jzeidler
New member
Greetings everyone, today I want to talk with you about something that has been bouncing around in my head for a while. It's something that many people have asked me since I have gotten the Radical Grace revelation. They ask me, "why don't you go to church anymore?" The truth of the matter is that I have given up going to church. Let me explain.
I have grown up in church all my life, went to bible collage, and interned at three different churches. Some of the things I've learned through all that is that you can never rely on a church for your own Christian growth, for the church to always be a safe place, or for the church to be of any benefit to you.
See, I have come to understand that the Sunday service cannot be something that I can lean on anymore. I get nothing out of the sermons, my worship to God is not in the form of singing, and I don't want to use church as just a time to gather with friends. Many times when I go to a church the sermons are less about the loveliness of Jesus and his victory over sin and more about what I need to do to be a good Christian. Not saying that exhortation is a bad thing, but if it is done in a way that doesn't show that you already have victory in Christ and that you are already the righteousness of God then yes it is a bad thing and can be detrimental to your spiritual journey. This is why I have mindfully listened to sermons by pastor Paul White. He gives you the truth of God's grace but also exhorts people to live up to their position as God's children.
Some people have said that I need to go to church because it is good to sing worship songs as a group. And yes that may be good for some but as I said earlier, singing is not how God created me to worship him. Besides, I don't think proximity makes a difference to God when his kids are singing.
Through the years I have also understood that the institution is not always a safe place. Some of my most painful moments have been in church. I remember sitting in a business meeting crying my eyes out while running around trying to fix everything because everyone was tearing each other apart. I remember being in need asking a church for help only to have the pastor ignore me and tell me to go to the government for assistance. I remember a time when a pastor told me I was a bad husband because my wife and I don't feel the need to go to a church service every Sunday. Recently I see the church I grew up in fighting each other over how to use money. To rely on the institution now is only to set yourself up for heartache later.
Many people have come to me and said that by me not going to church on Sunday I'm disobeying God because he says not to forsake meeting with believers. Though it is true that the bible does say that it is not true that this passage means "go to church every Sunday, listen to a sermon about how bad you are and how you need to try harder, sing songs with a bunch of people, then leave." What that passage simply means is that we as Christians should have a close knit group of Christian friends to talk about God with. That's it.
Even though I have chosen not to go to an institutionalized church that doesn't mean that is what is best for everyone. If you are at a church that has its focus constantly set on the loveliness of Jesus, God's radical immeasurable grace, and your righteousness in Christ I would suggest staying at that church because it is a New Covenant church and will help you in your walk. If that is not a description of the church you go to I would suggest that you pray about if it is the right church to be at.
I have given up on the institutionalized church for all these reasons but I am confident in the existence and thriving Church. There are believers out there who are grace minded. Who focus on the goodness of Christ, who understand their right standing before God because of the cross, and who rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance. I am confident that even if the institution collapses the New Covenant Church will endure as it always has.
I have grown up in church all my life, went to bible collage, and interned at three different churches. Some of the things I've learned through all that is that you can never rely on a church for your own Christian growth, for the church to always be a safe place, or for the church to be of any benefit to you.
See, I have come to understand that the Sunday service cannot be something that I can lean on anymore. I get nothing out of the sermons, my worship to God is not in the form of singing, and I don't want to use church as just a time to gather with friends. Many times when I go to a church the sermons are less about the loveliness of Jesus and his victory over sin and more about what I need to do to be a good Christian. Not saying that exhortation is a bad thing, but if it is done in a way that doesn't show that you already have victory in Christ and that you are already the righteousness of God then yes it is a bad thing and can be detrimental to your spiritual journey. This is why I have mindfully listened to sermons by pastor Paul White. He gives you the truth of God's grace but also exhorts people to live up to their position as God's children.
Some people have said that I need to go to church because it is good to sing worship songs as a group. And yes that may be good for some but as I said earlier, singing is not how God created me to worship him. Besides, I don't think proximity makes a difference to God when his kids are singing.
Through the years I have also understood that the institution is not always a safe place. Some of my most painful moments have been in church. I remember sitting in a business meeting crying my eyes out while running around trying to fix everything because everyone was tearing each other apart. I remember being in need asking a church for help only to have the pastor ignore me and tell me to go to the government for assistance. I remember a time when a pastor told me I was a bad husband because my wife and I don't feel the need to go to a church service every Sunday. Recently I see the church I grew up in fighting each other over how to use money. To rely on the institution now is only to set yourself up for heartache later.
Many people have come to me and said that by me not going to church on Sunday I'm disobeying God because he says not to forsake meeting with believers. Though it is true that the bible does say that it is not true that this passage means "go to church every Sunday, listen to a sermon about how bad you are and how you need to try harder, sing songs with a bunch of people, then leave." What that passage simply means is that we as Christians should have a close knit group of Christian friends to talk about God with. That's it.
Even though I have chosen not to go to an institutionalized church that doesn't mean that is what is best for everyone. If you are at a church that has its focus constantly set on the loveliness of Jesus, God's radical immeasurable grace, and your righteousness in Christ I would suggest staying at that church because it is a New Covenant church and will help you in your walk. If that is not a description of the church you go to I would suggest that you pray about if it is the right church to be at.
I have given up on the institutionalized church for all these reasons but I am confident in the existence and thriving Church. There are believers out there who are grace minded. Who focus on the goodness of Christ, who understand their right standing before God because of the cross, and who rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance. I am confident that even if the institution collapses the New Covenant Church will endure as it always has.
