Leaving The Church? "I Am Considering Leaving The Church"
I submit to you that if we are honest, each and every one of us has either spoken this phase or heard someone we truly respect speak this phrase at one time or another. However, I also submit to you that if we are truly "Christians" - Christian being defined as one who has truly accepted, believed, and confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord of all and Lord of all of their life, then the reality is that we cannot leave the "real Church". The "real Church" is not as set of localized buildings or a denomination, it truly is the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth.
If the "real Church" is the whole body of Christians, then the way we conduct our worship, study, and service within our local group of believers has a real and important impact on the whole body of Christians through the world. Is not this an incredibly salient point that we must consider as we go about our worship, study and service?
With that thought in mind, should not we (our local congregational group) really strive to understand (as a congregation) some of the key issues that confront us on a daily basis and that in my humble opinion need to be addressed? When I speak of addressing - I speak of two types of "addressing":
- Addressing for Understanding,
- Addressing for Obedience.
While I would not be so bold to address obedience, I would submit to you that some of the following areas/questions that we as part of our local congregation do need to address for understanding (from a biblical standpoint) are :
- How does one become a true follower of The Christ?
- Can one be assured of one's salvation after believing in The Christ?
- What is the relationship between belief and works?
- What truly is Worship of The Christ?
- If the Holy Spirit did not visit with us during our worship - what would be different than it is now?
- How should we maintain Christian accountability or both our Leaders and ourselves?
- What does the bible teach about same sex unions (both in and out of wedlock)?
- What does the bible teach about the women's role in the church?
- How will we be evaluated/judged by The Christ for our lives on earth?
These areas/questions are not all inclusive, but certainly are some of the incredibly large "Pink Elephants" that "wonder" the halls of most congregational gathering places - "wondering" without ever being addressed. If we truly are desirous of experiencing the fullness of the love of The Christ and being able to share and demonstrate that love both to The Christ and to others (Matthew 22:36-40) , we should be just as desirous in seeking to address for understanding and obedience the things he has shared with us in his Word - the Bible.
How do we begin addressing these issues? That is a great question - and a question I challenge each and everyone of us to carefully pray about and cautiously address. The first step, I submit to you is simple in concept, but challenging in practice - that is to ensure that we live each and every day with The Christ as the center of our life.
- Psalm 19:14 - May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
8:43:29 AM 
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