20 Jun 2009

Iglesia

So I spent the past two weeks examining Revelation 2 and 3.  Why?  Because we’re finding a new church, and it is one place where Jesus speaks directly to churches.  And, of course, I had the following , a lot of which is obvious:

• Realization: There is no mention of worship style.  Conclusion: I shouldn’t get too excited about fancy programming and sweet rock music.
• Ensuing Realization: You could assume that no mention of worship style is due to the fact that all of the churches were from similar cultures, yet this does not appear to be an accurate assumption.  They, in fact, are culturally disparate, each with a rich and distinct history.  We must remember that travel was not so easy back in the day.  Also, there are nuances in each letter to each church that highlight specific events in the area’s local history and culture.  Conclusion: It appears that a church should be in touch with its community and culture - Jesus clearly thought that it was relevant, as he laced only a few sentences of prophecy with oodles of relevant information.
• Realization: The main concern of the church surrounds people.  Conclusion: The church must be one where people, not agendas, are clearly important.
• Realization: One must be careful that a church adhere strictly to Biblical principles, and that there is accountability in the church body for it.  It is expected to be blameless. Conclusion: The pastors must be willing to be challenged by their congregation, especially elders.  There must be an openness in the teaching, a legitimate respect for deep theology, yet a humble admission of our inability to grasp everything perfectly.
• Realization: A church may be praised for its deeds, but it is the heart and passion of the people, played out in daily life, that is really important.  Conclusion: There is no great way to really figure this out at a church.  In fact, the church in Sardis didn’t even know that they were “dead.”  They appeared alive.  I think one way I hope to look for this type of church is to look for excitement about the good news of Jesus.  If Jesus’ death and resurrection are old hat, it will not be my new church.  The song Amazing Grace should bring down the house by its words alone.