Losing faith in Church and gaining faith in Christ.

I, like many others, made many assumptions about Christianity based on human traditions. I always assumed that what we call “Church” was in fact the Church of the Bible. Growing up seeing my father's discontent at the Church system lead me to question certain things about Church but never to question the entire institution. I thought that maybe there were things that needed to be fixed or adjusted but my faith in the system was never shaken.

When I was 13 years old my family started to attend this Church and it had such a profound impact on me that it made me look back at the Churches that we had attended in the past and start to see and understand how very far we have come from the Biblical Church. In past Churches I would hear sermons about how “Church doesn't end on Sunday”... but it always did end. But in this new Church I didn't hear these lectures about Church not ending on Sunday....It just didn't end on Sunday. In the Churches I had gone to in the past I would hear sermons about the importance of having the Church be like a family. They would create programs to try to encourage small groups to bond together....But they never really did bond. At this new Church there where no sermons about small groups, there where no programs.... It just was a family. It was just so unforced, unscripted and unplanned. Everything just happened so naturally. God really impressed something on me during my time there that I never really understood at the time. The more we try to plan, format, micromanage, script our worship, the less God is involved.

With this wonderful experience under my belt, boosting my expectations of Church, my family moved on to another state. Once again we found a Church and started to attend. It was nice enough but to be honest, it felt a little boring compared to my last experience. Even though it wasn't quite as exciting as my last experience, I really felt like the people there were really caring. If you missed a Sunday service they were always quick to call and make sure everything was alright and if you where sick, they were always there to pray with you. At one point the Church was having some financial troubles and so to “educate” the congregation on the costs of the Church, they released a detailed budget of every cost. When I read this budget I was shocked, It seemed that every single person who did anything for the Church was a paid employee. Those nice people that call you up if you miss service to make sure you are okay, they are paid to do that. The nice people that come visit you in the Hospital and pray for you, they are paid to do that. I felt heart broken, what ever happened to service, to sacrifice? What ever happened to doing something because it was good or right? Was everything just business now? The examples of Christianity I grew up with were people like my Grandparents. My Grandpa who was a Baptist Pastor and my Grandma would often visit sick people in the hospital, old people in the nursing homes and pray for them, visit with them and sing to them. My Grandmother on the other side of the family was involved with Meals on wheels where she would cook and deliver meals to people who were too old or too sick to cook for themselves. These where some of my examples and so this version of “paid service” was just not compatible with my faith. At that point I totally lost faith in the institution of Church and I vowed to never go to Church again. I never lost faith in Christ but all I could see was the disconnect between what we call Church, and Christ.

Ten years past and during that time I never set foot in a Church. But eventually I did start attending a Church. It was nice and very positive and uplifting but I just couldn't feel it in my spirit. I felt like I wasn't being honest. I felt like I was going to Church because I'm a Christian and that is what Christians do on Sunday. I felt like I was just living a lie. So eventually I stopped going there and went another four years without going to Church.

Then I moved to the Philippines and got married and started to attend the Church of my wife. At first I was intrigued, these people seemed more focused on service without financial reward. They were more interested in service than profit. They were very hands on in everything they did. I was very interested and felt like maybe I had found what I had been looking for for so long. I thought that these desires for a true Church might have finally been fulfilled. BUT, once again something happened. One Sunday my wife was supposed to sing with the group on stage. We got to Church and the worship leader told my wife that she needed to go home and change cloths if she wanted to sing on stage. The issue, the dress she was wearing showed half an inch of her knee and the rule is that it has to be below the knee. (Included is a picture of what she wore that day)Never mind that just a couple of months earlier my wife had lost all of her cloths in a horrible typhoon and she didn't have many cloths to choose from. No compassion or understanding at all. I asked the Pastor over to the house to discuss this situation. I told him our position and our thoughts on the matter but he was totally unwilling to make any concessions or exceptions to this rule, ever after explaining to him that my wife's cloths had all been ruined and that she was slowly trying to re-build her wardrobe. So I respectfully informed the Pastor that we would no longer attend Church there but I told him that there was no reason for any hard feeling with anyone and that I hoped that the congregation would not condemn us for leaving. He agreed and left. However within 24 hours many members of that Church including the Pastors family started to publicly attack us and even to question our salvation. Ridicules. After witnessing a total lack of people willing to stand up on our behalf, I realized that while the Church in the Philippines might not have the same problems that it has in America, it definitely has its own problems.

I now found myself calling out to God with a burning desire on my heart, a desire for a better way. I was now at the point where I could actually ask myself and God “Is what we call Church even Biblical?” I started digging deep within the scriptures looking for any examples of what we call Church. First I went to the writings of Paul and I noticed that most of the time he will start off by saying “To the Church at....” After meditating on this for a while I was then lead to look up the meaning of the word Church. I found that it is actually an un-translated or not fully translated word. The meaning of the word actually translates to “The called out ones” or “The summoned”. But going even deeper the word at it's root has the meaning of being called from one place, to be gathered at another place. So, the first question is who are the called out ones? Well, the Believers and followers of Jesus “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord” 2 Corth 6:17. And then the second question, if we are the called out ones and this word means to be called from one place to another, what is the place we are being called to? This is where the split in opinions comes. Some would say that the called out ones are being called out to gather at Church ____ Let us explore this opinion quickly. While following this way of thinking we have literally created thousands of denominations, thousands of divisions. So what does the Bible say about divisions? “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” and also we see Paul talking more about this here “For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?” Sound familiar? I am a Baptist, I am a Methodist, I am Lutheran, I am a Catholic, I am none denominational..... It's the exact same thing now days, just with different names. If the called out ones are indeed being called out to gather as in a Church setting, then why did Paul tell the Church “not to forsake the assembling together” ? If the word Church means the assembling at Church, then wouldn't that be saying that the assembled people should assemble? That doesn't make much since to me.

 So one road we have tried and it has lead us to division that the Bible so strongly opposes. So in essence the institution that we call Church, the white building with a Cross on top, with pews and a pulpit, with 4 song standing up and 3 song sitting down, with passing the collection plate, with a nice message for 40 min.... this entire format that we call Church never occurs in the Bible at all.
What is the other way, what is the alternative to Church? If we are not being called to Church then what are we being called to?
Consider this...“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. And also “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” To repent means to change your mind, to leave one way and go to another. So now it starts to become clearer, we are not being called to a building on Sunday, we are being called to Christ Himself, we are being called to turn from our life and submit to His life, this is what it truly means to be a “Called out one” But, as I pointed out earlier we are told to assemble together, so, how should these assemblies look?

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20. The assembling of the called out ones is nothing more than this verse states, two or three brothers and sisters coming together in Christ. We pray for each other, we study the Bible, we encourage each other, we worship God together. We don't need a pretty little building to do this, we don't need pews, we don't need a pulpit. All we need is a living room, a kitchen table to share a meal with friends, an extra chair to offer a neighbor. This way the Holy Spirit is free, completely free to do what He needs to. No time limits (20 min of worship time) no restrictions (35 min sermon) He sets the times and situations. Before you call me crazy, before you dismiss what I'm saying, look it up yourself, what we call Church doesn't exist in the Bible. The next time you read in the Bible try replacing the word “Church” with “Those who have been called to Christ.” Check out the examples below.

Acts 12:5 “So Peter was kept in prison, but those called to Christ where earnestly praying to God for him.”

Romans 16:4 “They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all of the Gentiles who have been called to Christ are grateful to them.”

1 Corth 5:12 “What business is it of mine to judge those outside of those called to Christ? Are you not to judge those inside?

You see how simply describing the meaning of the word instead of using the word itself changes the religiousness of these passages? It takes the emphasis off of the building or system and puts it on us, where it should be. The most poisonous phrase I can think of is “Lets go to Church” Because if you go to Church, then Church is a place for you and if it's a place for you, you've lost its true meaning. If you think this is an important subject that needs more thought and discussion, please forward this to your friends and family.