my thoughts about church and having the courage to change

the last couple of weeks, my family has had church at home. i know it sounds really strange in this day and time to do that, but it's not a radical idea. it's how the church got started to begin with. we've been teaching our kids about the early church in the book of acts. early christians met in homes. they ate together, they worshiped together, they learned together, and they took care of each other.



i've had a number of invitations to church. it's kind of funny. people think we don't go to church anymore. quite the contrary. there's a move today to go back to the new testament model of home churches. it's not that we don't go to church. we do. it's just a little different than what we've grown accustomed to.



somewhere along the way, we lost touch with what church is really about. church is about the people rather than the building. it's about reaching out to a world of people and showing them JESUS in the way we walk, talk, live and give. it's not about pleasing people inside the church. it's about us living a life that pleases GOD.



i think i've had enough of church politics and powerful personalities for a while. i've seen enough of the dark side. i have always been a champion for church. i've been the first to say that though it has its flaws, it's still the best thing. but now i wonder. i think it's time for us to really examine the church. it has to be more than just a social hour. it has to be a place where we are challenged and changed, not a place where we demand our needs for comfort be met.



GOD, show me what it's really all about. i want more. i want to be challenged. i don't want to hide any longer inside the walls of the church building. i want to make a real difference in the world around me. i want to know what the gospel is about in its purest form. i know that this will require much from me. i know this will cost me. so please impart courage to my heart and make it fearless. give me the grace i need to do your will. it's time for me to step out of the boat and onto the water where you are. i'm scared. help me do it anyway.