What really is church

A month of moments. A daily brief trip down my thought spiral inspired by a moment the stayed with me till dusk and beyond. 5th November

Ok so this post is probably my most Christian post. Feel free to skip by, if your a Christian, please come open minded. Either way I’m not preaching. I’m giving my opinion, and it’s very much my own, and I don’t believe it’s popular

What is Church?

To me growing up, church was music, childrens bible study, with arts and crafts, boring repetition of words, songs I didn’t care for and having to get up early and dress properly instead of in tree climbing gear.

Church was not a popular thing for me.

As I’ve grown up, I’ve tried different church’s, I’ve tried Baptist, evangelical, Methodist, brethren, CofE, non denominational… yada yada yada. I lose track of the times each denomination criticises the other. I’m bored of the conversation about rota’s and serving God, by making the tea. It’s not service. It’s not service to play in the band, or preach either. It’s boring and I would go so far as to say unbiblical

When Jesus came he didn’t set up the church, there was no church, that came later. Read the gospels and then acts and tell me I’m wrong.

Tell me when the first time the word church was mentioned in the bible? It wasn’t by Jesus. If we look further back into the Old Testament there wasn’t even such thing as a synagogue. There was the tabernacle, that was God approved. There was one nation, one God one Tabernacle.

Now we have have multiple churches, not just denominations, but churches. We wear smart clothes, or robes, women might wear hats, or long skirts, bishops have staffs and swing incense. To do WHAT exactly?

From reading the Bible I see that there is a Church. Let me repeat there is A church. One. And the church is the body of Christ. This means it’s a community of people who believe. Not thousands of separate communities that believe slightly different things. The church didn’t preach, or play amazing Grace followed by the latest Matt Redman song.

The church existed to support each other. They came together and ate, they did sing yes, but singing songs of praise isn’t the same as worship. They shared testimony about what they had seen and heard. They shared what they had. They loved each other and welcomed others in.

Today the church shuts its doors. I’ve been shut out for having an opinion, or refusing to ‘serve God’ on a coffee rota (because I work 2 Sundays out of 3, I’ll let people down!). I’ve been told I’m a sinner for not attending Sunday mornings. Show me PLEASE where the Bible says ‘thou art to attend Sunday mornings and believe and agree with what the preacher says’

Nope

I’ve sat through sermons that have been judgemental, brainwashing, hurtful. I’ve been feeling in my seat as someone next to me is grieving and the preacher is preaching on joy and thanksgiving.

I asked the minister of my last church if I could bring my friend who is a heroin addict the following week, he said yes. I said she is also a working girl (I had to the clarify that she sleeps with people for money) he stayed silent, I said her dress sense is not very modest and I won’t be asking her to dress differently to come to church. He said that he does not think she is ready for church. I asked if she was not ready or the church was not ready. He admitted that it would not go down well with people if she turned up and spoke profanities or dressed wrongly. I asked who it would not go down well with, God or the people. He said the people. I then asked if this is the case and he truly believes her eternity is dependent on coming to church and hearing his sermon why other peoples slight discomfort should block her access to eternal life. He replied this was a separate conversation for another time. We never spoke again.

Meanwhile, the one true church is doing its thing and doing it well. I know of Christian’s left right and center who love and love hard, with no agenda other than to love others. The local pharmacist is a Christian who will attend every funeral of his clients. He prays for every customer and he does his job to show care (so do the non Christian pharmacists, I’m not saying he’s a better person, he’s not. But he believes that people need to turn to God for eternal life. So he prays for them, not to them, or at them, but privately separately and he does his job well)

I do my job so I can have the opportunity to love and care for young people whose families haven’t. I am no better than my colleagues, but my motivating factor is I want to show love, I want to be there so I can say ‘I have done what I can to love that person’.

Some church’s would be horrified at my job, as I support young people who have gender identity issues to work through, or are figuring out their sexual identity. I give out condoms, I even teach them how to use them. I allow them to have boyfriend or girlfriend sleep over. Crack on teenagers, I’m not here to put up barriers in your lives! I’m hear you love and not judge, and if that means holding your hand through an abortion and then being the shoulder you can cry on then I will. If it means finding out how I can get you further up the list to have an operation to change genders, I will be there and I will love you the same as any other.

The church wants bums on seats to preach their agenda. The true church wants to hold the hand of the broken and hurting and show love with no strings attached