Idol Worship in the Church: Introduction

Hello, Faith Friends! Today we begin our first blog series: Idol Worship in the Church. Growing up, I do recall hearing sermons about idol worship, but these sermons typically served as warnings to not make phones, entertainment, or other secular items our idols; and I was always reminded that anything can become an idol.

While I was growing up, idol worship was something I often thought about. What was I making an idol in my life? What are things that are often idolized by modern society that I need to keep in mind? As I got older, a different question came to mind: If anything can become an idol, does that mean that anything in within the Church can become one? There may be a few initial thoughts when we think about this question.

The first would certainly be a denial. A lot of Christians view the Church as a sacred place, so how could something so sacred have idols? That would indicate that something in the Church is tainted, and if it was that would ruin the sanctity of it – which brings me to the next thought.

If the Church is tainted, what is harming it? Some of you may think of the potential overuse of modern technology in order to stay relevant; or worship services becoming more like performances. While these are things that we should keep in mind, it’s not what has potentially tainted the Church. So what is it? Really, the question should be: Who is it? The answer? Us.

While the church is the Lord’s place, we are still sinful creatures even while we’re inside it. It’s not like we walk inside a church and magically become pure. The Lord does not let us off that easily. And while the idea of being in a church may cause us to act more mature and respectful, we are still sinful at heart and we still fall prey to things that we may not even realize – which includes making idols.

So what is it that we idolize within the Church itself? Sure, we can idolize things like modern tech and performance based worship like I mentioned earlier but that’s not what I intend to discuss in this series. In fact, I would like to go deeper than that.

In this series, we will be looking at three key subjects that I believe we idolize within church that we do not often realize, all of which build on each other: Well-known biblical characters (for this series we will specifically look at Paul); The Bible as a book; and lastly – the Pastor.

These are subjects that I feel we do not discuss enough of because of the difficulty of understanding that we may be idolizing who or what has helped us grow in our faith. This series is not to say that we should not be utilizing these subjects, but rather to remind you (and myself) how easily we can put these things and people on pedestals and why they shouldn’t be.

“You will be ashamed of your idol worship in groves of sacred oaks. You will blush because you worshiped in gardens dedicated to idols.”

-Isaiah 1:29 (NLT)

Scripture Memorization: Is It Necessary for A Faithful Life?

How many of you reading this blog can quote John 3:16? If I had to guess, I would say that about 95% of you probably know that verse by heart. In fact, it was probably one of the first pieces of scripture you were encouraged to memorize. Why do you think that is? Likely, it serves not only as a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice, but also how much God was willing put on the line so that we could be saved.

I’m assuming that if you have John 3:16 memorized, you likely have a few, or even many, more verses memorized as well. If you do, I applaud your desire to be able to reference the Word daily.

Some of you, on the other hand, may be like me and have a hard time with scripture memorization. I really struggle memorizing verses word for word; however, I have found that I have grown more in my faith by understanding the scripture in its full context rather than just trying to memorize it. So the question becomes: Is scripture memorization necessary for a faithful life? Let’s take a look –

 “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.”

-Deuteronomy 11:18

For background information: Deuteronomy reiterates the laws that God wants the Israelites to follow. Honestly, in a time where His Word and laws could not be referenced easily from a book, it would make a lot of sense to try and have it memorized as much as possible – not only as a reminder for oneself to be faithful but also to help remind others.

Today, we do have a book to reference quickly and efficiently. So is it still necessary? I suppose that depends on how you define “commit[ting] yourselves wholeheartedly…”

For some of you this, this may require scripture memorization, as that is the only way you can ensure that you are following what you believe the Lord is saying to you. However, for others, committing yourselves wholeheartedly may look like daily prayers, bible readings, meditations, or a combination of all of these things.

If your primary form of wholehearted commitment is scripture memorization, I do want to list off some pros and cons for you:

PROS OF SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:

• Scripture can be referenced in any time of doubt or uncertainty
• In the event where the Bible may no longer accessible, you will still have His words to live by
• You may be able to provide words of encouragement to those in need of those reminders

CONS OF SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:

• It can lead to a conviction that having the most scriptures memorized makes you the best Christian
• You may not have the full context of the verses you have memorized and may reference them incorrectly

If you desire to memorize scripture more, I encourage you to do so, and to also keep these pros and cons in mind as you study.

For those that struggle to memorize scripture like me: Know that this does not mean that you are leading an unfaithful life. I encourage you to meditate on the Word as much as possible and to take it to heart. I am of the belief that processing and putting into practice what you read can also ensure a faithful lifestyle. In fact, I will leave you with this scripture:

“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

-Joshua 1:8

Becoming the Pharisee

Did you ever take those quizzes to find out which character you’re most like from your favorite book or TV Show? I think I’ve lost count to how many I’ve done, but every so often I find that I get a character I generally did not like, and have the immediate thought of: “How? There’s no way I would ever be like them. I’m better than that!”. Of course, upon further self-reflection, I sometimes discover that there are similarities.

Now, have you ever had that same thought when reading about the Pharisees? For example, have you ever thought: “How could they deny Jesus? Why don’t they believe/trust him? Why are they so hypocritical?”

Or did you ever think that the Pharisees were meant to represent those who seek to destroy or manipulate Christianity? Well…what if I told you that they could very well represent the Church destroying itself?

Blasphemy!

I know how crazy it sounds, but hear me out!

A little background information on the Pharisees:

• The Pharisees were a group of religious leaders and teachers who believed in the following all the laws in the Torah (600+).
• The Pharisees spoke the Word but eventually began adding to God’s Word for their own personal gain, and came to the decision that their added traditions were just as important.
• Jesus actively called them out for being hypocritical and pointed out that they had forgotten 3 important rules of following Christ – justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Found in Matthew 23).

As much as I would hate to admit it, I’ve seen some of these characteristics in some of the Christians I’ve known growing up. I know a lot of Christians who are very active in the Church, are good about memorizing and quoting scripture, take part in religious events, etc. However, when they come into contact with someone outside of the Christian realm – their attitudes change. I’ve seen some of them act more hateful, not even think to reach out to help, or don’t think they’re worth helping because their actions have already sent them down a path to Hell.

If I’m being honest, I know I have not always been merciful, and have certainly not always been faithful. On top of that, I know I have been hypocritical at least a few times in my life. The thing I worry about is if the Christian lifestyle I spoke about in the previous paragraph continues, I think it could be the Church’s undoing.

In Matthew 5, the sermon on the mount, Jesus discusses the Beatitudes. In case you need a reminder:

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons^[a] of God.¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Looking at this scripture, we often use this to reference the Church, in part because Jesus is speaking to His disciples but also because I think at one point the Church fit this description.

Today, I’m not sure we fit this description anymore. Yes, the Church is small in number compared the amount non-believers but we have certainly made an impact on the world – and I don’t think it’s always been in the right way.

I no longer see the Church as the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers. Lately, I’ve seen more persecutors and those seeking to use His word for personal gain. There’s been a bigger focus on “Me” and “My faith” and I certainly think there’s been a lot of learning and teaching of His word, but not a lot of following through – much like the Pharisees.

In fact, it appears we have done well to work on our personal faith journeys, but we have lost the art communal faith.

It’s easy to get lost. To forget what God’s true purpose is. It’s easy to think that what you’re doing is for God’s purpose, when it may actually be for your own personal gain. That may include only preaching that “as long as you follow all these things, you’ll get into heaven” or only trying to bring as many people into the church as possible but not truly helping them to understand God’s Word or help them in building a relationship with God.

It’s also very easy persecute those you don’t agree with, or those you think are going down the wrong path instead of showing them love and mercy. Within the last year alone, I think I’ve seen more persecution against non-believers than I have in my lifetime. If this is you, you may think it’s righteous judgement or justice for God. However, I would argue that your heart has been hardened and that, like the Pharisees, you have forgotten mercy. You have forgotten what it means to reach out to those are really in need.

You have forgotten to love.

Church, I know this may be hard to hear, but please re-evaluate your motives, and do it often. What are you preaching about? Who are you preaching for? Are you allowing your personal bias to deter what God is really trying to say? The Pharisees believed they were doing the right thing even though their hearts were not in the right place. So, think about where your heart is today.

Idol Worship in the Church: Paul

If you sat down and thought about who were the most quoted characters of the Bible, who would you think of? Jesus would likely stand at number one, right? We have a lot to learn from Jesus through not just His crucifixion and early life, but His parables as well. So, there’s a lot to talk about and quote throughout our daily lives.

There’s also Moses. Although, I typically just think of the phrase “Let my people go!” and that tends to loop within my head more than anything else in regards to Moses.

However, if there were specific teachings that I remember learning just as much as the teachings of Jesus, it would have to be the teachings of Paul and the letters he sent to various areas and the Church. Is there an issue with this? Not necessarily, but there are times that I think we place Paul on a pedestal and line him up right next to Jesus in terms of importance and we tend to take everything that Paul says as blanket truth.

This would not be the first time Paul has been idolized. Paul even mentions what appears to have been idol worship of him rather than the Corinthians worshiping and praising God.

 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

-1 Corinthians 1:11-13

Within this passage, Paul stresses the importance of unity in Christ and the dangers of being divided. Not only is division in the Church dangerous, but division within your own personal faith equally dangerous.

I think we need to be careful with some of Paul’s teachings, as they are not always a direct command from the Lord. Paul is VERY specific when he is citing his opinion versus what he believes God is telling him to say. Typically, his opinion will lean on what is going on in the areas to which he is writing to.

In the 7th Chapter of I Corinthians, Paul discusses his opinion on the unmarried, and specifically states at the beginning of this discussion that it his opinion and not a command from the Lord; and he does the same when he states he is speaking a command of the Lord (An example being in I Corinthians 14).

I have also personally noticed that Paul appears to write with much more authority when stating a command from the Lord rather than his opinion, which I believe portrays the important difference between the two.

This is not to say that his opinions are not worth reading or considering. To put it simply, it’s very easy to place importance on something when you can associate it with a person or have a name to reference; but too easily this turns into “Well Paul said…” or “Well, Pastor John Doe said….” and not “The Lord says…”

I want those of you who read this to think on these questions: Who, if anyone, have I let take spiritual authority over my life? Is it Jesus? Paul? Or maybe someone in my immediate life – like a pastor?

The pastor will be the focus for the next blog. Stay tuned!

Taking Your Baby to Church

I’ve been a mother for a year now! It’s been stressful at times, but more often I find myself smiling and thinking about how much I enjoy my daughter’s existence. The way she giggles; her interest in technology; her desire to be constantly moving…I might be biased but I think she’s going to be pretty great.

Like most faith-based parents, I want to instill God, prayer, and the Bible into her life. This has been easy to do at bedtime – reading Bible stories and praying together before bed to begin the routine – but I haven’t figured out what most people in the faith try to instill the most: Going to church regularly.

For some, this may not have been an issue to begin with. The schedule of going to church every Sunday morning was already instilled in you and it wasn’t a problem to ease your child into that routine. I, on the other hand, have come across two issues: I’ve had a problem with church attendance since before my daughter was born, and my child always needs a nap when it’s time to go.

I’ve discussed my issue with Church attendance in a previous blog, which you can read here, but today I’d like to focus on the second issue. My child’s need to nap when it’s time to go to church, however, has brought about questions of how I should start those building blocks of helping her understand the importance of a faith community. These are the questions that I’ve been dealing with lately:

Do I take her anyway despite that she is clearly cranky and needs to nap?

Seriously, her crankiness sometimes feels like the earth is shaking from her rage. Typically, she won’t nap unless she’s in the car or at home. I think it’s a safety thing. I don’t know if trying to go to church during that time is worth probably going in and out of the sanctuary for an hour every Sunday is worth it. On the other hand, if I can consistently go, she may begin to feel safe enough to nap at church.

Do I keep her home, let her nap, and try to find a sermon to stream online during that time?

It would certainly be more convenient. It lets her sleep without potential trouble. However, the convenience is really more so for me, and the building blocks of community are lost for her.

How important are these building blocks now at her age?

I think most people would say that those building blocks are essential. And maybe to a certain degree, they are. I also am just not sure that she will begin to understand these fundamentals for another year or so. I’m not trying to make an excuse to not go to church; I just don’t know that I believe that her missing out on church now could make her a non-believer in the future.

Can I even begin these building blocks if I’m not consistent with them myself?

My personal answer? No. I think when it comes down to it, I just need to ease back into going consistently myself before these building blocks can even begin to be instilled in my child. And while her need to nap when church begins is inconvenient, I think her and I both are just going to have to suck it up and to try to get through it.

Have any of you had this dilemma or something similar? How did you handle it and what do you recommend?

Don’t Be So Typical

Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com

When I was young, there was a girl in my local church that I looked up to. In fact, I often considered her my mentor for my early faith growth. I was in my elementary years, and she was a teenager in high school. Unlike most teens her age, she didn’t seem mind me hanging around her and we ended up becoming close friends. We went to movies, theme parks, and regular parks where we just hung out and would sometimes talk about church topics. I thought she was super cool – not your typical church going girl. She was a tomboy, had piercings, etc. She helped me understand what it really meant to love others, regardless of age, race, sexual identity, etc.

During this period of my life, she decided to open up to her family and the church family and made it known that she was a homosexual. Honestly, I’m not certain of the events that occurred after that moment. However, I knew she got hurt emotionally to the point where she left the church that we both attended.  The fact that she was hurt to the point that she had to leave upset me on many levels. Not only did I lose a close friend, but I lost my mentor.

**For context purposes – this was in the early 2000s when more people were starting to come out and The Church was trying to figure out the best way to talk about it more openly, and I’m under the assumption that my home church did not handle to situation in the best way they could have**

I think there was hope that someone would step up to mentor me or attempt to bond with me in a similar way afterwards. Unfortunately that took several years – about around the time I hit middle school.

We got a new Youth Pastor around that time and to this day, he is one of the chillest dudes I know. He was not a typical church goer either. Not only was he very chill, but he was great at discussing the abstract concepts of the Bible that most people don’t like to or know how to discuss; and he also illustrates just about everything – his sermons, what he reads, what he listens to, and what he’s thinking. It is legit cool. He helped me understand how fascinating it is to read the Bible on a deeper level and helped me to know that it was okay to have ideas or questions that may be different from what is considered the normal faith view.

I’m sure at this point you’re wondering what I mean by typical. When I use this term, I’m referencing those who follow the typical faith schedule:

• Go to church every Sunday
• • This includes immediately going in, saying a few hellos but generally just going to your pew to have your worship time, listen to the sermon, then go home to watch the football game.
• Read Your Bible
• • Really just reading Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John which all have the same story from different perspectives.
• Praying
• • Saying the same prayer every day or just asking the Lord to provide you with what you think you need (but you really just want).

I’m not saying these things are necessarily bad. I think some folks need this kind of faith schedule to a certain degree in order to keep their faith intact (but that’s a whole other blog). I tend to refer to these kinds of folks as the sheep because they are the people that need to kept reigned in by whoever takes on the role of the shepherd.

Now the shepherds, or the non-typicals, go beyond this criteria. They reach out, check on people and get deeper into the faith. The non-typicals, or shepherds, have a tendency to be intimidating to the sheep at first because they’re different; they don’t match what they’re used to; but the non-typicals are so necessary for change to happen. I guarantee you that I would not be where I am in my faith today had it not been for two people I had talked about earlier.

Jesus is the very definition of the shepherd. Sure, he’s often referred to as the Lamb because he was the ultimate sacrifice. However, he was also the shepherd that led the sheep to renewal. The Pharisees, who led The Church at the time, hated Jesus. Those who were unsure of Jesus challenged him, and were then challenged back with new ideas and teachings. Jesus hung out and helped the outcasts. He made change happen. Jesus was non-typical.

Since our mission to try and be like Jesus, that means our goal should also be to become non-typical. I think we all start out as typical, or sheep. However, I believe at some point in our faith journey God wants us to become shepherds, or non-typical. Sheepdon’t make change in other sheep. The shepherd brings the change and the sheep will adapt, learn, and grow.

I know a lot of people who seem to be stuck in sheep mode. Whether it be out of fear, or if they just don’t have the right teacher, I don’t know. I do know that some of these sheep will call or beg for change and then get upset when change doesn’t happen. So here’s my message to you:

If you feel on your heart that something needs to change and you are simply surrounded by sheep and no shepherds – become the shepherd. Don’t be typical.

For those of you are not ready to be shepherds: Do not fear the non-typical. They are there to help you. If you have concerns, talk to them about it. They are there to guide you.

Why Love in the Church is Important

Let’s talk about looove. No, I don’t mean the romantic kind of love. I’m talking about the love of Christ! This is a Christian blog after all. More specifically, I want to talk about why love in the Church is so incredibly important.

Throughout my life, I have heard some backlash towards the love movement in the Church – the push to spend more time building relationships with others rather than smacking the Bible in someone’s face in the first moments of acquaintanceship. Is my bias showing a bit? Oops.

The backlash I tend to hear is that the love movement is too frilly; doesn’t get down to the nitty-gritty – the stuff that makes folks uncomfortable; and/or generally does not strike the fear of God into people like past movements have or attempted to.

I certainly understand those concerns and, like many movements of the past, it may need some adjustments. However, the main goal of showing love and building relationships with others over time is a huge foundation that is critical to the life of a Christian. Yes, the uncomfortable stuff and fearing God is important, but we forget that throughout all of Jesus’ teachings, love was part of what He said was the greatest commandment.

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.³⁸ This is the great and first commandment.³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

-Matthew 22:36-40 (ESV)

By now, I think most Christians understand the importance of loving the Lord. But look back at verse 39. Not only does it say that “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” but right before that, it specifically states that this particular commandment is just as important as loving the Lord. Just. As. Important. You know how huge that is?

Even Paul, in his letter to Corinth, talks about the importance of love in anything that he does.

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

-1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV)

This portion of Paul’s teachings is what I feel is so crucial to being a Christian. We can have all of the spiritual gifts, know all of the bible verses by heart, go out and do missions BUT if you do not do it in love or do not have any love to give – it means nothing.

So, where am I going with this?

Have the love of Christ. Show the love of Christ. It’s what we, as humans, need. In a world where depression rates are consistently on the rise, political tensions are high – we need love. Now more than ever. If we, as humans, need the love of God to survive; then those who know it need to show it to the ones who don’t know what that love looks like, because otherwise humanity as we know it will sink into a hole that we may not be able to get out of.

When National Symbols Become Idols

WARNING: This post involves political content. Please note that this is simply an opinion piece. This is NOT meant to condone or condemn the recent protests.

For those of you who don’t know – this blog has been on hiatus while I had a baby. I was unsure of when I would return, but in light of the recent protests, I felt that today had to be the day. I am NOT speaking of the NFL protests themselves, but rather the reactions to the protests that I have recently witnessed.

I want to make something clear before I continue: When it comes to the national anthem and the American flag, I agree with the majority that there is a sense of respect that needs to be maintained. However, some the reactions I have seen towards these protesters are completely out of line. Some have been almost verbally abusive in nature and have come from the mouths/posts of my Christian friends, and frankly I think we need to be reminded of something.

The flag. The national anthem. Both are symbols that stand for our country, our freedom, and the American way; reminders of everyone who chose to stand for it (and in many cases die for it) in different ways. But that’s just it – they’re symbols. At the end of the day, the American flag is simply a flag and the national anthem is simply a song. They are images that we have chosen as a society to represent our nation. Sadly, within the past year, I have seen more Christians choose these images over people as though they are meant to be praised, and have placed them on the same pedestal of passion that I see them put up for the Lord – and that’s a problem.

Ouch. I think I just made some folks angry. But hear me out. For those of you are Christians, we need to look at this in a bigger perspective. We need to ask ourselves:

How much is the American Flag or the National Anthem going to be worth when we die and are facing The One who will judge us?

Is the Lord going to be more worried about how much you chose to stand for the flag or how much you chose to show love to others despite your disagreements?

For me personally, I think it’s the latter.

As the title of this post may suggest, I think we have become picky about – or even just plain blind to – our own idol worship. It’s easy to say that cigarettes, alcohol, or electronics are idols that we have placed for ourselves. However, it’s also easy to forget how anything and everything can become an idol for us; and unfortunately, it’s rather difficult to admit that something so meaningful to us as a nation could be one of those idols.

It’s also difficult to remember how important each and every human being is even though we may disagree with them. In the first chapter of Genesis, the Lord talks about making us in His image. I take this to mean that all human beings are meant to be image bearers of God; in this instance, we have to remember that the American Flag and the National Anthem are images created by man, not by God. We need to stop holding the images WE created in greater regard than the images HE created.

No, you don’t have to agree with the protests or how they are being done. However, DO remember that the protesters are children of God just as much as you or I are and need to be shown love. So, please take note of how to treat one another in times of disagreement, and ask yourself what is more important.

Why I Struggle With Church Attendance

You want to know something? I haven’t been to church in two weeks. For some of you, this may not seem like a big deal; for others, this could be shameful. This would typically bring about the question of what I would need to do in order to maintain proper fellowship with my church community, and believe me, I’m working on that. However, I’ve recently been bothered by how much Christians focus on church attendance alone, rather than the importance of fellowship and continually building our relationship with Christ.

Growing up, my mother did a great job of ensuring I was going to church often. Now that I’ve had to take on my own responsibility of making sure I’m going to church, I don’t go as often as most people think I should. There are actually three main reasons for this, and to be clear – I’m not using any of these as excuses to not go to church, but rather helping people understand where my struggles lie.

To start, I’m an introvert. What does this have to do with church per say? A lot actually. I generally struggle socializing for too long regardless of who the person is and in a church setting, socializing can be a big deal. Everyone wants to say hello and catch up on each other’s lives. I love that church communities do this; it just happens to overwhelm me sometimes.

On top of this, I believe it’s important to have a day of rest. This is typically supposed to be on Sunday, and with how scripture tends to phrase it – I’m supposed to find rest with the Lord. Finding rest in the Lord can be very helpful with a church community; for myself, however, I sometimes need to find rest in the Lord in the quiet of my own home. This is typically due to weeks that are heavily loaded with necessary social situations, and by the time Sunday rolls around, I’m completely out of energy to properly socialize and discuss faith with my peers. In times like this, I tend to be more rejuvenated through a personal study of scripture.

Lastly, there was a point in my life where I was fairly consistent with going to church regularly. Then I realized that I was having a hard time gaining anything spiritually. I was just going through the motions of the week. Go to work Monday through Friday, do something with friends or family on Saturday, attend church on Sunday, repeat. I wasn’t really thinking about anything. It was like I was a robot

I used to feel ashamed for not going to church regularly because I felt it so necessary to be there every single Sunday. Then at some point I realized that I should be more ashamed for not building my faith and my relationship with the Lord more.

So the question is: Why was I so focused on being ashamed for my church attendance? Well, depending on where you’re attending, church attendance can determine everything. It can determine how involved you’re allowed to be, if you’re qualified for leadership, etc. It’s understandable why churches focus on it; more often than not, it’s primarily to check how many people are at church each week, and they may not want someone to get involved so quickly and then leave. However, in an indirect way – it determines your faithfulness to the church itself. In my desire to be a leader, I wanted to be sure the church understood that I believed my attendance was important when the reality was that it shouldn’t have been my focus.

Our faithfulness shouldn’t be directed towards the church. It should be directed towards God. Yes, the church helps maintain the faith, but you CANNOT rely on the church to give you faith 24/7. There’s a lot of personal work that has to go into that as well. When you direct your faith at the church and focus solely on the church, you run the risk of making the church your idol.

We’ve become too comfortable with the regular. Do I think church needs to end? Absolutely NOT. I think church is a wonderful tool for fellowship. The problem is that many of us are fine with just going through the motions every week, or place our focus on something that we’ve grown up believing is important when it might not be as important as we think. However, we have to remember what is most important – the Lord. If you read this blog regularly, or if you’re looking for a challenge: I encourage you to find new ways to develop your faith, whether that be in a social setting or a personal setting.

This week, I don’t leave you with a verse, but rather a worship song I was reminded of. It’s The Motions by Matthew West. I found it to be rather fitting for this week as I was meditating on the subject of church attendance.

 

Uniquely Made: A Reminder

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.'”

-Genesis 1:27-28

For those of you who do not know: I’m pregnant. In fact, I’m currently in my final trimester. As the due date of my baby nears every day, I have been constantly wondering what she will be like, what traits she will have, and what goals she will set for herself. This in itself has reminded me about how uniquely made each of us are; and looking back on my last couple posts (which can be read here and here), I have been thinking more about leadership in the Christian society as a whole – specifically, what traits make up a leader.

Growing up, I always had the belief that everyone was created differently, and that regardless of one’s personality, they were still made in God’s image. I can’t recall if this was ever taught to me, but it was my general thought process for quite some time. Somewhere along the line, it appears that I either forgot this thought or completely disregarded it. I think this was due to my growing desire to be a leader in the church because I had noticed that there had been an increased idea of what traits make the best leaders.

It made sense at the time, as any group that continues to grow eventually moves towards a different model of efficiency. As Christians, we desire to be equipped with the best tools in order to grow spiritually, and how can we ensure that we were equipped with those tools? With the best leaders, of course. This, however, has lead to a lack of variety in our leaders. It has also, unfortunately, lead to the forgotten word that shows how God called the “unqualified,” for he in fact made them qualified – just maybe not in how we believe people should be qualified.

Take a look at Moses for example. While speaking with the Lord at the burning bush, Moses was unsure of himself. Specifically, in Exodus 4, Moses begs for God to send someone else to help the Israelites as he is not an eloquent speaker. While God did provide Aaron as a helper, He still managed to work through Moses through the course of getting the Israelites out of Egypt, and throughout their time in the desert.

Let us also look at Jeremiah. In the first chapter of this book, God speaks with Jeremiah and appoints him to be a prophet. Jeremiah, however, does not believe he is qualified due to his young age. Yet the Lord encouraged him and told him not to worry, as He provided the words and visions that Jeremiah was to prophesize.

These are just two examples of God qualifying the “unqualified.” We may think we know what is best for us as Christians, but the reality is that we don’t. Only God knows that. Some of you may argue that God only uses people like Moses or Jeremiah to throw things for a loop, to show that He can use anyone for what He needs but doesn’t do it often. I just don’t think that is the case. In fact, I feel as though God does this more often than we tend to believe.

I leave you with this verse today:

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

-1 Peter 4:10-11

While it may be more efficient to have specific traits or personalities in leadership, we have to remember that God has an infinite amount of traits, gifts, and personalities to give and is more than able to use those to shape a capable leader. In fact there are likely trait and gift combinations, personalities we have yet to even see or fathom in this lifetime because He is likely waiting for the right time to use them. We are made to be in his image, and I think that requires a need for humans and leaders to be different.

For those of you who are current church leaders: Please remember that while you may think you know what is best for a church, God may bring something else entirely different that is necessary for change. Do not allow yourselves to be stubborn.

For those of you who feel called to leadership, but have yet to secure a position: Don’t give up. If this is God’s calling for you, He will get you there. Do not forget that there will be trials and continual growth. You may be like me, and don’t match what most churches want, but God will use you in the way that He sees best.