The church has been stagnate, I believe for quite sometime now. And I believe that it's a result of us having church and not so much being the church. Christianity is a religion, but Christ is a person. Many of us sacrifice the relationship for religion. It's time for us to move from regular (church) services to us really serving God. The temple is a very important place for the body to gather. but it shouldn't be the end all be all. It should be a gas station and a warehouse for us to bring our goods and also to refill so that we can be as effective in our lives. It is out of our lives that we minister. I am drawn to my church because of his life's testimony, not the service. I have been in church my entire life, and what I have learned is church. Not so
consistent with the Word. They have trained us how to run a church service. Both in demonstration and in words. The classes we take don't teach us how to live, they teach us how to work in the church. As a result we get good at having services, but not good at living life. It's something that needs to be seen from day to day. Discipleship!! This helps demonstrate how to live in the kingdom.
Now don't get it twisted, Jesus said ' he who seeks to save his life shall lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake shall find it.' I'm not talking about saving the life you have now. But life in Christ shouldn't destroy your family and your children. It should restore. You may go through a season of separation from your family, but Christ's whole mission was for family restoration.(His first)
I've seen too many lives destroyed due to wrong priority. Men who put work and ministry before their families. i've done it myself, and it almost destroyed my home. A married man that doesn't realize his family is his first ministry doesn't need to be ministering. He has nothing to minister except what not to do. Jesus said that 'the words that I speak, they are spirit and they are life'. When we speak or ministering, we are speaking out of our spirits and out of our lives. If you have a broken home and you're speaking and ministering, then you're giving out of that. If you have lust and adultery issues, then you are giving that. On the flip side, if you have balance in your home and have a sound marriage, then you are ministering that. It's simple. Jesus said 'out of the good treasure of your heart proceeds good things'. Whatever is in is what comes out. Ministry was made to come out of our life.
And we need to restructure how we do church in order to 'REALLY' be effective.
How do you guys feel?