Reading Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" this morning and this passage made me go "Whoa"...
"The Bible is meant to be interpreted within the context and accountability of faithful community. Yet even with that qualification, there is still a need for those of us nestled deep within the Christian bubble to look beyond the status quo and critically assess the degree to which we are really living biblically.
Most of us assume that what we believe is right (of course we do -- it is why we believe what we believe) but have never really studied for ourselves. We were simply told, "This is the way it is," and didn't question it. The problem is much of what we believe is often based more on comfort or our culture's tradition than on the Bible."
Yeah... that quote hit me in the gut this morning.... I'm guilty of that one, but I'm working on it.
One of my dearest friends came to know Christ in her adult life. She didn't grow up in the church or even around many Christians. She doesn't have the "pre-programmed" beliefs about how Christians are supposed to act like many of us who grew up sitting on those pews every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and for me, on Wednesday nights as well. What's so cool and fresh about being around her is that she is totally lead in her faith by the Holy Spirit and NOT by the rules of some religion that have been pounded into her head. I will admit that sometimes I find myself being frustrated by her lack of structure in her approach to following Christ. But that's just because I'M still being affected by "the rules" that I was taught as a child.
What about you guys? Have you found that when you dig in and study God's word, some of the things that you were "taught" in church aren't quite making sense now? Are your beliefs based more on your comfort or your culture's tradition than on the Bible?
*-Italics directly from "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan
Marcia,
ReplyDeleteI love your thought process here for I am just like your friend, I didn't grow up in church and have come to find the Lord later in my life. I feel as though sometimes I'm out of step with many of the people around me, heck, I guess I don't even feel the same way about church as they do, but I feel I am building a relationship rather than following the lead of a pastor or preacher, although both are very important in developing further understanding. Church to me became to "Clicky" if that makes since.
Bob, I think building a relationship with Jesus IS the main thing we need to concentrate on. But I DO believe that surrounding yourself with other Christian believers is imperative in that process. Finding a church that you can grow in can be crucial in that step... however, believing what you are taught in that church without digging into the bible and trying to decipher for yourself if what you are being taught in that church is biblical is dangerous at times. Some churches DO have that "clicky" feel.... but I encourage you to keep searching. There is nothing like finding true fellowship with other believers and bonding together to do the work Christ commands us to do. I pray that you can find a place to worship in your area where you are comfortable. :-)
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