1. Simplified Christianity-An oxymoron?

Before reading this please read the intro post below this one. Sorry this part is so long. Just be glad I didn't write all my thoughts.

I have been increasingly frustrated by the clutter I see in the church. Not any particular church but if the shoe fits... We make everything so hard. We can't make decisions without having some committee or group of people present it, prolonging and complicating the process. Of course when multiple people come together to make a decision it always takes longer and often causes more problems than it is worth. Why? Well the short answer is we are sinful people. Continuing...

We have to have programs to get people to church. I'm not referring to non-believers, but the actual church members. How can we get them to participate more, we ask? How do we motivate them to "move"; to grow in their walk with Christ? How do we get them to stop nodding their head in agreement to the sermon and actually act on what they hear? Where is the desire to grow deeper? The problem is most of the time we create programs that have to be run by somebody and it usually is the same people doing the work and we see these people "burn out".

We also over-complicate the Gospel. God knows we are simple creatures. Therefore he made the way to heaven, the Gospel as we call it, simple. Jesus himself said it. " Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Do we forget the thief on the cross next to Jesus? According to most Christian "Salvation Plans", that thief would go to hell. We try to "get people saved" by getting them to say a prayer or send them through some five step program like they are in rehab. It's not like that. The thief next to Jesus didn't pray a sinners prayer! He said "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Done.

Why do we complicate things? We even make attending church complicated. Four services a week. Sunday school, Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. That's a lot. Where did that come from? (Read The Open Church) What makes those meetings Biblical? Some people view it as scriptural. Others say, "Well I just think that every time the doors are open we need to be there." Why? To please God? That doesn't impress Him. Maybe to get more teaching? Perhaps we would do better in our walks if we would meditate on the sermon on Sunday for the entire week. I believe it would sink in more and in the long run be more beneficial. Instead we cram so much teaching into four different times, most of which don't tie the subject being taught together. How are we supposed to retain all of that? I would like to say for the record that I am not implying that we drop all of the services, just that some evaluation of the "standard" needs to be done.

The church I use to attend has three identical services on Sunday. I even was a critic of that for some time but now I am rethinking the concept. My biggest criticism was that you got "lost" in the crowd. That no one knew if you were there or not. That actually happened to me. The problem was they provided a way to combat that. Small group interaction that they term Shepherding Groups. Oddly enough I stopped attending a small group. I was very involved in the ministry but I needed interaction on a personal level. It was provided, I just didn't utilize it. I was at the time, one of the type people who now frustrate me. The type that says "no one knows who I am or cares about me". You have to be available! We complain but we don't get involved. That's the fault of the complainer.

You see, if a church is healthy, it will grow. You have two choices as you grow. Spit, or facilitate. To split into another church only populates more churches in an already overpopulated church environment. We don't need more churches. We need healthier versions of what we already have. So facilitation is obviously the answer. People need to feel involved and desire interaction. That can't be provided in a large church only on Sunday mornings. Small groups provide that. I have seen it work! This model simplifies.

I have so many more thoughts but to sum this section up I have to make this statement. I will be re-evaluating "The Church" and my participation as well as where and how I spend my time in service. I want to be as effective as possible for the kingdom!