Maybe the Church Isn’t for You

Hey Jonathan. I agree with you, but I’ve never seen a church function in the healthy way you have. One thing I see is leaders structuring churches as if they are social clubs. Even those that come wanting to give quickly learn that things go much better when they think of it as a social club. I’ve been to churches where I felt I needed to market myself and be careful of my image if I wanted to be able to give. I think leaders will have to break out of the current paradigm and teach a whole host of believers a new paradigm if this is going to change.

I'm seeing both sides of this in my church. And I think that's what I'm supposed to see. We born again people get transfered into a new way of life (at different times) and we take our old physical brains (and memories)with us. The resurrection life is in us – God did this – He changed us. As the Holy Spirit leads each of us into more and more truth. or His way of thinking, we start living more and more under the influence of the "new who we are now" – those new creations who think and act differently. It's a process (and we have a big part in how fast this happens as we partner up with the Holy Spirit) – so we'll be seeing people at all different places on this journey – right here in our local churches. And I believe we're supposed to.

@Colleen… Great points. This Christian life is certainly a journey with each of us at different stages in our journey. I guess my question is, at what point should we be beyond the same ole' way of thinking that we had before our salvation?

@Shawn… Amen!!

God's desire for the Church is that we represent the love of the Creator to His creation, which is not in order to force something back in return. God does want something from us, but He will love us freely even if He does not receive it. He wants us to want Him.

Is it wrong to want something in return from Church? I don't know, but I totally agree that our service should not be predicated on whether we get what we want.

I disagree that church is treated like a social club. It is one of the least social places I go. We show up just in time for worship, afterwards there is some meaningless small talk over snacks, and then we leave. Sometimes there is something else: bible study, dinner, special night, but not enough to really build a real community. I don’t know what church is, but it isn’t social. The youth group, that I lead, is very social. I’m glad. They are a community, and they take care of each other.

I did like your post. Receiving is difficult. Giving without getting is hard. God really likes to turn things upside down.