the time has come
The time has come to dive in, huge step of obedience...time to look for a church to congregate.
My problem goes beyond doctrine, a comfortable site, nearness, or most of the issues one would look for when choosing a church.
The problem is that I am looking for a church where I can passionatly burn for God. Sounds romantic? It ain´t.
But that is what I want. I want to find a church where I can serve God, but won't end up all tied up in all sorts of meetings...so many that I end up with no time to serve God.
It happens...you want to serve God? You don't want to just come on Sundays and warm your seat? Well, then you must first take a series of courses, just to make sure you share our doctrinal basis.
Then you must congregate regularly. There is the Sunday church meeting, and a cell group, and of course there is the leaders meeting, and the intercessory meetings...
and suddenly you are so wrapped up that you do not have time to serve God.
If I go up to a pastor now and tell him all this, what do you think his reaction will be?
Most likely I will be called a rebel, ouch. I do not want that, I do not want to give an arrogant front of "I know all and that is that"
Then that is not the only challenge I will face, there will be tons of things where one is asked to do this or do that "you have to be tested to see if you can serve God"...once in a church the pastor preached that before one could teach one had to wash bathrooms to prove real servanthood. So we offered to wash the bathrooms, the answer was: "we have an employee that does that"...great, where do I start?
Once more I am beeing honest. It seems to me the real problem starts in the type of person I am and ministry I have. My ministry usually involves bringing forth change. I cannot settle for what we have, no matter how good, there is always a higher mountain to climb.
I sigh as I think of going through it all over again, all the "testing before you can really have a word" and then when I finally think I can say a word I hit a hard wall "that is out of boundries, you are going too far" Ouch.
Pastors would love me if I could limit myself to what is on the plan. An enthusiastic person is always welcomed...but I get to the point of being overenthusiastic.
I do not want to give the impression that I hate pastors. I do not. I look back with love and thankfulness to the pastors God has used to work in me what I now am. And if I were only called to listening or to a typical ministry we would have had no problems at all.
But God has not intended me to settle. He has intended to make me the one that can say, "common you guys, lets dare to see more of God!"
"Yes, this was cool, and exciting...but can you imagine what would happen if we manage not only to steal His smile but if we can manage to steal His laughter over us????"
That is me...why settle if we can go for more? Yes, we will have to pay a price, maybe make a fool of ourselves...but later... wow- it will be worthwhile!!!
If I could just settle and have a normal church life, we would be really content. But after several services of more or less everything the same I start thinking...you know what would be fun? We could collect the offerings first thing in the service. "Bea," my pastor said "then people wouldn´t give anything" Maybe, but wouldnt the few coins of the few that made it a real effort to get their money turned in smell good to God????
After that pastor's reaction I didn't dare suggest another thing that I had thought. But I would still like to do it someday: after collecting all the money, read the part in Leviticus were it talks of the burnt offerings, and then...literaly set all that money on fire, as a sweet smelling offering to God.
I think God would be tickled pink.
As I wrote those words, I had such a big smile on my face...and then I think of the churches that I am planning to apply for, and tears fill my eyes. I do not think they would like such "extremes", I am in this huge inner struggle, it is obedience, but how I long for that group of people that would dare to do something "extreme" for a God that did something "extreme" for me.
I guess, I will go to church trying to make it clear in my mind that this is not "THE group" I am waiting for, but that they are neat people and can learn from them if I take a humble attitude.
I guess, I will think of the obedience some of you are going through by attending college when your heart is elsewhere...reaching out.
may God see our obedience as a sweet fragant offering, one that will one day touch His heart and take us to that desired spot...
the time and place where we will be able to
be extreme for Him as He was for us.
My problem goes beyond doctrine, a comfortable site, nearness, or most of the issues one would look for when choosing a church.
The problem is that I am looking for a church where I can passionatly burn for God. Sounds romantic? It ain´t.
But that is what I want. I want to find a church where I can serve God, but won't end up all tied up in all sorts of meetings...so many that I end up with no time to serve God.
It happens...you want to serve God? You don't want to just come on Sundays and warm your seat? Well, then you must first take a series of courses, just to make sure you share our doctrinal basis.
Then you must congregate regularly. There is the Sunday church meeting, and a cell group, and of course there is the leaders meeting, and the intercessory meetings...
and suddenly you are so wrapped up that you do not have time to serve God.
If I go up to a pastor now and tell him all this, what do you think his reaction will be?
Most likely I will be called a rebel, ouch. I do not want that, I do not want to give an arrogant front of "I know all and that is that"
Then that is not the only challenge I will face, there will be tons of things where one is asked to do this or do that "you have to be tested to see if you can serve God"...once in a church the pastor preached that before one could teach one had to wash bathrooms to prove real servanthood. So we offered to wash the bathrooms, the answer was: "we have an employee that does that"...great, where do I start?
Once more I am beeing honest. It seems to me the real problem starts in the type of person I am and ministry I have. My ministry usually involves bringing forth change. I cannot settle for what we have, no matter how good, there is always a higher mountain to climb.
I sigh as I think of going through it all over again, all the "testing before you can really have a word" and then when I finally think I can say a word I hit a hard wall "that is out of boundries, you are going too far" Ouch.
Pastors would love me if I could limit myself to what is on the plan. An enthusiastic person is always welcomed...but I get to the point of being overenthusiastic.
I do not want to give the impression that I hate pastors. I do not. I look back with love and thankfulness to the pastors God has used to work in me what I now am. And if I were only called to listening or to a typical ministry we would have had no problems at all.
But God has not intended me to settle. He has intended to make me the one that can say, "common you guys, lets dare to see more of God!"
"Yes, this was cool, and exciting...but can you imagine what would happen if we manage not only to steal His smile but if we can manage to steal His laughter over us????"
That is me...why settle if we can go for more? Yes, we will have to pay a price, maybe make a fool of ourselves...but later... wow- it will be worthwhile!!!
If I could just settle and have a normal church life, we would be really content. But after several services of more or less everything the same I start thinking...you know what would be fun? We could collect the offerings first thing in the service. "Bea," my pastor said "then people wouldn´t give anything" Maybe, but wouldnt the few coins of the few that made it a real effort to get their money turned in smell good to God????
After that pastor's reaction I didn't dare suggest another thing that I had thought. But I would still like to do it someday: after collecting all the money, read the part in Leviticus were it talks of the burnt offerings, and then...literaly set all that money on fire, as a sweet smelling offering to God.
I think God would be tickled pink.
As I wrote those words, I had such a big smile on my face...and then I think of the churches that I am planning to apply for, and tears fill my eyes. I do not think they would like such "extremes", I am in this huge inner struggle, it is obedience, but how I long for that group of people that would dare to do something "extreme" for a God that did something "extreme" for me.
I guess, I will go to church trying to make it clear in my mind that this is not "THE group" I am waiting for, but that they are neat people and can learn from them if I take a humble attitude.
I guess, I will think of the obedience some of you are going through by attending college when your heart is elsewhere...reaching out.
may God see our obedience as a sweet fragant offering, one that will one day touch His heart and take us to that desired spot...
the time and place where we will be able to
be extreme for Him as He was for us.
posted by thisfool @ 9:57 AM
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