God doesn’t care about your church.

Don’t worry though. He doesn’t care about mine either.

When I use the word “church” in title, I’m referring to the the following things – the name, the structure, the doctrinal statement, your building (or your house!), sermons, traditions, the organization. Even crazies like us at our church have these things.

So what does God care about? He cares about people. He cares about his glory. He cares about people repenting and turning toward him. He cares about what he’s called his people to, whatever that may be. He cares about his Word.

So the next time you’re at church, look around. Are the things you do pushing you closer to God, or just taking up time/causing division/distracting you from the Lord himself? If they aren’t drawing you closer to God, why keep doing them? Aren’t these things just going to burn when it’s all said and done? I’m writing this just as much to myself as I am to you.

The reason we’re so ga-ga for our particular way of life and church is that it spurs each person individually and corporately to seek the Lord and to worship him. It pushes us to be dependent on him showing up for it to work. We believe, both scripturally and experientially, that this is what God is calling us to and what God desires for our church body.

We believe the Lord has spent the last two years tempering our church and dealing with some deep things in us personally and relationally. He’s taught us how to rely on him, he’s taught us how to rely on one another, he’s raised up leaders from the quiet and meek. He’s drawn the wayward toward repentance. He’s led us through times of prayer and fasting. He’s teaching us how to exercise our spiritual gifts.

And recently we’ve begun to sense him turning to change our focus. It has been a time to gather stones, but he’s turning us toward scattering stones, turning our focus outward. Part of that is people seeking us out because God is leading them. Part of that is discipling and mentoring, which we’re just on the front edge of. Part of it is outreach. Part of it might be you. One of the values we hold dear to is hospitality – so I offer you an open invitation – we’d love for you to come visit us. From wherever, whenever you like, with you and as many friends as you’d like. We don’t even need very long notice – just give me a call on my cell phone: 770-309-8213

So at the end of the day, what am I saying? Am I saying your church is un-biblical? Am I saying we’re the best and you should quit your church and join ours? No. I don’t know your church and I certainly don’t think we’re the best.

What I am saying is that I want you and your church body to be in the center of God’s will as both revealed in scripture and revealed to you personally by his Spirit. If you’re there, then by all means don’t change what you’re doing at ALL! But if you’re not, don’t just assume that that’s how it has to be. Sometimes the answer is to take it before God. Sometimes the answer is to bring it before the leadership of the church. Bottom line – God knows what he wants for you. Ask him, if you have his Spirit within you, you can hear from him. Ask him!

I’ll close out with a quote from one of those brothers I mentioned above. Britt said it best in his excellent Weekend at Bernies Christianity post:

At some point when I discuss these things, I get the usual statement from some: “Well, everyone is different. There’s no right way.” That sounds all nice and inclusive, but it can only go so far. I’ll give an example.

To be healthy you need to eat right, exercise, and sleep well. Lack in these areas cause problems, even serious problems unto death. There is plenty of freedom within these principles of health (what healthy foods you eat, when or how you exercise, etc). But to use that freedom to then justify eating junk food, complete inactivity, and insomnia is dangerous. There are some really creative arguments in the Church today as if living in an abusive way is healthy. And they love the one example they can find of the lady who lived in complete gluttony and self abuse and grew to be a hundred and eighty. Never mind the overwhelming majority of other people who have seen fruit from healthy living or died young from cancer or something from the lack of it.

The Bible says God has “ways.” Christ named Himself “the Way”. One of the names of the early believers had to do with their following the Way. There are ways, right ways, to do things, that are of Christ and not of you. And they produce fruit if you will follow those ways and try your best not to mix His ways with your own, or anyone else’s, really.

I have little to lose by calling dead things dead. I have everything, eternally, however, to gain by calling that which is of life, Life. Those that very creatively prop up Bernie can do what they do, but I’d rather tell the party-goers he’s dead and deal with whatever consequences occur. Better in the long run.