How could imperfect Christians make a judgement of another believer and apply church discipline? The point here is not the application of discipline (that could be the subject of a future post) but the discussion of the subject itself. It took place last night at my Wednesday group meeting.
Every Wednesday I get together with about eight other people and we discuss God's Word. What is God telling us in the Scriptures? How can we apply it to our lives? Someone shares a concern or a need. We pray for each other. We praise God together. We hold each other accountable. We eat together, watch movies together, and encourage one another. The word that sums it up best is relationship.
Our discussions are sometimes "spirited", sometimes we can get "passionate", we don't always agree, but at the end of the evening we are able to laugh and part as friends ( family). This is real church, this is what it's all about. In my opinion, one Wednesday evening is worth a month of Sunday mornings.
Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in big trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."
1 Corinthians 14"26 says" When you meet together......But everything that is done must strengthen all of you."
There are numerous Scriptures that talk about encouraging each other. After a Wednesday group meeting I am stoked! Fired up! I realize that there are others who genuinely care about me. They challenge me to be the best I can be. They have my back and I have theirs. They can see my ugly side and not judge (although they could) but encourage me to change. I love them, they love me.
I want to encourage you to find or start a group. Sunday morning worship is okay but U-Needa Wednesday group! God bless y'all real good.
6 comments:
I agree. Sunday's are good, but Wednesday's are imperative. No man is an island. It is only through relationship that we can grow - relationship to the Father through Jesus first and foremost, then relationship to each other.
What is the purpose of Sunday, why is it just "good"? I have been of the belief that it is for the gathering of the saints. For fellowship, praise and worship, Teaching, and more, but is mostly for the Glory of God, for His glory. Is it the only way we gather? No. Why is Sunday just good? I don't know you kez, but it really seems to degrade the bride of Christ.
I would be willing to say I agree with both trains of thought. Many churches now aren't even offering a good time of fellowship with the saints on Sunday mornings. It seems that it's just about going through the motions. People show up just as church is about to begin and leave as soon as its over and there is no "fellowship." My church has the opposite effect on Sunday mornings. People come and fellowship over bagels and donuts in the morning and we continue to fellowship well into the afternoon by having lunch together at the mall. I do agree with knucklehead and kez in that there are probably a majority of churches out there that don't create that kind of environment, but only an environment of obligation and have lost sight of the Acts 2 church. So maybe it would even be safe to say that in some cases Sunday mornings are okay, but sometimes the real meat occurs in a "Wednesday night" group. Many churches grow so large that it's hard to build relationships. There's no discipleship. I have found that in the smaller groups, it's easier to get to know everyone and become involved in each other's lives.
I also agree that we are doing this for the Lord and not for ourselves, however to balance that, we should also be learning from each other and helping each other grow and encouraging each other. It seems that most people are not finding any of that on Sunday mornings, just the same old routine.
But hey, if you feel you are doing it for the Lord on Sunday mornings, then that's good. That's great! If you are there for Him and you are there for worship and fellowship and all of those other great things, then more power to you. That's awesome if you can find that.
On the other hand, if it isn't working for you and you are finding fellowship elsewhere, I don't see the harm in that either. We each have our own individiual walk and even in and through that we can still encourage each other to grow in our walks. There's nothing in the bible that says it has to be Sunday morning or doesn't have to be Sunday morning.
So, I agree with knucklehead in that you have to find that "group," the people who you can build relationships with and encourage each other and hold each other accountable. For some that happens on Sunday morning, for others it's during the week. Whatever the case, as long as you are doing it for the right reasons and following God's call and it's matching what Scripture says, I say go for it!
Scriptures aren't clear specifially as to where to gather or on what day of the week. It just speaks of what our gatherings should consist of and how we are to live.
In summary, we should remain balanced and obey the Lord and His call as to where we are to be.
What is the purpose of Sunday morning? I have been asking myself this question for the last 3-4 years. God is glorified, hopefully, throughout my whole life, not just on Sunday mornings. Sunday mornings are not required in the scriptures -- the fellowship of the Saints is. We are to BE the body of Christ - this doesn't just happen on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights, it should be happening daily. Fellowship, service, worship, praise should happen whenever and where ever His Saints are gathered together - do I believe that showing up on a Sunday in a specific building is the only place this can happen? -- no. Otherwise all the Saints in China are in trouble, as they cannot do so. Do I believe that God is glorified only when we are in the right building at the right time? No, I believe the more I let go of my own need to control and my own ideas of what I should be doing and allow Christ to lead through the Holy Spirit, Christ truly does get the glory and I don't get any. This is my desire. Lord, may this be worked out in me!
I am not debating which is better, Sunday morning or Wednesday night - I am saying that relationship - where ever you get that, where ever you get yourself plugged in and can be held accountable and can wrestle through the scriptures together is imperative. Where ever people are there to take you by the hand and really disciple you and you take someone else by the hand and disciple them, this is church. This can be Sunday mornings, but I have only been in one church in my life where the Pastor opened up the floor for questions and dialog. I know that there is the general belief that Sunday mornings are not for me - they are for Christ, and I can honestly say I do not go to Sunday services for me at all. But isn't my whole life Christ's? Jesus didn't cast a net on a hill and expect the fish to jump in. He was out in the world, interacting, teaching, answering questions, discipling those closest to Him, showing them how to minister and then giving them the opportunity to do so and bringing them back together and dialoging about what went wrong and why. Look at His experiences in the synagogue. They look nothing like our church services today - there was interaction - even the early church services where the women had to be told - "you're asking too many questions, go home and ask your husbands." The interaction in our churches today consist of a 3-5 minute "greeting time". We are not going to gleen a whole lot in the way of interaction and relationship in that 5 minutes. My father used to love going to big churches before he was saved just for that reason. He knew he could hide in the congregation, be entertained by a worship band and a good speaker and then go home and never be held accountable for what he was learning. It wasn't until PEOPLE began reaching out to him at a difficult time in his life and praying with him and showing and displaying the love of Christ to him that he got saved. My gosh, J., I know your passion for Christ and truth and I love you for it, but I'm convinced that Sunday mornings are man-made, with an easy to follow program and a place for man to control things. I have even heard pastors say that they need to run things like a business and if there isn't enough productivity, they let people go - is this right? Is God interested in numbers and bottom line? I know that people can and have gotten saved in church services - God can use anything at any time. I also know that there can be a false sense of security in going through the motions. And also let me be clear that I don't believe Wednesday nights are any less susceptable to being man-centered. What I am saying is that they offer a better opportunity to build relationships, which I believe Jesus cares a great deal about.
The day is not the issue, and I'm thinking that is what kez means. It is what happens Wednesday night that is imperative whereas what goes on in most churches in the USA is not imperative.
I say, "AMEN".
Relational interaction, challenging one another as describe by kucklehead, more closely answers the challenge in Hebrews (10:24) "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works", than the spectator sport of showing up Sunday morning. What goes on in the vast majority of "Sunday morning worship services" has nothing to wo with what Hebrews is challenging its readers to do or with what God wants.
The command in Hebrews is to "stir one another up" NOT simply "to meet".(10:25) Many believe that Sunday morning is somehow hallowed regardless of what transpires. I wonder...
Also check out Amos 5:21 and context or Isaiah 1:11 and context etc etc
Yes, Rudy, that is exactly what I am saying - thank you. I tend to ramble on and then my point gets lost.
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