Today is three reasons why you should still be a part of a Christian community even if the church has not been awesome to you in the past, or has hurt you, There are a lot of reasons, but these are just three to think about:
- The number one reason that I have listed here is that without other people checking us, we will justify anything. Without other people speaking into our lives there is the ability for us, if we are lone rangers, to make any decision about anything we really want. We’ll figure out a way to make it sound like it’s the right thing, or a good thing. That’s how we cheat on our budgets or cheat on our diets. People even cheat on their spouses and come up with rationale of why it’s OK, but when you’re around people all the time that can speak in your life, they can bust through that. We need relationship to keep us from justifying everything. It’s a fact.
- Secondly, we need perspectives on God from other people. Other people, bring out aspects of God that I wouldn’t if I was left to myself. Maybe you’ve been to a movie with people and then afterward you discuss it. You’re like, “oh, that’s a good point. I hadn’t noticed that!” or “that was what that what that was about?” People just bring out different aspects of the movie. It’s the same thing in relationships. I’m going to bring C.S. Lewis into this… he and Tolkien, of course, were part of the inklings – a literary group of friends. One of the guys was Charles Williams, who died. When he died, Lewis said he not only mourned the loss of Williams, but he mourned the loss of Ronald J.R. Tolkien. That aspect of Ronald that Charles would bring out of Ronald when the three of them were around. When it’s just the two of them, It wasn’t the same. There’s something about having other people involved in that relationship. It’s not just me and God. It’s supposed to be me and other people and God. I miss out if it’s just me. I always keep going back to the same aspects of God where I’ve always gone and I get out of balance. I can feel really guilty and I need somebody that talks about Grace in my life and sees that aspect of God and points it out to me. It’s very helpful.
- The third thing is all the “one another’s.” You know, there’s 57 “one anothers” in the New Testament. It’s stuff like it’s like love one another, teach one another, admonished one another, and encourage one another. It’s all these “one another’s” for people who are in community with each other. You can’t do that without community. I can say, “oh, it’s just me and God. All that matters, really, is just that I have a relationship with God. All that matters is between me and him.” It’s actually incoherent in the New Testament for me to say “I’m on my own.” It doesn’t work. I can’t do any of those “one another’s.” Plus, doing those “one another’s,” like encouraging people is actually healthy for me. It’ll be the same thing for you, too. We’re made not only to have other people speak in our lives, but so that we can bring what we have into theirs. You can’t do it on your own. It’s impossible. Absolutely impossible.
So, those are just three reasons. I know there’s tons more. You can have your own in the comments or whatever. Thanks for reading. I’m honored that you did. Thank you.
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This blog post was inspired by The Brant Hansen Show, aired on STAR 93.3.
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What is the name of the site that you talked about the other day about Christian help?
Faithful Counseling Online Christian Counseling On-line