I believe Satan loves the fact that I’ve been griping about the Church. He loves it that I have gotten sooo frustrated with it that I have not been to church for a number of weeks. Now we have been able to converse with other believers here and there, but we have really just separated ourselves from the local church we had been attending.

I began to feel stale there. Lonely. Lost in the structure of it all. (Satan might enjoy my griping, but what he doesn’t understand is that I am not turning my back on the Body of Christ) What I am trying to do is find my place in it. The structure of it all has left me in my pew watching the show. I was on the missions and outreach committee for a spell…..”If you want to kill any idea in the world today, get a committee working on it.”-C.F. Kettering
I had been asked to be on the committee after a hand full of people heard the fire in my voice about missions. God had placed on my heart a desire to reach the lost. I think this should be a desire for all Christians, but anyway…after a bit of looking around and just a few conversations and websites and articles I realized that ‘missions’ is not what it use to be. At least not what I was brought up thinking it was. I pictured some couple in the jungles of Africa with some guy with a spear sitting and eating grub worms. I realized that the place of the western missionaries had changed a bit and many were now focusing on tent-making. Not that this is a new thing. Anyway, after some more looking around and getting more on fire for the unreached and my attempts at having conversations with people in my church and my beginning to look at my local church and look at the church of the New Testament I began to notice some serious shortcomings. Not that I all of a sudden felt like I am walking the perfect walk, but it’s like I look around in the PEWS and see, for the most part, the same people there that were there when I was 10. When I was 5. What has changed? What growth has there been?! I don’t just mean in number. Who has been discipled and by whom?! They’ve changed the terminology from ‘committees’ to ‘teams’, but it’s still the same problems. It’s just too difficult to serve in this context!!! And I am not talking about serving coffee and juice in our sorry 15 minute excuse for fellowship. What I’m talking about is the fact that I can’t get anyone to listen to me about the idea of meeting in each other’s homes. Breaking bread together. And what about those places “where Jesus would be if he were here?” IF he were here!? Chshh!!! Why can’t we, as the Church, a hand full of us meet in a bar to reach those who meet in the bars? We live in a small town and that’s about what we got for entertainment. Why not, when we are meeting together in our homes for a “love feast”, why not invite someone from work or a neighbor or a friend who wont come to the church building? “Where two or more are gathered in my name…” Sounds like Church to me! And what if, hey I found out Monticello Christian Church are going to have a number of home group gatherings, what if we began meeting in their homes and they in ours? Looking past our differences and working towards and through that Unity in Christ? We are One Body aren’t we? What if more Church’s got involved? Some more unchurched folks? Basically just starting out with fellowship and then letting the Lord lead from there!? He’s going to be there! (sigh)

Our town has around 6,000 people. In the community we have 40 some Church’s. Lot’s of organizations, but no organism. Nothing alive and growing. Why can’t we do this? Because you tried meeting in homes before and it fell apart? You tried ecumenical gatherings? The outcome was awful?………………TRY AGAIN!!!!!

I see a pattern of too much organization and not enough love and fellowship!! This is my problem. I want to say we need some good old fashion discipleship, but really I’ve never seen it before.

A quote from brad I stole from Andrew’s blog(hope ya’ll don’t mind): "Brad: okay, a rant. here comes: i think c. peter wagner's famous statement is not so true as american christians would like to think. i think a better phrase these days would be "discipleship is the most effective method for evangelism under heaven." church planting and the growing of capable leaders are both a byproduct of discipleship, so why don't we start with the "real" thing, which is discipleship? i hear a lotta people out there complaining about the lack of leadership in their (traditional and/or transition) churches, but then, it doesn't look like they have holistic discipleship either. so why should they expect they'd have any leaders raised up from within? they're performing and creating spectators still."

At some point the curtain was pulled and I realized I was sitting in an audience. Everyone else is still watching the show. I don’t want to be an actor soo…..what shall I do? There are people out there who need us to represent Christ here on Earth…..if I can’t learn to reach them inside the “cinema” where do I go to learn? Thoughts of fellowship, many meals, kitchen tables and couches come to mind. Maybe even a few coffee shops…I love coffee. I want to be real, relevant and I want to meet you eye to eye. I believe this is what we are to see going on the in early Church and His Church today. I don’t. I can’t get anyone to listen to me here yet, not that I plan to shut up. Souls are at stake and all. I have a right to be frustrated and a right to go and look for those who will listen to me and for those who want to see Christ Kingdom at work here on Earth. Those who don’t just want to ‘see’ it, but be a part of it. I’m not sure what our place is, but I believe it is in the Kingdom of Heaven and somewhere around yours and our kitchen table.

Tea for two and two for tea. Whose the Church? It’s you and me. Hmm hmm hmmm hmm……Satan hates this song of ours. Hee hee!