Christian Community

I am reprinting an article here by Wayne Jacobsen, titled "Why I Don't Go to Church Anymore." It is an excellent treastise on being the church, and is balanced and without venom. I hope you will enjoy it and be encouraged--no matter where you find yourself on Sunday mornings:

Why I Don't Go To Church Anymore!
BodyLife • May 2001
By Wayne Jacobsen

Dear Fellow-believer,
I do appreciate your concern for me and your willingness to raise issues that have caused you concern. I know the way I relate to the church is a bit unconventional and some even call it dangerous. Believe me, I understand that concern because I used to think that way myself and even taught others to as well.

If you are happy with the status quo of organized religion today, you may not like what you read here. My purpose is not to convince you to see this incredible church the same way I do, but to answer your questions as openly and honestly as I can. Even if we don't end up agreeing, hopefully you will understand that our differences need not estrange us as members of Christ's body.

Where do you go to church?
I have never liked this question, even when I was able to answer it with a specific organization. I know what it means culturally, but it is based on a false premise--that church is something you can go to as in a specific event, location or organized group. I think Jesus looks at the church quite differently. He didn't talk about it as a place to go to, but a way of living in relationship to him and to other followers of his.

Asking me where I go to church is like asking me where I go to Jacobsen. How do I answer that? I am a Jacobsen and where I go a Jacobsen is. 'Church' is that kind of word. It doesn't identify a location or an institution. It describes a people and how they relate to each other. If we lose sight of that, our understanding of the church will be distorted and we'll miss out on much of its joy.

Are you just trying to avoid the question?
I know it may only sound like quibbling over words, but words are important. When we only ascribe the term 'church' to weekend gatherings or institutions that have organized themselves as 'churches' we miss out on what it means to live as Christ's body. It will give us a false sense of security to think that by attending a meeting once a week we are participating in God's church. Conversely I hear people talk about 'leaving the church' when they stop attending a specific congregation.

But if the church is something we are, not someplace we go, how can we leave it unless we abandon Christ himself? And if I think only of a specific congregation as my part of the church, haven't I separated myself from a host of other brothers and sisters that do not attend the same one I do?

The idea that those who gather on Sunday mornings to watch a praise concert and listen to a teaching are part of the church and those who do not, are not, would be foreign to Jesus. The issue is not where we are at a given time during the weekend, but how we are living in him and with other believers all week long.

But don't we need regular fellowship?
I wouldn't say we need it. If we were in a place where we couldn't find other believers, Jesus certainly would be able to take care of us. Thus, I'd phrase that a bit differently: Will people who are growing to know the Living God also desire real and meaningful connections with other believers? Absolutely! The call to the kingdom is not a call to isolation. Every person I've ever met who is thriving in the life of Jesus has a desire to share authentic fellowship with other believers. They realize that whatever they know of God's life is just in part, and only the fullest revelation of him is in the church.

But sometimes that kind of fellowship is not easy to find. Periodically on this journey we may go through times when we can't seem to find any other believers who share our hunger. That's especially true for those who find that conforming to the expectations of the religious institutions around them diminishes their relationship with Jesus. They may find themselves excluded by believers with whom they've shared close friendship. But no one going through that looks on that time as a treat. It is incredibly painful and they will look for other hungry believers to share the journey with.

My favorite expression of body life is where a local group of people chooses to walk together for a bit of the journey by cultivating close friendships and learning how to listen to God together.
Shouldn't we be committed to a local fellowship?

That has been said so often today, that most of us assume it is in the Bible somewhere. I haven't found it yet. Many of us have been led to believe that we can't possibly survive without the 'covering of the body' and will either fall into error or backslide into sin. But doesn't that happen inside our local congregations as well?

I know many people who live outside those structures and find not only an ever-deepening relationship with God, but also connections with other believers that run far deeper than they found in the institution. I haven't lost any of my passion for Jesus or my affection for his church. If anything those have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.

Scripture does encourage us to be devoted to one another not committed to an institution. Jesus indicated that whenever two or three people get together focused on him, they would experience the vitality of church life.

Is it helpful to regularly participate in a local expression of that reality? Of course. But we make a huge mistake when we assume that fellowship takes place just because we attend the same event together, even regularly, or because we belong to the same organization. Fellowship happens where people share the journey of knowing Jesus together. It consists of open, honest sharing, genuine concern about each other's spiritual well being and encouragement for people to follow Jesus however he leads them.

But don't our institutions keep us from error?
I'm sorry to burst your bubble here, but every major heresy that has been inflicted on God's people for the last 2,000 years has come from organized groups with 'leaders' who thought they knew God's mind better than anyone around them. Conversely, virtually every move of God among people hungering for him was rejected by the 'church' of that day and were excluded, excommunicated or executed for following God.

If that is where you hope to find security, I'm afraid it is sorely misplaced. Jesus didn't tell us that 'going to church' would keep us safe, but that trusting him would. He gave us an anointing of the Spirit so that we would know the difference between truth and error. That anointing is cultivated as we learn his ways in his Word and grow closer to his heart. It will help you recognize when expressions of church you share life with becomes destructive to his work in you.

So are traditional congregations wrong?
Absolutely not! I have found many of them with people who love God and are seeking to grow in his ways. I visit a couple of dozen different congregations a year that I find are far more centered on relationship than religion. Jesus is at the center of their life together, and those who act as leaders are true servants and not playing politics of leadership, so that all are encouraged to minister to one another.

I pray that even more of them are renewed in a passion for Jesus, a genuine concern for each other and a willingness to serve the world with God's love. But I think we'd have to admit that these are rare in our communities and many only last for a short span before they unwittingly look to institutional answers for the needs of the body instead of remaining dependent on Jesus. When that happens do not feel condemned if God leads you not to go along with them.

So should I stop going to church, too?
I'm afraid that question also misses the point. You see I don't believe you're going to church any more than I am. We're just part of it. Be your part, however Jesus calls you to and wherever he places you. Not all of us grow in the same environment.

If you gather with a group of believers at a specific time and place and that participation helps you grow closer to Jesus and allows you to follow his work in you, by all means don't think you have to leave. Keep in mind, however, that of itself is not the church. It is just one of many expressions of it in the place where you live.

Don't be tricked into thinking that just because you attend its meetings you are experiencing real body life. That only comes as God connects you with a handful of brothers and sisters with whom you can build close friendships and share the real ups and downs of this journey.
That can happen among traditional congregations, as it can also happen beyond them. In the last seven years I've meet hundreds if not thousands of people who have grown disillusioned with traditional congregations and are thriving spiritually as they share God's life with others, mostly in their homes.

Then meeting in homes is the answer?
Of course not. But let's be clear: as fun as it is to enjoy large group worship and even be instructed by gifted teachers, the real joy of body life can't be shared in huge groups. The church for its first 300 years found the home the perfect place to gather. They are much more suited to the dynamics of family which is how Jesus described his body.

But meeting in homes is no cure-all. I've been to some very sick home meetings and met in facilities with groups who shared an authentic body life together. But the time I spend in regular body life I want to spend face to face with a group of people. I know it isn't popular today where people find it is far easier to sit through a finely-tuned (or not so finely-tuned) service and go home without ever having to open up our life or care about another person's journey.
But ultimately what matters most to me is not where or how they meet, but whether or not people are focused on Jesus and really helping each other on the journey to becoming like him. Meetings are less the issue here than the quality of relationships. I am always looking for people like that wherever I am and always rejoice when I find it. In our new home in Oxnard, we've found a few folks and are hopeful to find even more.

Aren't you just reacting out of hurt?
I suppose that is possible and time will tell, I guess, but I honestly don't believe so. Anyone who is engaged in real body life will get hurt at times. But there are two kinds of hurt. There's the kind of pain that points to a problem that can be fixed with the right care—such as a badly sprained ankle. Then there's the kind of pain that can only be fixed by pulling away—as when you put your hand on a hot stove.

Perhaps all of us have experienced some measure of pain as we have tried to fit God's life into institutions. For a long time most of us hung in there hoping if we tweaked a few things it would get better. Though we could be successful in limited ways during moments of renewal, we also discovered that eventually the conformity an institution demands and the freedom people need to grow in Christ are at odds with one another. It has happened with virtually every group formed throughout the history of Christianity.

Are you looking for the perfect church?
No, and I don't anticipate finding one this side of eternity. Perfection is not my goal, but finding people with God's priorities. It's one thing for people to struggle toward an ideal they share together. It's another to realize that our ideals have little in common.

I make no secret of the fact that I am deeply troubled by the state of organized Christianity. Most of what we call 'church' today are nothing more than well-planned performances with little actual connection between believers. Believers are encouraged toward a growing dependency on the system or its leadership rather than on Jesus himself. We spend more energy conforming behavior to what the institution needs rather than helping people be transformed at the foot of the cross!

I'm tired of trying to fellowship with people who only view church as a two-hour a week dumping ground for guilt while they live the rest of the week with the same priorities as the world. I'm tired of those who depend on their own works of righteousness but who have no compassion for the people of the world. I'm tired of insecure people using the Body of Christ as an extension of their own ego and will manipulate it to satisfy their own needs. I'm tired of sermons more filled with the bondage of religion than the freedom of God's love and where relationships take a back seat to the demands of an efficient institution.

But don't our children need church activities?
I'd suggest that what they need most is to be integrated into God's life through relational fellowship with other believers. 92% of children who grow up in Sunday schools with all the puppets and high-powered entertainment, leave 'church' when they leave their parents' home? Instead of filling our children with ethics and rules we need to demonstrate how to live in God's life together.

Even sociologists tell us that the #1 factor in determining whether a child will thrive in society is if they have deep, personal friendships with nonrelative adults. No Sunday school can fill that role. I know of one community in Australia who after 20 years of sharing God's life together as families could say that they had not lost one child to the faith as they grew into adulthood. I know I cut across the grain here, but it is far more important that our children experience real fellowship among believers rather than the bells and whistles of a slick children's program.

What dynamics of body life do you look for?
I'm always looking for a people who are seeking to follow the Living Christ. He is at the center of their lives, their affections and their conversation. They look to be authentic and free others to hurt when they hurt, to question what they question and to follow his voice without others accusing them of being divisive or rebellious. I look for people who are not wasting their money on extravagant buildings or flashy programs; where people sitting next to each other are not strangers; and where they all participate as a priesthood to God instead of watch passively from a safe distance.

Aren't you giving people an excuse to sit home and do nothing?
I hope not, though I know it is a danger. I realize some people who leave traditional congregations end up abusing that freedom to satisfy their own desires and thus miss out on church life altogether. Neither am I a fan of 'church hoppers', who whip around to one place after another looking for the latest fad or the best opportunity to fulfill their own selfish desires.
But most of the people I meet and talk with are not outside the system because they have lost their passion for Jesus or his people, but only because the traditional congregations near them couldn't satisfy their hunger for relationship. They are seeking authentic expressions of body life and pay an incredible cost to seek it out. Believe me, we would all find it easier just to go with the flow, but once you've tasted of living fellowship between passionate believers, it is impossible to settle for anything less.

Isn't this view of church divisive?
Not of itself. People make it divisive when they demand that people conform to their revelation of truth. Most of us on the journey are accused of being divisive because freedom can be threatening to those who find their security in a religious system. But must of us aren't trying to recruit others to leave their congregations. We see the body of Christ big enough to encompass God's people however he calls them to gather.

One of the things often said about traditional church is that Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in American culture. We only meet with people who look like we do and like things the way we do. I've found now that I have far more opportunity to get with people from a broader cross-section of his body. I don't demand others do it my way and I hope in time that those who see it differently will stop demanding we conform to theirs.

Where can I find that kind of fellowship?
There's no easy answer here. It might be right in front of you among the fellowship you're already in. It might be down the street in your neighborhood or across a cubicle at work. You can also get involved in compassionate outreaches to the needy and broken in your locality as a way to live out his life in you and meet others with a similar hunger.

Don't expect this kind of fellowship to fall easily into an organization. It is organic, and Jesus can lead you to it right where you are. Look for him to put a dozen or so folks around your life with whom you can share the journey. They may not even all go to the same congregation you do. They might be neighbors or coworkers who are following after God. Wouldn't that kind of interconnection among God's people yield some incredible fruit?

Don't expect it to be easy or run smoothly. It will take some specific choices on our part to be obedient to Jesus. It may take some training to shake off old habits and be free to let him build his community around you, but it is all worth it. I know it bothers some people that I don't take my regular place in a pew on Sunday morning, but I can tell you absolutely that my worst days outside organized religion are still better than my best days inside it. To me the difference is like listening to someone talk about golf or actually taking a set of clubs out to a course and playing golf. Being his church is like that. In our day we don't need more talk about the church, but people who are simply ready to live in its reality.

People all over the world are freshly discovering how to do that again. You can be one of them as you let him place you in his body as he desires.

© Copyright 2001 by Lifestream Ministries
Permission is hereby granted to anyone wishing to make copies for free distribution.

There's More

Faith says “There’s More.”

Sometimes I’m tempted to close my hand and withhold what is asked because my resources are limited. “I can’t give you this, it’s all I have!”

But Faith says, “There’s more!” and freely gives out of the wealth of the Father.

Sometimes, I close my eyes in fear, and resist what is or might be. “This horrible thing is all there will ever be!”

But Faith says, “There’s more!” and extends the vision of eternal peace and life on a restored Earth, sharing in the glory of the Son.

Sometimes, I am sure I am all alone. “No one is beside me, no one understands!”

But Faith says, “There’s more!” and reveals a host of brothers and sisters that share in One Faith, One baptism, and pursue the same God and Father of all.

Sometimes, I smugly declare that I’ve understood it all. “I have grasped the mind of God.”

And Faith, smiling, says, “There’s more!” and reveals treasures to the horizon, untasted.

The Author's Answer

Said Faithless Heart to its master,
Am I safe?
Am I loved?
Are all these ugly things covered over?
Shall I be kept?
And will you name me?

Said master's lips, “But of course,”
But his heart spoke louder still:
You are not okay,
Undeserving of protection,
How can what's ugly be called lovely?
You are naked and unworthy,
I have no name to speak for you.

Then Faithless Heart's eyes were downcast,
Heart reverberating with the words: they are true.
Who can unmake this?
Who can call what is not as though it were?

Came the Faithful One, saying to the Heart,
“Now hear the Truth:
I AM your husband,
I AM your fortress,
By My love and not your merit, I love you,
I cover you and present you clothed,
You shall be ever kept,
And He spoke a secret name, with Holy Breath.

Faithless Heart no more you'll be,
Accept my answer and cease to ask.
But if ever you do, I, your True Lord, will answer again the same:
I AM your rock and you are mine,
You shall see what I will do."

And so she took her name and asked no more.


Psalms 131
My heart is not proud, O LORD,my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.

Successful Discipleship?

I've been listening to a sermon that our friend Mike gave at church back in July. It was about how Mary of Bethany modeled discipleship. (July 22 at this site: http://www.lwf4sq.com/LWF/resources/sermons.htm ) I am deeply frustrated listening to this. I can't really figure out what I'm supposed to hang on to in it. I can hear that I'm supposed to be passionately, obsessively focused on Christ. Yet, I'm not. The only response I have to this is to feel guilty and inferior because I'm unmoved. Sometimes I think I'm just going to hell...except I don' t think I believe in hell (anhiliationist). I don't trust this message. I can hear the truth in it—that we must love God with all our heart, soul, mind, strength. And I recall the times of my life when sacrifice was easy in pursuit of God. I have these two voices speaking in my head. The female voice is the voice of the last charismatic church we were part of. It beckons me to be engage my soul in God, drinking in who he is with every bit of my being. To be overwhelmed and carried away. The male voice, is that of my husband who says that truth makes us free and we must discover it and walk in it. It assures me that what God is and wants is not vague and slippery, and that the grand plan is more than making me feel good. It's logical, ordered and specific. And definitely missing something. Here is some of what the two voices say:


SHE says: The way to the successful Christian life: cultivate an experiential relationship with God that makes you aware of God's glory, holiness, love and power. Meditate on it, feel the rush of emotions that come through singing about it and taking in Christian art. This awareness will make you better able to hear God's voice and put you in touch with the power of God to live out his will. You'll feel exhilerated, so you'll know its working. You will want to do the right thing. You should concern yourself with trying to be as deeply engrossed in God as you can. You need to do things that make you feel like thinking about God and listening to him. The successful Christian life is defined by a mystical quality of life. God's best disciples are the ones that are passionate. The emotional certainty that is faith, and the passion that is love are what God requires.

HE says: The way to the successful Christian life is to find out what is true, which will make you truly free to walk with God. The role of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into all truth, not all feelings. So we should read the Bible searching for his essentials, and embrace them. These include a proper understanding of why Jesus came, the impact of his resurrection, the purpose of the spirit and a firm grasp of the hope that inspired the Apostles—to start with. Singing songs that make us feel things that aren't true will hurt us in this process. Feelings follow thoughts and must always be subject to what is true. They are not useful for serving God, but are a nice by product, when they happen. God isn't disappointed when we don't feel much. Love is not so much an emotion, but the laying down of self, which we will rarely feel like doing—take Jesus for example. He didn't feel like going to the cross, but he did, out of obedience to the Father and for the reward waiting for him. Faith and Love are what God requires, and neither are emotions. Faith is walking as though what is true IS true, and love is the denial of self for the best good of another.

The Dirt Bride

My husband says I'm dirt. But I try not to take it personally, because he says the Bible says that we are all dust. I think there is probably some scriptural substance to that. But it sure runs counter to the popular view that we are the adored Bride of Christ (which, of course we are too...) So in the one view, we are small, insignificant, without worth or even life on our own. My husband's theory is that God made us dirt people as visual aids in a story he's telling the angels: "Look, this is the kind of God I am. I can take little dirt people, and give them life and make them eternal. I can lay down my glory and become one of them, share in their dirt life and death, and take up my glory again, actually making the dirt people eternal shining beings who reflect my glory." And he loves us, yes, because He is Love. He can't help himself from loving us, because he's love. But not in a gushy way, because he does, apparently, create some people for destruction. I don't really get that.

So this is the argument we have: are we dirt people, or are we the Darling of the Almighty? How close to the mark is the very modern idea of being Jesus' Girlfriend, the church? What is the personal impact of being the spotless (Dirt) Bride of Jesus?

So, I went to my handy dandy bible program and started to look at what we are promised in Christ, just a bit. I started out with "reward." I had the idea in my head that somewhere in there it said that we are Jesus' reward for going through the cross. Anyone remember the Russ Taff song "We are his medals?" I wanted to see if that was in the bible. I couldn't find it. Anybody out there know of scriptural basis for this idea?

While looking into that, I found Col 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." That intrigued me. An inheritence. That rings a bell: the old covenant. The old deal was that if Israel followed the rules, God would be "their God" (be related to them) and give them a secure homeland. An inheritance. If "all God's promises are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus," then, what promises might that be? Any random word he ever spoke to anyone? That's just silly. I don't buy that you can pluck an out of context quote from God and believe it or pray it into your life by force. No, the promises that are Yes and Amen in Christ are the hope of the eternal inheritance. We have received the spirit of Sonship, and been adopted. He is our God. And we will be given an incorruptible body to live in on a restored Earth, ruled by King Jesus Himself. But, I digress. I wanted to see if there is merit in the idea that God is just crazy about me. To what extent is my Christian hope to be intimate with the Most High God.

Did you ever stop to think how recent the emphasis on relationship with God is, as a Christian idea? I somehow doubt that the Apostle Paul ever "Asked Jesus into his heart." What scriptural foundation do we have for the concept of Christianity being relational at its core? I mean, I really like that idea. It makes sense to me. But was it part of the gospel preached by the disciples?

I am continuing to search the Bible on this topic. It would make me feel good to be something more important to God than a visual aid. I would like something more personal than comic book super strength in my resurrected life in the coming age. What does the Bible actually say?

Contrasting Covenants

I understand the Old Covenant to be this: Do what God says, and he will give you (Israel) land, prosperity and He will be your God. Fail to obey his statutes, and suffer separation and loss.

Time and again this deal is offered to them: be good, get stuff (material stuff.) Be bad, get spanked.

The Old Covenant has a measuring rod--the Law, and consequences of not meeting those standards. The Law is referred to by Christ as including even the Psalms. It is all of the teachings of the Old Testament: circumcision, the Ten Commandments, the sacrificial system, etc. The New Testament writers consisently write of it as an inviolable whole. If you break one part of it, you've shattered it all.

The energy of the Law is self-effort. YOU read the rules, YOU follow the rules, YOU get the treat. Good job, YOU.

The Law is perfect and holy, and in it is no mercy. If you put your hope in walking by these external codes, you must do it perfectly or die.

When Jesus came and taught under this Law (and his moral teachings were under law remember--the new covenant was ushered in not by his life, but by his death), he raised the stakes immeasurably. He clarified that not only being perfect on the outside was required, but also on the inside. It isn't enough to just not kill anyone, but you must not even have a murderous thought. It isn't enough to just act pure, but you can't lust in your heart of hearts. He wanted those listening to realize the hopeless situation they were in. They had no power to be perfect just as God himself is perfect. He was bringing them to a ripeness for the birth of a new thing.

The New Thing is the New Covenant. A new deal that God offered: Believe in my son, and receive eternal life. He did away with the old deal that we couldn't fulfill because of our flesh. No longer are we to be automously trying to fulfill a list of commands, making educated guesses about "What Jesus Would Do" in our place. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, we've received the Holy Spirit, making it possible for each of us to walk as Jesus walked: connected to the heart of God, Alive like he was alive. Dimly now, and fully and brightly when he is revealed in his glory on that last day. But faith says "I have the spirit of God within me because of Christ, and I am not alone." It says this no matter what feelings or experiences may come. When thoughts flit, "I am abandoned" or "I must find my own way" we must take them captive to Christ: "No, I am adopted and will rule in Glory with my King," and "No, I leave off finding my own way and submit to the Father who loves me and fills me."

Christian Unity

We went to the community church service today. It is a once a year joint celebration in a local park, followed by a potluck lunch. The speaker spoke on Christian unity in a way that reminded me of King's "I have a dream" speech. He painted a picture of a community of believers that loved God and one another, and reached out and supported each other in practical ways. Where each person was walking in the Spirit to serve God by caring for one another in that ways for which they were gifted. I love this idea. I feel passionately about it, in fact. What I don't understand is how exactly that works.

My husband and I have "gifts" that sometimes annoy others and disrupt what they are doing. Take my rant about MTI for instance. As far as I can see, that program is a profoundly bad idea. Yet my brothers and sisters in Christ think its the best thing since sliced bread. And really, if there is no other place for folks to connect with each other or introduction to the basics of the gospel, it may be better than the nothing that they had. While I can fully support drawing together to learn more, how can I smile and sit by while we pretend to minister instead of actually doing it? And if everyone smiles and acts like it is fulfilling, they will continue to do it, ignoring real needs and good doctrine (in my opinion!) So, I feel like it is my calling in situations like that to say something. I don't mean attack people or accuse anyone, I mean to talk about how it impacted me personally and hold it up against scripture.

So, does love keep showing up when it doesn't make people happy? We have felt like God was telling us to leave these people alone and stop sweating it. So we've left them (and ourselves) alone. But if we were to be in the body, somehow and some way, what would that look like? Our doctrine is different than other believers, though they don't seem to think so. It appears to me like believing the truth is critically important--spiritual health, community, and perhaps salvation itself rest on it. I don't know how to be quiet when the preaching violates what I understand of Christ. Not that I know or understand everything, but even my questions seem not okay. It isn't up for discussion--we all know that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again. But why? And what does that mean for my present, my future? Why is that good news? I need to hear that stuff.