The following is an intro on a subject I was encouraged to write about.

 

 

I am going to church. What images does this pronouncement conjure up in your mind? Are there feelings of joy, anticipation, and happiness at the thought of seeing good friends and worshipping the Lord together? Is there a deep, settled peace in your heart, knowing you belong here? Does your soul hunger to be fed spiritual food? Or, are your sentiments more negative? Do you approach church attendance as a weekly chore, something that interferes with things you would rather be doing? Do you dread seeing certain people? Do you fall asleep during the message? Is it a relief to get out the door and get on with really important things? Answer these questions honestly then ask yourself this; "If I had the opportunity, would I go to church every day?" 

"Going to Church" was created for those who process shame with emotion.

I'm confused. If the people are the Church, then how do you "go" to Church? I thought you took it with you instead of something you went to.

Does your soul hunger to be fed spiritual food? Getting together with good friends and sharing a few beers, good conversation and music fills this need far better than any organized meeting ever did.

Do you approach church attendance as a weekly chore, something that interferes with things you would rather be doing? Exactly! Thats why I eventually stopped attending.

Do you dread seeing certain people? Dread is not the word. Lets just say I meet with a lot of people who have nothing to offer in the way of filling the soul hunger.

Do you fall asleep during the message? How did you know? Actually, there are times when I entertained myself by counting the logical fallacies and ridiculous assumptions laid out in the sermon. The last time I went the preacher talked about the disembodied souls waiting on the alter up in heaven for the return of Christ. That someone would present something so impossible to verify as fact kind of amazed me.

Is it a relief to get out the door and get on with really important things? YES

If I had the opportunity, would I go to church every day? This question bothers me. Are you implying, OS, that the answer should be yes, and if not so then you are not quite on the right track? How could any normal human being with natural desires long to put themselves through that every day?

Stan;

You made me laugh!

It can be a real joy to meet with other men and women who share the joy and power of God's Spirit! This is so even if we brush shoulders with ignorance at times.

The Spiritual essence of gathering together unto Christ Jesus is far better than meeting down at the local pub, for myself. For many years I would go down to the clubs and dance the nights away. It was good excerise for the body and fellowship at the level of the soul. I do not have to do that anymore because I now dance to a different beat. The one is of the soul and the latter is of the Spirit!

It's about priorities and an intense hunger. The soul realm tends to level off quite quickely in one's life while the Spirit continues to cause one's life to ascend!

Our pastor keeps reminding us that we are to "be the church" outside of the box that happens to be the building we gather in for corporate worship/teaching. It is in our everyday walk, in relationships in the family/community that we act on the teachings of Christ...

However, I do look forward to corporate worship and mixing fellow believers, for encouragement, sharing, prayer, etc... and plain social interaction. But again, our interaction with others outside of church fellowships are just as important as shaking hands with other believers.

It is extremely important that as believers we do not create a level of churchy consciousness/demeanor that smells of an elevated status. All are loved by God equally.

I admit, church can sometimes get to be "routine".

I just dropped off my son at church, He along with another closely related former H youth and the youth of the church we now attend, left before noon to go on a mission trip, where they will be learning first hand about who they are as Christians, as a church and their positions in this world. they are going to spend the next 5 days amongst the homeless of our state. they will be working in homeless shelters, taking homeless out for dinner and walking up to people on the street and asking them if there is something that they can pray for, about a need the person has or whatever. For a group of 16-20 yr olds, I think they will come back changed by the experience. I know the times I have spent in similar stuff has done that for me.

Stan, you comment on sleeping in church was right on track I think. I have spent a long number of yrs with a man that slept thru at least 3/4 of the sermons he ever heard. In the past 1 1/2 yrs he fell asleep just 2 or 3 times and then just briefly. The difference is amazing to me. I always wished I could just relax like he can and fall asleep anywhere, but there is definitely something else to it. If you are not connecting spiritually where you are there seems to be some kind of disconnecting factor at work there.
There was also the time a yr ago when I called to talk to our sons that are still H and were living at home yet, to talk about what we were doing for lunch and my son said to me, "Mom, is Dad okay?" "YES, Why?" "Are you sure, Mom?" "Ya, why?" " Cause Dad got up first today and got ready to go to church and then got you up. Are you sure he's okay?" Our son had never seen that in his lifetime. and yes it is still that way a yr later. He is ready and happy to go.
Also I think who we are should act the same, no matter whether we are in church or out of it. Church attendance should not be a determining factor to our spirituality but a benefit of fellowship and refreshing that coincides with our spiritual life. If you aren't getting any thing out of it, you need to either find God in your life or find another church/congregation/group of fellow christians where God meets your needs.
We also need to recognise that not every person around us will be able to meet our need of fellowship and friendship and that not everyone around us is going to be happy with us or accept us no matter what and recognise that it is okay for it to be that way.

Stan

I am the original cynic and organized religion is largely the cause of my cynicism. So, there is no right or wrong answer to the question. The point I'm making is that while many people "go to church" on Sunday, I consider myself to "be in church" every day. This whole concept was brought about by a chance meeting with an old friend (non-H). He expressed concern that I did not attend church. I gave him a rough version of the following points. Since then, I have explored this further and was encouraged to write an essay on the subject.

The Points:

1. When one looks at organized religion, it is evident that God the Father never answered the earnest prayer of his Son that every one that believes on Him should be One, even as He and the Father were. (John 17)

2. Organized religion is a social construct made solely by man for the purpose of power and control over others, and to seperate the fool from his money.

3. Christ left believers with two (2) commandments. (A. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. (B. Love your neighbor as yourself. Period.

4. According to the teachings of Christ, ones' relationship with God is proven by ones' relationship with the people closest to us and to any stranger we meet.

5. I live and work with people every day, therefore, I am in church every day.

 

 

OS, sorry to not have seen through your cynicism. I agree that church is no more than a social construct. Some people need that construct and derive a lot of benefit from it. I have no problem with that, but I dont think those people should be judgmental toward those of us who choose not to attend.

Regarding Christ two commandments, I have a bit of a problem with both. I think those that claim to love every one around them are just fooling themselves a bit. You can say you love everyone, and act with compassion when a neighbor or stranger needs a helping hand, but do we really naturally love those who we have marginal contacts with? And if we do love them, doesnt that diminish our relationship with those family and close friends who we have every reason to love? Perhaps it would be better to use another word besides love, in order to distinguish the feelings we have for the inconsiderate jerk who buts in front of us at the airport from our wives and children.

And loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, is a pretty tall order. It may be possible to love your religious ways that much, or love that part within your inner self that you interpret as being God centered. But God is a concept man has invented to help make sense of the environment in which he exists. This concept has not comforted you when you were sick, or consoled you when you are in grief, or given you joy with exchange in conversation, or the ecstasy of sexual contact. Humans that we love do that.

Through out the ages there have been civilizations who have claimed to have actual contact with God. One of them was a roving band of sheep herders who claim God physically spoke to them from the sky and told them to cut the tips of their penises off, stone homosexuals and disobedient children, never boil a lamb in its mothers milk, and the value of Pi is an even 3. And all the above just happened to match their limited understandings and prejudices! Obviously not a credible story.

Stan;

I appreciate the way you think at many levels.

God has never shown up as a living being other than in human beings. Some have seen angels. Jesus is a very good example of God showing up in human flesh!

That thing we call God [reveals] himself to mankind. Sometimes it is when men or women are stretched extreemly thin by tedious or sad occurrances. The loneliness of the deserts for example can separate us from ourselves enough, that that which is beyond ourselves is now experienced! Man calls this, God. This one who is beyond us is experienced as eternal and self-existant, when experienced in some strength.

God is more than an idea to make sense of our condition and world. God is more than a crutch in hard times. God is more than a comforter when we do right and a check in us when we do wrong.

God is something men and women experience as good, just, whole, loving, merciful, restoring, absolutely pure, and powerful! Out in the deserts the old Hebrew prophets often became aware of the things that were out beyond them. Beyond the false-self, He is!

After Paul's deliverance from his hatred of those who had been challenging his law and early religion, he went into the Abrabian deserts for a few years. A great separation can occur within us in the loneliness of deserts. We say, God uses these times. That's what we say. Who's to actually challenge it?

As we experience what and who God is in the above attributes, we still cannot prove that this is actually an eternal being or force we're experiencing. We believe this to be so! Therefore we continue to experience! Those who do not believe do not experience Him. Because we experience the God we believe in, our lives spiral upward in quality! This is the evidence of things that we cannot see!

If the eye of our heart and mind is fully captivated by this God we believe in, there is no end to the ascention! This Kingdom is without end! Whow!

Re: Christ's commands. 

English is a language that is too cumbersome to able to express the many facets of that word, love. Let's use just two meanings here. The emotional as a noun and the practical as a verb. The commands of Christ center on the practical side and love is used as a verb. It denotes action. Therefore, do good to your fellow man. "For if God is within you, do good, for God is good. And, look for the good in others, for there you will see God." (Dr. Wayne Dyer in The Power of Intention)

The emotional love you feel for your wife, children, and dog is a pleasant, warm feeling. Yet, it is only that; a feeling subject to the changing tides of life. About as stable as a glider in a hurricane or a solid as a... well, you get the picture. We were intelligently designed  with an inate need to give and receive this kind of love. For it is from the emotional that the practical flows.

 "But God is a concept man has invented to help make sense of the environment in which he exists. This concept has not comforted you when you were sick, or consoled you when you are in grief, or given you joy with exchange in conversation, or the ecstasy of sexual contact."

I was about to make a stupid joke about Rosie Palm, but will refrain. But I will say this; God is not revealed to the intellect. Rather, it is a quiet, inner knowing. Those that have it can never deny it and those that do not, cannot understand it. I will not debate the existence of God for there is absolutely no empirical evidence that He exists.

 

(edited to attribute quote)

Emotional love is as stable as a glider in a hurricane. Whow, I've seen what hurricanes can do.

Good post!

About that word love; when I did a study on that some ten years ago I found that there are either six or seven different words in the Greek and Hebrew texts that had been translated as our word [love] in the King James. Very confusing to get the exact same meaning across when a translator does things like this.