The Church is worth fighting for!!

Make no mistake, there are problems within the church today. However, that is no excuse for abandonment! The church is worth fighting for. I applaud efforts that are made to truly reach out to others in an attempt to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I think that the use of the internet for ministering is a wise use of this resource. I believe that it can greatly augment and supplement a person's relationship with Christ and other believers. That said, I do have some reservations about using the internet as a person's exclusive faith community.

I simply am unable to reconcile the Biblical accounts of Christian fellowship, church, and community with George Barna's book "Revolutions" and a move to divorce oneself from an actual, live, real time community of believers. You see, our faith is based NOT on self. We do not come to salvation in isolation. How can I say this? While commands in John 3 that we are to become born again, he never uses the phrase "personal savior". This is a recent and Western phenomenon. Our faith in Christ is to be interwoven with that of other believers. This cannot be accomplished in isolation. Even though I love and try to use internet communities and forums for evangelism, encouragement and education, this medium can never duplicate face-to-face contact with other believers.

Another issue that I have with Barna here is the implication that if the church fails to meet MY needs, that I have the right to leave it. I believe that this statement is a correct summary of Barna's beliefs. From a theological standpoint, "Barna sees the Church, the Body of Christ, exclusively as a mystical, spiritual community of "revolutionaries" without any direct relationship to the local church. The Church is a community that Christians spiritually join when they decide to follow Jesus, rather than one into which they are incorporated concretely through baptism and local church discipline." (Bounds & Drury & Smith, 2005) This fundamental shift in understanding the church explains why Barna believes in "revolution".

Understand, our place in the community of faith is not established exclusively by church membership. No one is saved by attending church. We are not going to reside in Methodist or Baptist and Presbyterian sections in heaven. However, this is NOT the point or intention of the church. The church is to be a community of IMPERFECT people who have gathered together to worship Christ our Risen Lord, to lift up prayer needs and concerns of the church, community and world, to push one another to a deeper faith in Jesus and to pursue holiness together.

With that definition in place, it becomes increasingly more difficult to have church in isolation. What exactly constitutes church? I agree that the church is not a building. Absolutely not. The church is not even a sacred space. The church then, is a gathering of people who wish to come together in MUTUAL submission to the authority of the Lord, the Bible and a pastor/leader. Our faith is based largely on this concept of submission. I submit my life to Christ. I submit my life to my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I strive to see others come to Christ and to disciple fellow believers. "Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Eph. 5:21, NRSV) What a foreign concept to most of us!

To take an off-road here - this concept of discipleship must never be forgotten. We must never be willing to see people come to Christ and then watch them founder and wax and wane in their walks with Christ. We are called to sharpen one another, as iron sharpens iron. Discipleship is a lengthy process. It is about mutual growth, rather than merely individual growth. There is a relationship there, but it is not exclusive.

Furthermore, I believe that some of the complications here come from a skewed view of what the mission of the church is to be. Is it a haven for saints or is it a hospital for sinners? I would argue that it is to be both! I am a pastor. However, I must still never forget that I am also a sinner who is saved ONLY by the grace that is given to me by Jesus Christ. In turn then, I am a broken one who leads other broken ones. I know that hurts occur in the church. Many of us, myself included, have been wounded - deeply wounded, by someone who is in the church. Let's face it, the church is full of hypocrites. But this accusation is not enough. So is the rest of the world! That is the point. What sets the church apart from the world is that within church, the imperfect people are on a journey of faith. There is an effort that is being made to become something more. Sure, imperfect people make up the church. Paul writes in Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." (NRSV)

The church, as the bride of Christ, then is precious. How many times is it stated that Christ is the head of the church? - Eph. 5:23 for one. Christ gave his life for the church - Eph. 5:25. Because of this, we are to love the church as Christ loves us. Does abandonment constitute love? When Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the castle door at Wittenburg in 1517, did he do it with the intention of leaving the church altogether? No! Luther voiced his problems WITHIN the church and community of believers.

Do you have problems with the church? Voice them! It is not good enough to stand OUTSIDE of an organization and critique it. For example, do I have the ability to influence political change if I only stand outside of the political arena? No! I must vote and make my voice heard. I must work WITHIN the established framework. The same goes for the church. Barna is not calling for a revolution. What is calling for a legitimate divorce from the church. There is nothing revolutionary about that. You cannot hope to influence an organization for the BETTER of that organization by leaving. In leaving, the only one that you are serving is YOURSELF! That is contrary to the concept and design of the church.

Barna throws stones at the church, but never seeks to offer solutions to the problem. It has been said that the easiest chair to occupy is the critic's chair. Furthermore, it was Abraham Lincoln who stated," He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help." In other words, if there is no intention of helping the church, then no criticism of the church is valid. Are there problems in the church? Yes. I am sorry, deeply sorry for the fact that so many people have been hurt within the church. But, I will say this. Who has the power to hurt you more than anyone else? Family! But, at the end of the day, after is said and done, what are they still? Family!

It is not good enough to simply take our ball away and go home when the game doesn't suit our needs. This isn't elementary school. Frankly, it isn't even good enough to leave the church when you have been hurt. While this is a response, it is not a healthy or mature response. I apologize for the length of this post, but I feel that it is my duty to respond. I say this only in love for my brothers and sisters in Christ, the church and for my Savior, Jesus Christ. The church IS worth fighting for!

Perfect sex

Sex does NOT need to be a taboo subject. However, it also must not be a subject that is taken lightly or viewed as dirty. I definitely believe that sex is an incredible gift from God. Sex can give us completion and unity, in a physical sense. Due to its nature, sex then is a perfect expression of physical and even emotional and spiritual intimacy. Sex exhilarates, enlightens and encourages. Quite honestly, the feeling of an orgasm is one of the most ecstatic events in the emotional spectrum of life.
Yet, because sex is so powerful, it also has the potential for abuse. Serotonin and endorphins are released upon orgasm. These chemicals are released directly into the bloodstream and are responsible for that feeling of orgasmic bliss. From a biological point of view, it is quite possible to become addicted to this feeling. As a side note, it must be recognized that there is a difference between enjoying sex and being addicted to it. Restraining yourself to the perfect expression of sex allows you to overcome the addicting nature of sex and it also allows you to enjoy sex in the manner in which God intended it.
I bring these points up in order to show one reason why sex is so powerful. As I stated before, sex is beautiful and completely natural. However, and here is the rub, as wonderful as sex is, sex cannot be practiced without restraint. According to the Bible, sex is ONLY to be practiced between one man and one woman, who are united in marriage. Because of its power, sex must be respected, just as we respect the power of fire. Fire burns when played with irresponsibly. So does sex. This is why boundaries MUST be set. Because sex expresses physical intimacy, physical compatibility must be in existence. This is only found between a man and a woman. It's just straight up physics there, folks.
Even more importantly, sex expresses emotional and even spiritual intimacy. It is NOT the complete expression of either one of these areas, but it is a barometer. Sex is SO MUCH MORE than a physical act! I cannot emphasize this enough. Because of the emotional and spiritual components involved, sex must be expressed solely in a committed relationship. The committed relationship that is held in the Bible is marriage. A marriage is a covenant NOT just between a man and woman, it is a covenant before God as well. This means that, yes, God is and WANTS to be involved in your sex life. Because of this, sex has the aforementioned parameters for perfect expression.
As with the other gifts of God, man has a choice in how to receive these gifts. Sadly and unfortunately, so many choose to receive this precious gift in an order that please THEM ONLY. Remember, sex is to be enjoyed, but it is also meant to be enjoyed in its PERFECT EXPRESSION. When we choose our own expressions, we find ourselves working in "our flesh". This is also expressed in our sin nature. Galatians 5:19-21 expresses sins of the flesh. many of these sins are sins because they take the natural gifts of God and put them into the order of man. As I have stated, sex is wonderful in its perfect expression. However, when taken out of its perfect expression, it leads to adultery, fornication, impurity, self-indulgence and the like.
The church in America has for too long focused on what is negative in sexual matters. Sex needs to be recast in its perfect light. However, it must be acknowledged that when it is taken out of its perfect expression, sex does indeed lead to purely negative arenas. Sexual abuse, adultery, homosexuality and divorce are just a few of the sins and problems that come from taking sex out of context. These things can be avoided! When sex is left in its proper place, it becomes that completion that we as humans tend to seek. When we seek that completion too early - i.e.- prior to marriage, we suffer the consequences - perhaps an unplanned pregnancy, perhaps guilt. When we seek that completion outside of marriage,we likewise will suffer consequences, as have been previously mentioned. This is not intended to be an exhaustive discussion of sex, but an overview. I am not including the personal details of my sex life with my life, as I do believe that expression to be private, between my wife, God and me. By the way, I truly believe that if we took that stance, that sex is beautiful, we would be less likely to mar its beauty. If we believed that sex is sacred, I believe we would continue to maintain that sanctity. This is what must happen. I believe that this really must begin in the homes of Christian married couples everywhere. As we speak of the true nature of sex, I believe more people will of the positive nature of sex. This in turn can lead to more people desiring perfect expression over one-night stands - which only lead to loneliness, flippant attitudes and portrayals of sex and the demeaning of women as mere objects of sexual desire - and the demeaning of men as being little more than sex-crazed dogs. God intended sex to be so much more than that!!