So, I’m taking a break from my English essay (which is coming along well, I’m just sick of it) to write a blog. As I do not have interwebs on the computer I’m typing this on, this probably will not be posted for a while. But, it will have more capital letters!
On Thursday, basically everyone slacked for youth, so we had some discussion circles, with the topic being the church. As I have strong opinions that I had yet to work out, I didn’t want to dominate the circle with my views as I formulated them orally, so I sat silent and kept the question sheet with this blog in mind.
And now, dear readers, you shall be blessed with the fruits of my procrastination!
1. What is the church?: basic enough question. Basic enough answer: the church is the body/bride of Christ. I was taught a while ago that there are 3 divisions of the church. I can only remember two. Local and universal. Fairly self-explanatory. The local church is the fellowship you have with the believers in your area, at whichever church you attend. The universal church is the collection of all the saints pre, present and post right now.
2. What should the church look like? Not the way it does. We are called to be a light onto the world, yet so often it feels as though we’re only illuminating the corner we reside in. We’ve lost sight of the concept of being ‘in but not of.’ If the church was to become its intention, the world would be radically changed. Imagine what even 25 people setting out into the world, with purely Christ-like intentions, could accomplish. Too often I find myself falling into adherence of the letter of the law, but not the spirit. I won’t discourage someone, but I certainly don’t encourage. I won’t hate someone or show them ill-will, but I wont go out of my way to make their lives easier. In short, I’m usually too proud to wash anyone’s feet. And, a discouraging thing that I have noticed is that a lot of the people who do take that step of servitude often quasi-complain about it behind closed doors. My diagnosis is that the church is ill, but not gravely ill. If it was truly going downhill, we’d all notice and revival would erupt out of desperation. Instead, it functions on a quarter tank and we tell ourselves that it’s fine.
3. What should the church not look like? It’s not that the way it is now is the way it shouldn’t be, it’s that the way it is now is the infantile version of the way it should be. There are a lot of things the church should not look like (coughWestboroughBaptish’church’cough) but I think that right now, the greatest thing to watch out for is insincerity.
4. Did you feel welcomed by your experiences with the church? Yes and no. most churches have those lovely little greeter people who stand at the door with a large, hypnotic smile and practiced lines of mostly-sincere small talk. On the surface, most people in most churches are rather friendly and inviting. However, getting under the surface is a much more difficult process. Acceptance is such a sought-after thing, and it’s heartbreaking that so many youth groups that I have been to have an outcast. Or a few. The person that does not quite fit the standard. And I’ll admit, I’m guilty of this too. I’m really not sure how to change it either. Most people are so involved with the lives they have that they’re not willing to allow another person and another set of problems into their already ‘oh-so-complicated’ lives.
5. How much do you feel you should contribute to making the church what it should be? How? Basically, I should give it my all. I am the church. We are the church. The church as an entity relies on the believers as individuals. The only way I can really make a difference is by being as Christ-esque as possible. And the only way I can be Christ-esque is prayer and supplication.
Back to English.
Song currently playing is
Reveries of Flight
By
Oh, Sleeper
So, I’mma gonna recommend that song as your song for the day.
