live in holiness?
10. Maintain mutual accountability?
11. Share in the redemptive of Christ in the power of the Spirit?
12. Fulfill our mission by making disciples through evangelism, education, showing compassion, working for justice, and bearing witness to the kingdom of God?

13. Organize ourselves in culturally conditioned forms, existing both as local congregations and as a universal body?
14. Set apart persons called of God for specific ministries?
15. Live under His rule in anticipation of the consummation at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Geez... that's a lot of responsibility. I hope people are willing to give up their lives to participate in God's redemptive work through His church! I hope God's people are willing to exercise their gift as God does His work of salvation through the Body of Christ!

That... or maybe we should modify the 11th Article of Faith to match our updated value system in relation to the Body of Christ?? 

Hmmmm... just wondering!

Forgiven, Re-made, and Thoroughly Embraced

Spiritual DNA: 16 Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith

This Sunday at The River, we'll be talking about the Church of the Nazarene's Article of Faith #9, "Justification, Regeneration, and Adoption". Wow, sounds exciting, huh? :-)  Actually, it is exciting. In fact, it's pretty darned...

A-W-E-S-O-M-E-!

Here's the texts we'll focus on:Galatians 2:16-21, John 3:1-8, and Galatians 4:4-7 (THE MESSAGE).

So I ask you... how can three multi-syllabic, rather academic sounding words possibly be exciting? Well, 'cause they represent the most awesome... most divine act of grace imaginable in the midst of a dying and broken world. If and when we humans accept the hard, painful truth... and finally admit that we are utterly and completely screwed up, without any resources to fix our screwed-upness (not a biblical word, but I like it nonetheless!)... AND when we cry out to God in our desperate state seeking the help that only the Author of Life could (and does) provide to everyone who comes to Him (and believes in His extraordinary power and love demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ)... then in one broad, miraculous, and simultaneous sweep... God forgives our sins, restores our humanity to it's original (Garden-like) state, and breathes this awesome, eternal truth into our hearts: We are His (and His alone). We are not our own any longer... nor are we in Satan's grip... we are no longer lost... no longer wanderers in the darkness. 

Nope... when this awesome salvific, beautiful and eternal transaction occurs in the human heart... all hell breaks loose (well, to be more specific, all HEAVEN breaks loose!), and the Lord ordains that we are fully, completely, and holistically adopted into the family of God. Yahweh becomes Abba... the Lord becomes our Daddy, and calls us His own.

God knows (and so do we) that we don't deserve it... we far too often abuse it... we have such a difficult time believing it (and walking it)... and so many of us utterly deny it's power... but nevertheless: when we simply come to the end of ourselves and genuinely cry out to God for help... by sheer grace he forgives us, re-makes us, and thoroughly embraces us. Man, if that ain't good news, then I don't know what is!!! 

Ya, I know we are extremely complicated beings... and life on this rock hands us humans such an array of options and ideas and opinions and agendas and religions... but still, I gotta wonder... Why on earth would anyone want to reject the kind of offer described above? I dunno... perhaps (at least some of the time) it's because His children wrap the priceless gift in butt-ugly coverings of religiousity and (human) judgment, laziness and arrogance, rather than in the divine love of Christ so eloquently revealed to us in Scripture? Hmmm... just wonderin...